Ex-Minor League Coach Pinto Opens Multi-Sport Complex in Wayne County
Sullivan County Democrat
By Edward Townsend
April 23, 2016

 

White MIlls, PA – Former minor league hitting coach and Sullivan County resident Steve Pinto has moved up to the big leagues with the opening of his new multi-sport training complex, The Sports Factory of Northeast PA. Pinto, who played 4 years of professional baseball and later coached professionally before opening Pro Prospects, a baseball and softball training facility, in Monticello, wanted to provide families in his community opportunities usually only found in bigger towns. He and his wife Paige, a guidance counselor at Honesdale High School, moved to Wayne County a few years back to raise their family in the town where she grew up.

Pinto’s dream became a reality when the vacant former Chromo Tube factory was purchased by a local businessman and space became available to renovate and open a multi-sport facility. Pinto splits his time between the Monticello baseball-softball complex and the Sports Factory but he admits, “this all would not be possible if I did not have reliable, experienced team at both locations.”

The White Mills sports complex provides training and treatment for athletes in a variety of sports, including specialized indoor and outdoor facilities designed for baseball, softball, soccer, football, karate, lacrosse and field hockey.

Pro Prospects, which operates its’ Pennsylvania facility within The Sports Factory, is one of the most respected baseball and softball skill development academies in the northeast and was founded in 1997 by Pinto while still a minor league coach. Pro Prospects has helped more than 1,000 players reach the collegiate level with dozens of their students having gone on to play professionally. The staff of former pro and college players and coaches is comprised largely of Pinto’s former players. 

Pro Prospects at The Sports Factory features three batting cages, two pitching and long toss tunnels, a regulation indoor baseball infield that can also be used for softball and youth baseball and a 1,600 square foot state-of-the-art strength and conditioning studio for athletes of all sports. In addition to providing private, small-group and team baseball and softball training, the White Mills facility is available for individual, group and team rentals.

Pinto, who graduated from Monticello HS, passed on an opportunity to play pro out of high school but signed a minor league contract shortly after college. His pro career included a stint with the Catskill Cougars, a team he later coach for under former world champion NY Mets infielder Wally Backman and ex-Detroit Tiger and MLB hitting coach Gates Brown. 

.The Sports Factory’s indoor complex features a 150′ by 125′ indoor field that can be divided into two 125′ by 75′ fields or a regulation baseball and softball infield, indoor soccer field with indoor soccer leagues, field space also for football, lacrosse, field hockey, cheerleading, indoor flag football leagues and a physical therapy clinic. The Sports Factory also features a NFL grade turf with turf quality unequaled among indoor facilities.

Presently under construction is approximately 15,000-square feet designated for sports programs soon to be added and plans are in place for the addition of outdoor fields.