Josh Snider takes a look at the future site of Grand Slam Baseball Okanagan at the 1603 Dartmouth Rd. in Penticton, Sept. 7, 2022. He's the manager of baseball and softball operations.

(DAN WALTON / iNFOnews.ca)

South Okanagan baseball players will be able to take their game to the next level once a new indoor training facility opens its doors in Penticton.

Athletes can already train indoors for baseball in Penticton, but only in facilities that belong to other organizations, such as the Penticton Soccer Club.

“Having our own facility will make a huge difference,” said Josh Snider, manager of baseball and softball operations with Grand Slam Baseball Okanagan. “We have to show up while youth soccer is going on and blow out batting cages with shop vacs.”

It’s not realistic to play ball outdoors in Penticton during the wintertime and even in the summer players are still at the mercy of rain and extreme heat.

“Being able to come in and flip a switch and have cages move around, and being able to access them whenever we want, is going to make the biggest difference in the world,” Snider says.

READ MORE: Massive indoor baseball facility pitched for South Okanagan

Beyond what it can offer hometown competitive players, the facility is expected to be used by visiting teams, travelling athletes and local recreational players. Beyond the training facilities, there will also be virtual games played with people across North America.

Although baseball is a very mature sport, it has recently experienced significant growing in popularity in the South Okanagan.

“We’re starting to see a large increase in high-performance baseball while softball is growing as well,” Snider said. “It’s partially to do with the Blue Jays, as much as it pains me to say that because I’m a Mariners fan. They’re a fun, young exciting team who are on TV every night – something the Canadian people can get behind.”

Edgar Yost, the man planning the facility, had asked the city for permission to rezone the property at 1603 Dartmouth Rd. and the rezoning was approved this week.

Yost hopes the building will be open to the public some time next year.

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