A Valhalla baseball coach is getting ready to head to Tokyo for the Olympics Wednesday morning.

Eric Holtz, the head coach of Team Israel, says he and his players are ready to compete despite recent coronavirus cases rising amongst various players and Japanese teams.

"One thing in baseball that we talk about all the time is control the controllable. You know, trying not to let your emotions or anxiety get the best of you,” says Holtz. "I'm ecstatic to you know, get a chance to be an Olympian and represent Israel. It's awesome.”

News 12 is told 33 of the 35 people travelling with him are fully vaccinated and will wear masks all the time.

The 55-year-old coach says the team also has a rigorous COVID-19 testing protocol.

"We've been testing every day...We've been doing both rapid and PCR here in the States. There are different requirements that Tokyo has as well,” says Holtz. “So, we have had to test with PCR here and report all the results there prior to getting on an airplane."

The Valhalla native also says they must be tested when they arrive in Tokyo and will not be permitted to leave the airport until a negative test is shown. From that moment on, they will be tested daily.

As far as living conditions, Holtz says each country has been assigned their own floor. Their first matchup is July 29 against South Korea.