Eagles Extend Manager Pluta's Contract Through 2017

The GVBA Victoria Eagles are pleased to announce that Anthony Pluta, the Manager of the 2015 Victoria Premier Eagles, has agreed to remain as Manager for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Pluta managed the Premier Eagles for the 2013 and 2014 BCPBL campaigns and the Eagles are impressed with the results. “Anthony has worked wonders with our Premier team," says Martin Winstanley, Chair of Eagles Baseball. "The Premier Eagles won the 2013 BCPBL Championship under his leadership but more importantly, Eagles players are developing sound baseball fundamentals and graduating to outstanding college baseball programs. Anthony continues to be a key asset in the future of the Eagles organization and we are very happy he has committed for another two years.”

Manager Pluta expressed his satisfaction with the Eagles Baseball program. “I have really enjoyed working with the players the last two years. I view the extension of my contract by the Eagles as an endorsement of my efforts to prepare our players to compete at the next level of ball. Over the next three years, I will work hard to continuously improve Eagles baseball for the benefit of not just the Premier Eagles, but also for the players on our Bantam AAA, Junior Premier and Midget AAA teams.”

More about Eagles Manager Pluta: Over the last 13 years, Anthony Pluta has combined playing professional baseball with managing high-performance high school-age baseball. He started playing ball as a talented outfielder and hitter but his strong arm led to a focus on pitching. Entering Grade 12 at Las Vegas High School, Pluta was ranked by Baseball America as a top US high school pitching prospect and he received scholarship offers from 33 NCAA Div. 1 programs. While Anthony signed a Letter of Intent with Long Beach State University, the 17-year-old hard-throwing right-hander was picked in the third round of the 2000 MLB amateur draft by the Houston Astros.

Deciding to forego college to play professional baseball, Pluta spent six years in the Astros organization where he established a reputation for hard work and an excellent fastball that hit 100 mph on the speed gun in 2002. The No. 5 prospect in the Astros system in 2001 and 2002, Pluta played professional ball for 12 years with six major league and two independent teams, including the Victoria Seals.

In off-seasons during his years of professional baseball, Coach Pluta found time to give back to the game. He is a US National Certified High School Coach and instructed at the Las Vegas Baseball Academy. In 2010, he was the Head Coach of Oaks Christian High School, one of the largest private high schools in California. More recently, he served as the Director of Baseball Operations for the Diablos Baseball Club in Las Vegas, a 12-team high-performance program with players ranging in age from eight to 18.

Pluta has also organized numerous baseball academies and camps, securing instructors from his extensive network of former teammates playing in the major leagues. During the last four years of his professional career, Pluta pursued university studies and in the spring of 2012, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He is currently pursuing a Masters of Education in Coaching Studies at the University of Victoria. The 32 year old Pluta resides in the Victoria area with his wife and children.

For more information about Eagles Baseball contact Martin Winstanley at martin@winstanleyfamily.com.