Former Pueblo East, CSU Pueblo baseball player Al Sandoval to speak at fundraising event

Al Sandoval knows a little bit about baseball in Pueblo.

As a former player at Pueblo East High School and Colorado State University Pueblo, Sandoval is part of the history of the sport.

Now as the assistant strength and conditioning coach of the Texas Rangers, he's expanded his knowledge and is contributing to Major League Baseball.

Sandoval will be the keynote speaker for a big baseball event at CSU Pueblo on Jan. 29 called the inaugural CSU Pueblo Baseball First Pitch Dinner. The event will take place at the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom starting with a reception and silent auction at 6 p.m. with a dinner and program to follow at 6:30 p.m.

All alumni, family and friends are invited to attend to celebrate the past, present and future of Pack baseball.

Table sponsorships are available for $200 apiece or single tickets can be purchased for $50. Two players from the team will sit at the sponsorships tables to mingle with.

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Climbing the ladder

Sandoval, 36, who has been with three different major league organizations including , the Colorado Rockies, the Los Angeles Angels and now Texas Rangers, said he is blessed to be able to speak at the special event.

"I look back and it's wild to think about that I'm in my 16th season," Sandoval said concerning his strength and conditioning position. "Where does time go?

"Things must be going well if they are asking me to speak to people who are paying to listen to me about what's going on in the world."

Delivering a message

Sandoval said he plans to talk about his life growing up in Pueblo and what the community has meant to him.

"I'm going to talk about the community in general and what it has given to me," Sandoval said. "I went to elementary, high school and college in Pueblo and many people have helped get me to where I'm at. It takes a village for people to have success.

"Plus, I'm going to talk about the CSU Pueblo baseball program, its history and what it has done for me and meant for me."

Like a player, Sandoval has worked his way up the ladder to the big leagues, finally reaching the pinnacle last season with the Rangers.

"I got to the big leagues last year as the assistant," Sandoval said. "It was my first full year. I got the job in November, came home for Christmas and relocated to Dallas where I've been for a little over a year."

Forming the idea of a fundraiser

The event is the brainchild of new CSU Pueblo head baseball coach Bobby Applegate.

"For a lot of the programs I've been involved with over the year, these first pitch dinners get people excited about the start of the season," Applegate said. "Not everybody plays golf, but everybody eats. Everybody sits down and are able to bridge the past and presence and build for the future.

"This will get people excited for what we're doing. Honor some great baseball people. I Thought Al would be a good choice since he's a local alum and Pueblo native. He's the epitome of our program, spent lot of time in minor leagues and found the avenue to the big leagues."

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Chieftain senior sports reporter Jeff Letofsky can be reached by email at jletofsky@chieftain.com or on Twitter @jeffletofsky

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Sandoval keynote speaker for inaugural CSU Pueblo baseball event