First article in a series of 10 to introduce the teams competing in the 2022 Division 1 championship
The club was born in 1943 from the merger of AS Casino, Victorine and Gallia Club. In 1955, the club merged with the basketball section of Nice Sports. It was in 1988 that the baseball section was born, through the absorption of Quartz Baseball Softball. In 1989, the Nice Dynamic’s club was absorbed by the Cavigal.
After competing in the top tier in 2002, the first team spent some time in Nationale 1 (Division 3). In 2017, they were promoted to Division 2. Return to D1 in 2019.
Note: Senior Baseball: French National 1 champions in 2000.
Women’s Softball: 17-time French champions.
Men’s Softball: French champions in 2011.
Mixed Softball champions of France in 2015.
With a record of 5 wins and 15 losses, Nice Cavigal finished last in Group B and second-to-last overall in the 2021 standings, just ahead of Clermont’s Arvernes, who will be absent from the top level next season.
The Cavigal only joined the league in 2019, when D1 expanded from eight to 12 teams, where the Nice side finished with just one win against 19 losses (2020 season in « Summer league » format). It’s fair to say the southerners struggle to make their mark in the first division. Yet, last season, they were led by one of the most productive players in the championship: Jonathan Montas (.478 AVG, .556 OBP, .722 SLG). Some standout individuals, but at this level, it’s experience and depth in the line-up that may have been lacking. For 2021, the Cavigals didn’t disappoint on the mound: with Montas and Teramura still in action. A collective ERA of 5.89 with 202 strikeouts but 140 walks.
The history of the Cavigals in D1 is a young one. Almost a genesis. The D1 championship is partly occupied by true « stars » of French baseball, many internationals and a few « heavyweights, » including, of course, the foreigners. To keep their heads above water and not just survive, they’ll need to be « clutch » at the plate, seize every opportunity, turn the tide when things seem complicated, and not let themselves be overwhelmed. Mistakes are costly. The Nice side made 69 of them in 27 games.
If it was against Clermont and Metz that the Cavigals performed best, perhaps to climb the standings, they’ll need to step up their strategy. Stealing bases, sacrifices… Having played some tight games against La Rochelle or even Sénart, the Cavigals, in the absence of Clermont, can hope to challenge the Cometz, the Boucaniers as they did last year.
Vincent Picard
