Metz Baseball Club secures its spot in France’s top tier. A 2023 season filled with challenges and triumphs, a conversation with President David Ten Eyck
BTVF: How did the year go for the club and all the teams?
It was a very difficult year for our club in many ways. The overhaul of the infield drainage and irrigation, which dragged on due to unfavorable weather. Or the recurring injuries suffered by almost all our key players. There were also personal or professional difficulties for many. And it was a transitional season – with some players ending their senior careers, and a renewal of the rosters in the youth sections. It was also Pierre Cézard’s last year as the D1 manager, of course. In short, a year when we had to pull together and persevere in the face of adversity.
BTVF: Regarding Division 1, a rollercoaster season and a fight to avoid relegation, what’s your take?
That’s a fair summary of our D1 season. For the first two months, we were close to several wins that could have put us in contention for the playoffs: the home games against Sénart, Montpellier, and Savigny left a particularly bitter taste. We probably should have won half of those matches. But we lost them all… It was frustrating, but it also showed us the work that remains to compete at the top. Once we were out of the playoff race, we focused on giving our young prospects more playing time, with the idea that they would gain experience and build momentum for the end of the season. And that’s exactly what happened. Ideally, we wouldn’t have had to play the playoffs, of course! But having to face that challenge – away, against an excellent Béziers team – was a source of motivation for our young players. They worked hard to be ready for the playoffs, and they didn’t stop working afterward. Even between Christmas and New Year’s, they’re grinding in Metz… and it’s encouraging for the future.
BTVF: What are your thoughts on the JFL?
We can only applaud the effort to promote the development of young players and give more playing time in D1 and D2 to French players. But I regret certain aspects of the current reform. For example, moving from a system with no constraints on pitchers to a requirement for a JFL to pitch 7 innings in D1 is a huge transition. A gradual approach – say, 5 innings – would have been more prudent in my opinion. More broadly, this JFL reform strongly favors clubs close to the high-performance centers that already benefit from a more favorable legacy than clubs in the east or the north. The geographical imbalance regarding high-level pathways is a real problem for French baseball and softball in general. After all, it’s up to us, in our regions, to do the heavy lifting to set up the structures that allow the best young players to thrive while staying in their home regions. But I think it would have been relevant to consider these development and structuring issues in parallel with the JFL discussion. That’s my overall stance. However, if I speak just for Metz, we’re doing pretty well. We’ll have around 24 JFLs on our 30-man roster – many of whom are young players already gaining interesting experience in D1. To support them, we have, I believe, the best pitching coach in D1, and we’ll name a hitting instructor before the end of winter. We’d like to add two JFL pitchers to work with Shane Priest and complete our staff. But apart from that, we’re already in great shape regarding the JFL.
BTVF: What’s your take on a single-pool Division 1?
I really believed in a 12-team D1, and I’m sad it didn’t work out. But we’ve seen the contraction coming for a few years, and with an 8-team D1, a single pool is a no-brainer. I’m proud that Metz is among the eight teams that will compete in D1 in 2024. We haven’t left the top 8 since 2019, and we earned our spot in D1 on the field in October, in the playoffs. So no one can say we don’t deserve our place in the elite.
BTVF: Regarding infrastructure and events in 2023, what’s your assessment?
As challenging as 2023 was on the sporting and human levels, it was a success in terms of infrastructure and events. As mentioned earlier, we overhauled the infield at the start of the season. We also completed the construction of our batting tunnels – allowing us to train in all weather and seasons. And in December, the city of Metz confirmed that our clubhouse will be built in 2024. Starting in January, I’ll have a series of meetings with the city to prepare for this major project. On the event side, hosting the All-Star Game in July allowed us to welcome the French National Team to Metz for the first time in our history, and to put on a ‘public-friendly’ event that showcased the potential of our disciplines and our club to our partners and officials. I thank the Federation for trusting us with this event. I’m happy that the All-Star Game is back on the federal calendar – and I hope it will now circulate from region to region, allowing other clubs to benefit from the momentum that Metz enjoyed in 2023.
BTVF: What are your wishes for 2024?
Staying up in D1 and building our clubhouse, of course! And for our Grand Est region, the success of the women’s softball regional championship, which is returning after a few years where we had to settle for friendly tournaments.
