Eagles’ season takes flight
The Victoria Eagles will be riding the winds of change this B.C. Premier Baseball League season, starting with new head coach Charlie Strandlund taking over those duties from Anthony Pluta, who remains as an assistant while he also coaches his daughters in softball.
The Eagles also have a number of roster changes, losing some key players in a move over to local rivals the Victoria Mariners.
“It’s one of those things when guys move along, there are opportunities that open for others and I know for a fact the guys who have had that opportunity presented to them are looking forward to having that chance they may not have had with those other guys there,” Strandlund said of the changes.
Gone are former Eagles’ ace pitcher Fynn Chester, Jacob Potter, Dan Rockwell and Luke Seginowich. Assistant coach Jay Longpre has also joined the Mariners.
The deletions are not Strandlund’s concern as he and Pluta, and the remainder of the coaching staff, look ahead and not behind, starting with a doubleheader today at 1 p.m. at Lambrick Park against perennial powerhouse the Langley Blaze.
“I’m expecting the boys to go out and work as hard as they can, every game, every night,” said Strandlund, the former Victoria Seal. “That’s one of the things we’re trying to instil in the kids, working hard and giving us that effort every day. Our expectations are to do exactly that, play every game and put in a full effort every time we are out there.”
The Eagles also lost key veterans to graduation in Tyler Duncan, Kobe Morris, Martin Eckard, Kieran Waters, Stephan Wade and Lenn Nakatsuka.
Strandlund has six seniors back in Nate Postle, Colton O’Brien, Jacob Butler, Cam Devlin, Quinten Davidoff and Parker Swinton.
Brody Stark and Noah Doorschot are key returnees and moving up to the premiers are Shutu Arakai, Matt Collett, Hayden Wilcox, Aidyn Hart, Michael Musselwhite, Andy Weir, Leo Jansch and Trey Sjerven.
“Arakai’s done a great job. He’s a guy with a little bit of speed and has good bat control,” Strandlund said of his new lead-off man who played midget triple-A with the Eagles last season.
“He handles the bat well and he’s a guy who can lead-off in that spot, for sure.”
With all the changes, Strandlund expects and needs leadership to come from the entire corps.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations and they all present as a unified team. We’re looking at each and every guy to step up and do their part when tasked,” he said.
“For myself, I know the senior group has a lot of guys very intent in making sure the team is working together and always pulling together.
“It’ll be a good challenge,” he added of having to face the Blaze first. “They’re looking forward to it and we may as well get going right out of the gate.”
Pluta remains with the club and believes the team’s pitching will be respectable.
“Our pitching staff will be extremely strong and that’s what we’re going to have to rely on, them throwing strikes and keeping us in the game,” he said. “We don’t have the power guys in the lineup like we had last year like Kobe Morris and Tyler Duncan. We’re going to have to rely on hard contact guys who can put the ball in play, like Andy Weir, who should be a focal point player for us.”