For 2000 Major League Baseball draft pick Anthony Pluta, reuniting with an old teammate and coaching on Vancouver Island are ideas heB次元官网网址檚 mulled over for a while.

HeB次元官网网址檚 excited to see both come to fruition at LangfordB次元官网网址檚 Island Training Centre.

Born in California, Pluta played pro ball for 13 years and was a third-round pick of the Houston Astros, playing for six MLB affiliates during his Minor League career. He has roots on the Island, having earned a masterB次元官网网址檚 degree at the University of Victoria and playing for the short-lived pro team the Victoria Seals. He was teammates back then with Charlie Strandlund, now general manager of the multisport training facility.

B次元官网网址淲e talked even when I was playing in 2009 about doing something like this, where he and I team up and then do a lot of baseball stuff in town and try and elevate the offerings,B次元官网网址� Pluta said.

Back then there wasnB次元官网网址檛 much in the way of facilities, but these days the centre allows kids to comfortably play long-toss through the winter B次元官网网址� the facility is the biggest indoor fieldhouse in the province.

B次元官网网址淲e wanted to make a huge impact in the baseball and softball community on the Island, so bringing Pluta on board was a big deal for us,B次元官网网址� Strandlund said in a release. B次元官网网址淗is joining elevates the offering and gives us someone at the facility leading the charge.B次元官网网址�

Pluta is currently pitching coach for the Canadian WomenB次元官网网址檚 National Baseball Team and co-technical director of high-performance baseball in B.C. He plans to stay in those positions for 2022, which means his summer will be B次元官网网址渃razy,B次元官网网址� but he is excited to coach locally.

With Greater Victoria continuing to expand, the number of players is also growing, he said. Pluta hopes kids from the West Shore and beyond come train at the centre B次元官网网址� potentially progressing and climbing the baseball and softball ladders.

B次元官网网址淵ou never know what will happen. But weB次元官网网址檝e had quite a few (MLB) draft picks from the Island. Every year there is tremendous talent coming out of British Columbia, and weB次元官网网址檙e going to start seeing even more talent coming out of the Island as baseball becomes more popular.B次元官网网址�

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