Anthony Pluta III

I was born in Visalia, California but grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada. Growing up I played soccer, baseball and ran cross country. I was an athletic kid but never thought I would have an opportunity to play a sport for a living. While in high school I had 30 full ride Division I college scholarships offers and was trying to decide where to go to school. On June 5, 2000, two days before graduating high school, I was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 3rd round of the amateur baseball draft. After two months of negotiations I decided to forego college and signed a professional baseball contract.

Three years into my professional career I needed ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (Tommy John). After 18 months of rehabilitation I was able to pitch again. I had a terrible season and was released by the Houston Astros in spring training in 2006. That same year I was signed and released by 5 different teams. In 2007 I signed with the Texas Rangers and decided that I should pursue an education. I applied for the Roland Hemmond scholarship offered through the Association of Professional Baseball Players of America and was granted the first ever scholarship. In 2011 after years of hard studying while playing professional baseball I earned a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

I retired from professional baseball in 2012 after playing in Japan. In that same year I got married, became an ordained sub-deacon in the Orthodox Church in America, moved to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada and helped the Victoria Eagles baseball team win their first championship in my first year as their manager. Following that championship season I enrolled in an completed my master of science in kinesiology where my thesis garnered international attention by being featured on "Quirks and Quarks" and being published in "Neuroscience Letters."

I am currently the head coach for the Canadian Women's National baseball team, a sport management instructor at Camosun College and in my second year of my PhD.