Central City Baseball Presents
Diamond Lab
Building Better Athletes, On and Off the Diamond.
The Youth Training Arm of Central City Baseball Club
Diamond Lab is the specialised youth training and community engagement arm of Central City Baseball Club — an accessible, high-energy bridge between casual play and organised community sport, open to boys and girls of every skill level. Operating under the club's established incorporated society framework, our programmes span energetic School Holiday Camps and comprehensive Off-Season Development Academies, giving young people structured, expert-led activity throughout the year rather than only during the traditional playing season.
The Case for Investing in Diamond Lab
For every dollar invested in youth sport, the return is measured in confident, active, resilient young people — and in a community with fewer barriers between a child and their first experience of organised sport. Every Diamond Lab session is deliberately built around three outcomes that follow kids well beyond the diamond, and form the basis of our case for continued investment and support.
Building Confidence. Our coaches cultivate a supportive environment where mistakes are simply steps toward success — focusing on personal milestones over high-stakes competition, so kids build the self-esteem to keep showing up. A confident child stays in sport, and stays active for life.
Injury Prevention. We explicitly teach correct throwing mechanics, core stability, and agility drills designed to protect developing joints — reducing dropout from avoidable injury and easing pressure on families and the wider health system. A healthy body is what keeps a child in the game long-term.
Skill Development. Hand-eye coordination, reaction time, and spatial awareness give participants the physical literacy to confidently step into organised sport of any code — a foundation for lifelong physical activity, not just baseball. The skills we build here transfer to every sport a child plays next.
Three outcomes, one goal: kids who stick with sport, stay injury-free, and carry what they learn on our diamond into whatever they play next.
On the Field With Us
Two Ways to Train With Diamond Lab
Diamond Lab runs year-round, split across two programmes so there's a way in whatever the season.
Off-Season — Development Academy. Structured Foundation (ages 10–12) and Development (ages 13–16) blocks at the GL Weir Centre, Tuesdays & Thursdays through the off-season — building throwing mechanics, hitting, and strength & conditioning under our full coaching staff. See dates & register →
School Holidays — Holiday Camps. Multi-day indoor camps for ages 8–13 at Mount Albert Grammar School — morning skills sessions in hitting, fielding, pitching and base running, followed by afternoon game situations. No weather postponements. See dates & register →
A Diamond Lab Coach, Recognised Nationally
Trish Antunovich Named Baseball NZ's 2025/26 Junior Coach of the Year. The first female coach recognised with a national Baseball New Zealand award — and the driving force behind Central City's junior baseball revival. Read the full story →
From the Club
“It's exactly the kind of story Diamond Lab was built to create — better players, and better coaches to lead them.”
— Dan Tan — Managing Director of Diamond Lab & Central City Head Coach
Meet Our Coaches
Elite Expertise, Grassroots Delivery
Every coach on our staff is chosen not just for what they know about baseball, but for how they teach it. From international representative honours to professional playing careers, our team brings elite-level experience and puts it directly to work for Auckland's youngest players.
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Dan's baseball journey represents the ultimate climb from local club pathways to the highest tier of international leadership. His exceptional track record led to his official appointment as Head Coach of the New Zealand Diamondblacks national team. Dan infuses Diamond Lab with elite, national-programme insights — building positive team culture, tactical intelligence, and mental resilience.
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Toshiki brings a world-class, technically precise approach to Auckland youth. Widely recognised for his ability to break down elite hitting mechanics, his systems have directly translated to local Kiwi kids securing pathways within the US college baseball system — turning complex movements into easy, fun steps for beginners and future college stars alike.
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Junghun brings an elite background in high-performance sports science to the club. A specialist in athletic development and performance rehabilitation, he previously designed recovery programs for elite professional players in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), leading our biomechanics and injury prevention initiatives.
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Elliot brings elite knowledge straight from the American professional circuit. After winning the Australian Baseball League Rookie of the Year award, his pitching earned him a contract with the New York Mets organisation, playing professionally in their Minor League system. He infuses our curriculum with modern pitching mechanics and arm care protocols used by MLB franchises.
Help Us Connect More Kids to Sport
To maintain our high coaching standards and keep our programmes accessible to families across the region, Diamond Lab collaborates with community partners, local schools, and funding organisations — upgrading youth-specific training equipment, delivering free introduction clinics in local schools, attracting and retaining elite coaching talent, and subsidising registration fees for families who need it.