With a record of six wins and 10 losses in the regular season, Stade Toulousain Baseball (STB) missed the playoffs by a significant margin in 2021 and finished 7th in the championship out of 11 teams.
In other words, it was a true mid-table team, better than some but far from breaking into the top tier of D1, especially in terms of offense. The Tigers, as they are also known, had a team batting average of just .195 in 2021. Only Metz Cometz, a club that only joined D1 in 2019, did worse in that regard.
Yet opposing teams know not to underestimate Toulouse, and for good reason. Two of the STB’s victories came against Paris UC, last in their group. But they also pulled off an upset against eventual champions Huskies de Rouen, beat Lions de Savigny once, and defeated Cougars de Montigny twice.
At their best, the Tigers can challenge just about anyone, and their best usually means having ace Keivy Rojas, a former Philadelphia Phillies prospect, on the mound. The 29-year-old Venezuelan only secured two wins (against four losses), but had a 1.96 ERA (the best on the team) and a .165 opponents’ batting average, the lowest in the entire league.
The good news for Toulouse is that Rojas is back this season, as is his Venezuelan compatriot John Will García. They’ve also signed Kenny Esposito, a relief pitcher who played for Montpellier last year. And by the end of May, the rotation will get a boost when Mathias LaCombe returns from his first year at Cochise College in Arizona.
The team’s manager, Dominican Republic native Tito Sánchez, admits he focuses mainly on defense. But the club is also looking to improve its hitting.
The arrival of catcher Nolan Soliveres, back in France after playing college baseball in the U.S., should help in that regard, as will the signing of a pair of young Spaniards – a catcher and an infielder – who previously played in the Spanish league.
Keep an eye on the development of Estarlin Richards, who is currently attending Pôle France, the national baseball academy based in Toulouse.
It won’t be easy for Toulouse, especially as they’ll be changing pools this year. For the regular season, they are now grouped with Sénart (last year’s finalist), Montpellier, and La Rochelle, all competitive teams.
Among the coaches and players, however, there’s a real desire to improve, and where there’s a will, as they say, there’s often a way.
Benjamin Witte
