The Buccaneers de La Rochelle finished 7th last year, but they had a stronger season in 2022. With a new coach, Pablo Ossandon, taking over from Kirk McNabb, and key players like Nicolas Antoine, now a pro in Japan, and Wilce Nieves, who dominated the mound for several seasons, departing, the team has brought in overseas star Paul Simon. Meet the new coach of La Rochelle: Pablo Ossandon
BTVF: New season, 8 teams, no groups, new JFL rules: how will you approach this new competition?
We’re going to approach this competition in the best way possible. We’re really happy with this new format (everyone vs. everyone). Regarding the JFL this year, we’ve brought back the Briones twins, who we didn’t have last year as they were playing in Germany. Esteban Briones and Matteo Pierre are two players with a lot of potential and a few seasons of D1 experience. Plus, we have three young JFL players, Rafael Surjus, Louis Perrois, and Tom Hernoux, who have experience with the French national youth team and will be playing in D1 for the first time.
Franklin de la Rosa, non-JFL player for the French national team
BTVF: The Buccaneers have shown they can beat every team in the league but struggle to maintain consistency season after season. How do you plan to improve on this?
We’ve already beaten every team in D1. Our young players are gaining experience, and our recruitment work has been more thorough this time.
Second season for Dennis Britto
BTVF: The JFL rule limits roster flexibility. How will you handle this? Will you play the youth card, the experience card, or both?
It’s true we have players who aren’t considered JFL even though they’re French and played for the senior national team (Franklin de la Rosa, Miguel Lopez). We’ll play both cards, mixing experience and youth.
Tom Reignier, a complete JFL player for the Buccaneers
BTVF: Playing on Saturdays and Sundays has advantages and disadvantages. How do you see this from a sporting perspective?
The advantage of playing on different days is the rest between games. The disadvantages are mostly related to club organization, as there are children’s training sessions on Saturdays and currently only one field. Once the second field (softball) is completed, we won’t have any more problems playing on Saturdays and Sundays.
BTVF: What are you most confident about for the season, and what do you fear will be the most challenging?
I’m confident this year regarding our team, and I know the strengths and weaknesses of each player. The most challenging part will be finding consistency to reach the playoffs and championship goal. We have five non-JFL or foreign players: Jimmy Izquierdo, Dennis Brito, Jefferson Escorcha, Oscar Gonzalez, and Paul Simon. We also have a deep pitching staff: Jefferson Escorcha, Dennis Brito, Franklin De la Rosa, Clement Esteban, Maxcence Esteban, Tom Hernoux, and Louis Perrois.
Paul Simon
Jimmy Iscuerdo
Jefferson Escorcha
