Savigny was the surprise of 2022. Without a field and not having achieved such a performance in a long time, the French baseball community was thrilled when, on June 19, 2022, Savigny pulled off two wins against powerhouse Rouen. Every year, the Lions find new ways to improve. In their pool, they’ll have to face Montpellier, Sénart, and Metz. They’ll also have the pleasure in June of playing in the Confederation Cup in the European Cup.
On the coaching side, Thomas Salado is passing the torch to an American coach: Vincent. As for the players, the team will look much like last year’s, even if they lose Ruiz. Three new French players and two powerful Venezuelan pitchers will join the squad. Meet the team’s staff (President, coach, and Communications Officer) who answered our questionnaire together.
BTVF: What’s your take on the 2022 season?
2022 was the best season the Lions have had this decade. Ten years after losing the right to play on our field, we managed to finish as runners-up in the French D1 championship, second in the French Challenge, all while playing every match away.
This new generation of young players, who supported the Lions from the stands during the last European Cup while they were still in minors or cadets, will finally get to play in theirs.
We drew up a report and gave our thanks at the end of last season: here
BTVF: What’s your main goal for the 2023 season across all competitions for your club?
Our goal is to reach the finals in every competition!
A new D1 final with the title this time, a French Challenge final, a European Cup final. Our players and staff are ready, and we’ve sought the support of our institutional partners to approach these competitions in the best possible conditions, even if we still won’t have our own field this season…
BTVF: What collective strengths will you rely on to tackle one match after another?
Our collective strengths lie in our young players, who form a strong group with maximum cohesion. We’ve bet on developing our Lions and surrounding them with experienced players, including our imports (who we’ll announce soon), as well as players like Ivan Acuna, who will play his 5th season with us.
BTVF: In your opinion, which statement best fits your club regarding new players?
1- Wait until the last moment to announce and communicate the names
2- Build notoriety by announcing new players on social media one by one before the season
3- Don’t communicate to keep the surprise from other clubs
4- Communicate with French baseball media so they can relay the information
None of these four statements. It’s not necessarily a strategy, but our human resources in terms of communication are currently 100% volunteer. Suffice it to say that we’re doing our best for all the teams, not just D1, and that we don’t always have the possibility to do things as well as we should/would like to.
BTVF: Do you plan to broadcast matches, and if you already do, what improvements do you envision for 2023?
In the current context, we don’t plan to broadcast matches, but these are issues we have in mind as soon as we get our field back.
BTVF: What are the advantages and disadvantages, in your opinion, of having a team in Division 2 in addition to Division 1?
For a competitive and interesting D2, you need a competitive reserve team in the long run. However, this raises the question of funding and human resources for smooth operation.
BTVF: What have you improved in terms of infrastructure for this new season?
We were supported by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in charge of developing social and solidarity economy units in Essonne. We were able to benefit from the DLA (Local Support Scheme). To this end, we worked on a global project aimed at equipping the Lions club with new infrastructure featuring two spaces:
- A field operational according to FFBS standards, of course
- A living space.
We want to improve our welcome for members, create a living space in the Jean Moulin sports park, host sporting events, create a baseball training center… We want to diversify our activities.
We hope this project will see the light of day in the not-too-distant future!
BTVF: What were the main adaptations in terms of training and recruitment that you considered to prepare for the 2024 season (8 teams, JFL players…)?
We’re already on track and won’t need to make any major changes on our side to follow the rules. A team needs stability and serenity to perform… chemistry is always tricky.
BTVF: What can we wish you for 2023?
Victories on and off the field: finals and titles in each of our categories, a new European qualification, a return to our field after all necessary improvements, support from everyone for our European Cup…
