With a 12-4 regular season record and a second consecutive appearance in the D1 semifinals, the Barracudas had what most teams in the league would consider a successful 2022 campaign.
But among the players and coaches in Montpellier, the prevailing feelings at the end of the season were frustration and disappointment. The Barracudas expect excellence and have not hidden that they wanted more, especially after a year (2021) where they won the Challenge de France tournament and had the opportunity to compete in their first European Cup (the Confederation Cup) since 2016.
In the end, Montpellier failed to defend their Challenge title, bowing out in the semifinals to the Savigny Lions. They finished fourth in the European Cup. And in the D1 playoffs, the Barracudas were eliminated again—swept in three games—by the Rouen Huskies, who claimed their seventh straight title.
A “good” season, in other words, wasn’t good enough for a group that aspires to be the best in Division 1.
So what exactly went wrong?
But Montpellier also struggled throughout the season on the pitching front—despite a 2.34 ERA, the best in the league.
Veteran Owen Ozanich (2.03 ERA) battled an injury in the Challenge and beyond. This put even more pressure on ace Kevin Canelón, who had another sensational season (1.26 ERA) but was naturally fatigued down the stretch. A bright spot for the club was the continued emergence of youngster Mathis Nayral (1.42 ERA), but with Ozanich unavailable at the very end, Montpellier couldn’t tame the always-dangerous Rouen hitters, who led the league with an impressive .307 batting average.
Steve Anderson and Kevin Canelon
All of that is now in the past as the Barracudas prepare to kick off the 2023 campaign at home against the Metz Cometz (March 19). And true to form, they have high expectations once again, hoping, as always, to win their first D1 championship since the mid-1990s, when the club was led by Canadian baseball legend Greg Hamilton.
Canelón will return for his fourth season as Montpellier’s ace, and that in itself is excellent news. The left-handed Venezuelan boasts a cumulative 25-5 record since joining D1, and will undoubtedly be their opening day starter.
He’ll need help, however, and with that in mind, the club has recruited a second foreign pitcher for the 2023 season: Daniel Gosselin, a Canadian left-hander who played last summer for the Mannheim Tornadoes in Germany’s top division, the Bundesliga, and has also pitched for the Greek national team.
The Barracudas will also rely on Nayral, who is bigger, stronger, and more confident with each passing season, but is currently dealing with elbow pain. Ismail Pontiac, after two seasons of college baseball in the United States, will also be back with the team. They are joined by two other French pitchers: Quentin Lesfarges, who will turn 17 this spring and will make his D1 debut; and, last but not least, Ben Couvreur, who is only 15 years old but earned huge accolades last summer at the Under-15 Baseball World Cup in Mexico, where he was named the tournament’s best pitcher.
Montpellier’s offense should also be strong. Like the Rouen Huskies, the team boasts a solid core of talented (and increasingly experienced) French players, some of whom—like Pontiac, Paolo Brossier, and catcher Fabian Kovacs—have spent time honing their skills in the United States.
Clément Le Pichon will also be back, as will infielder Mathis Guiraud, the team’s second-leading hitter last season (24) behind Ariel Soriano (25).
Soriano and his brother Yudi will play for Stade Toulousain this year. But one of Montpellier’s other big hitters will be back: Steve Anderson, a former star at Georgetown University who batted .306 in 2022 after a particularly productive second half of the season. And speaking of foreign recruits, the Barracudas have also invited shortstop Oscar Bustamante, from Boca Raton, Florida, to join them.
France team Barracudas on a training camp in Tenerife: From left to right: Ben Couvreur, Paolo Brossier, Adrien Gayaud and Fabien Kovacs
It’s possible, therefore, that good things will happen. But the Barracudas also know that their work will be cut out for them this season, especially given how the league’s regular season pools have been realigned.
Only the top two teams from each pool qualify for the playoffs. Montpellier hopes to be among them, but so do the Sénart Templiers, who are always in the championship hunt, and the Savigny Lions, who reached the D1 final last year.
Benjamin Witte
