Among the top-tier French teams producing international players, the Sénart Templiers boast one of the largest diasporas. To top it off, Oreste Kindelan, ‘El Tambor Mayor,’ a living legend of Cuban baseball, is now leading the Sénart charge. The Templiers, straddling Seine-et-Marne and Essonne, strike fear into opponents. A powerhouse team with a history of incredible feats, they’ve stumbled at the final hurdle for national glory on several occasions.
The club was founded in 1987 as the Baseball Club de Melun-Sénart (BCMS). The first members were students who started a small baseball section at the Lycée George Sand in Le Mée-sur-Seine, along with a few defectors from the Pharaons d’Evry club.
Honors:
French Division 1 (D1) Champions: 2014
French Division 1 (D1) Runners-up: 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021.
French National 1 (D2) Champions: 1997 and 2003
French Challenge Winners: 2008, 2014, 2017, and 2019
Notable Players:
An exhaustive list is impossible, but who doesn’t know: David Meurant, Samuel Meurant, Rolando Meriño: a two-time Olympic medalist who played for the Templiers in the 2013 season, Matthieu Brelle Andrade, the new Meurant generation with Tanguy and Mathis (who signed with Cochise College), and in the family, there’s also the father: JM Meurant. Of course, we’ve seen Boutagra, Paz (absent for 2022), Perdomo, Brown, Peyrichou, Paula, Martinez Scott, etc.
Above: The Meurant saga continues…
The Templiers made their debut in the D1 championship final in 2007. They’ve played in nine finals. Yet, only one title, in 2014 against the PUC (a resounding 3-0). Where does this tendency to fall short at the finish line come from? The main culprits are the Huskies, against whom our Sénart side has lost eight times. Curses? Complex? It’s hard to understand (notwithstanding the undeniable qualities of the Rouen pack, which, by the way, has won 16 titles). This is certainly where Kindelan could make a difference. The ‘Drummer’ will need to make some noise.
Above: Historic clashes between the Templiers and the Huskies…
In 2021, the blue and white Templiers made their mark, judge for yourselves:
23 wins and 6 losses (3 in the final), a .279 batting average (first), SLG .386, OBP .394, a 2.19 ERA (second behind the Barracudas’ 2.12), a .954 fielding percentage (fourth – first Huskies .961). Individually, it’s even more impressive. Four Templiers are well above a .300 batting average. Three exceed .500 in SLG (Holland .570) with, of course, commander Paz who single-handedly led an impressive array of statistics. But baseball isn’t just about numbers.
Known signings so far: Thomas Grilly (USA – C), Velasquez (Venezuela – P, INF).
Above: 2019 French Challenge winners.
Every season is a new labyrinth, a new story. For a team like Sénart, it’s impossible to imagine a less thrilling fate than the previous year. So, the Templiers, for 2022?…
