The regular season is over. The play-offs and play-downs are set, and some teams are already enjoying their well-deserved vacations. Division 2, with its two pools and 13 teams in 2023, aims to maintain 14 teams in 2024, so 7 per pool. Two teams from Division 1 will be relegated to D2, and we already know who they are, even though the Division 1 regular season isn’t finished yet: Nice and PUC. Playoffs will be organized with the 8th-placed team in D1, which will be determined after the play-downs, against the Division 2 winner.
Among the teams that have finished their season, a few standout performances deserve recognition. First, Anglet fought tooth and nail to avoid the play-downs. Their recent victory against second-placed Clermont speaks volumes. Thiais, Meyzieu, and Eysines also showed solid form, consolidating their mid-table positions and making progress. However, Rouen must be disappointed to miss out on the play-offs, losing the second spot in their pool to Sénart. This is the second year in a row they’ve failed to reach the play-offs. Ronchin’s disappointment must be just as great, as they reached the semifinals last year and lost to Valenciennes.
On the play-downs front, a three-team playoff will take place in September. The bottom two teams will face relegation and play in D3 for the regional champions’ playoffs. Dunkerque, La Guerche, and La Rochelle are neck and neck in the season’s stats. The fight for survival will be fierce.
The play-offs will also take place in September over the first two weekends, with a best-of-five format. The first matchup will be between Valenciennes and Clermont, and the second between Sénart and Béziers.
Here’s what Clermont’s President, Baptiste Izoulet, had to say:
A tough regular season in a high-quality pool, with serious teams and a level of baseball that keeps rising. We’re satisfied with the format and quality of the southern pool. Our somewhat unexpected status as 2022 champions has shaken up our club’s project to favor young players and build tomorrow’s competitive team. Our opponents logically wanted to knock off the champions, and these intense matches put us in difficulty as we had to maintain a level of play that our youngsters couldn’t yet handle. Some injuries to key players forced us to finish the season on a down note. Our goal was to return to the play-offs and then take each match as it comes. We’re thrilled to face the Vipers in the semifinals for more great baseball on our fields.
Marc Williamson of Valenciennes had this to say:
Our team had a good season, and our young players keep improving. The injury to our second starting pitcher during the preparation matches caused us some problems, but the group has evolved well compared to last year, and that allowed us to reach our goals. We know the next step will be very complicated, but our team has assets to highlight, especially at the plate, and that can make all the difference. We expect very interesting play-offs where anything can happen. Only the details will make the difference.
Finally, François Bonnet of Béziers:
We had a great season, with a young team (average age of 20) and we achieved our goals of finishing first in our pool. We were helped by Clermont, who didn’t have their ace, Ivan Kimora, but who are back in the play-offs. We’ll face Sénart in the semifinals with two home games. We’re confident and will give it our all in every semifinal, final, and playoff match to earn promotion to D1. This year, we’re ready for the move up to D1. The club is healthy and well-managed; we’ve just won the gold label for our baseball school, we have powerful and practical facilities, and we’re supported by the community. We still need to improve our non-sporting structures (stands, press box…). We have a score to settle with Valenciennes if we both reach the finals.
