Major League Baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates have committed to opening a youth baseball and softball training center in Canonsburg, Penn.
The Pirates announced a partnership on Thursday with EL1 Sports, a national youth sports training company for players ages 3 to 18.
The club said the new training center will be a state-of-the-art facility and will be equipped with turf, netting, performance enhancement equipment, configurable training stations, next-generation technology, and seating for families.
According to CBS News, the center will also offer free camps and clinics, as well as free programming for Pirate RBI athletes.
Through the new partnership, the Pirates and EL1 Sports will help support the operations of the facility, along with founder Matt Bianco, who the Pirates called one of the most notable hitters in WPIAL history.
"Supporting and promoting youth baseball and softball athletes and programs has long been at the core of what we do," Pirates president Travis Williams said in a news release. "Together with EL1, we are focusing on supporting grassroots efforts and increasing accessibility to training in order to get more athletes involved in the game and help them to develop their talents. With Bianco School of Baseball as the first 'Pirates Training Center', we will be able to accelerate these efforts and immediately bring high-quality instruction and programs to these athletes."
