The European Nations Championship kicks off on September 24th. The French team has been drawn in Group C with the Netherlands, Croatia, and Ukraine for the group stage. Baseball TV France sat down with France’s national team coach, Keino Perez, to discuss the team’s strengths and ambitions.
BTVF: First off, how do you feel after the U23 team’s bronze medal?
K.P.: I had confidence in the team and the group throughout the tournament. A young team, but with a lot of experience in American college or Division 1. Most of them have faced top-tier pitchers. I thought we could achieve something. Some nice surprises, like Mathis Nayral who had never pitched that hard before. Same for Ben Couvreur, who’s a huge talent and faced the Dutch as well. Unfortunately, we couldn’t hold up against the eventual winners. They work very hard at the plate and it will be interesting to keep an eye on them.
BTVF: Now, about your senior team, a third of the players come from the U23 squad?
K.P.: Yes, many players aren’t available as they’ve either gone to college or joined pro teams. That’s the case for the Meurant brothers, Nayral, Doat, Monks. In my opinion, to perform at the senior level, you need a mix of veterans and young players. Information can flow between these two groups, and that will help us win competitions. We have a solid pitching staff with young arms like Antoine, Esposito, Laot, and of course Couvreur. We also have a strong offensive lineup with Fred Hanvi returning to the national team. I expect him to bring experience and leadership. Also, Ernesto Martinez is having an incredible season. Félix Brown is still here. Young players like Miguel Lopez and Fabian Kovacs will help bridge the gap between the two groups. By the way, we’ll use Lopez as an infielder; he showed that at the All-Star Game.
BTVF: France is in Group C, with the Netherlands in the first match. Isn’t it tough to start against the favorites?
K.P.: No, on the contrary, and that’s always been my approach. The best way to start a competition is against strong teams; it wakes you up right away. It also gives you a chance to catch a team that still has things to figure out. If you truly believe you can win, you can give it a shot. But after three days of competition, coaches start to know their players and their opponents’ strategies become sharper. Often, early lineups are classic, and they evolve as the tournament progresses because nothing is guaranteed despite the preparation games. Imagine the confidence boost if we beat the Netherlands to open the tournament.
BTVF: How is the preparation going for the French team?
K.P.: We leave on September 19th for Pamplona, Spain, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. They’ve invited us for three days with three games against the Spanish team, one per day. Then we head to Vienna on the 22nd.
BTVF: The Czech Republic has great facilities and a lot of infrastructure. Does that change things for us?
K.P.: Yes, they have the advantage of creating structures with fewer regulations and less bureaucratic paperwork than here. Prices are also more accessible, and the fields are really high-quality. I got to test them last year with the U18 team.
BTVF: What are your hopes for this tournament, along with Shane Priest, your pitching coach?
K.P.: One step at a time. My experience with the U23 team and Shane has been good. Shane brings a lot of calm to the table. He manages his pitchers well, and we talk a lot about strategy. Who’s going to enter the game and why? We also have a solid defense with Patrice Daniel, for example, who played third base all year in Germany, Lopez and Moore at second base, Dorian Bouniol at first base, Felix Brown at shortstop. Good catching with Soliveres and Gleeson, very mature arms. And then in the outfield, we have some super arms.
On the offensive side, how do you see the team?
K.P.: I think we can be underestimated. The U23 dynamic worked almost perfectly with a lot of aggression. In the senior team, the group is more solid and compact. Martinez and Brown will drive the Zan, Brossier, and Jiminian. This will allow us to be strong, especially against Croatia and Ukraine. Against the Dutch, it depends on the strategy they put in place to counter us. What type of pitcher(s) will we face, one or multiple? It only takes one pitcher having an off day and we can capitalize!
Interview by Didier Cannioux
