From the Prince George Westcana Axemen last year at the World Baseball Challenge to his first gig as a professional baseball player, persistence has paid off for Charlie Strandlund.
The 27-year-old utility infielder found out Wednesday he made the roster of his hometown Victoria Seals when manager Bret Boone gave him the news. Although he still has to work out terms of his contract, he can't wait to collect his first paycheque.
"It's awesome, a dream come true for me, and to be able to do it at home is even better," said Strandlund. "I'm not too worried about the money. You go your whole life in baseball paying for registration (fees) every season and now I think maybe I'll get a few of those registrations paid back."
Strandlund was one of the top hitters for the Axemen in the inaugural WBC, an 11-day tournament held last July at Prince George Citizen Field. He led his team with two home runs and eight runs batted in.
"In that tournament, Germany, Canada and the U.S. had a lot of good arms and it was fun facing those guys," said Strandlund, who works as a personal trainer in Victoria. "You have to challenge yourself to compete with those guys and that gave me confidence. As a hitter it takes a lot of experience to get used to the better pitching and the WBC had a lot of talented guys."
See Friday's Citizen for more
