The second division saw its semifinals last weekend. The two victors were Valenciennes over Ronchin and Clermont-Ferrand against Béziers. It’s no surprise to see these two clubs at this level of competition, even if Béziers (former French D2 champions in 2021) had hoped to repeat their performance.
Two games were enough to decide the semifinals, and now the two clubs will face off on October 1st and 2nd in Clermont.
As for promotion to division 1, there’s no suspense. The Clermont side, which has already experienced division 1, has made it clear they don’t want to move up to the top level. Their new president, Baptiste Izoulet, who has been in charge for less than two years, wants to build his club and develop its baseball school. That’s why all investments are focused on improving the youth setup and maintaining as French a team as possible in division 2. Only two « foreigners » are on the Clermont bench: Lilian Miagawa, who manages the team and is settling permanently in the area with his partner who plays softball for Grenoble’s Grizzlis, and Caio Monteiro, a utility player.
Let’s hear from the president:
This has been a good season for us. Our club has met its challenges and, above all, has taken good care of the young teams. We’re coming into this final without pressure and with a real desire to win—not to move up, but to be French champions.
Valenciennes, meanwhile, has made no secret of its desire to move up. The team has grown in strength throughout the year, and foreign reinforcements have made the difference, notably Swindling William, the player-coach who has a .600 batting average this season with 5 home runs to his name. Of course, he’s backed by a collective that boasts very comfortable batting statistics.
Let’s hear from their president, Marc Williamson:
This will be the third final for Valenciennes. After losing the N2 final in 2008 to Boé Bon Encontre and winning the N1 final in 2018 against Béziers, this time it’s a D2 final for our Vipers against Clermont. Our coach, William Swindling, has done a great job because the whole team has progressed, whether it’s the youngsters or the veterans. However, we’re expecting a tough final because Clermont, who were relegated from D1 this year, have a very good team, and they’ll be playing at home. That said, Valenciennes has its strengths too, and we hope to fill a bus with supporters to cheer our team to victory.
From a sporting perspective, the two teams are evenly matched. Clermont’s pitching boasts a 2.48 ERA compared to 3.14 for Valenciennes. And Valenciennes’ batting average is .396 compared to .278 for Clermont.
The final is a best-of-three series, and we can expect one win apiece to start with, setting up a thrilling decider.
Vipères TV may travel to broadcast these games. If so, Baseball TV France will relay them.
