The season for the Trois-Rivières Junior Aigles, a formation of the Quebec Elite Junior Baseball League (LBJEQ), began last weekend against the Saguenay Voyageurs in a double program. The pilot of the Trois-Rivières training, Rémi Doucet, said he was very optimistic with his current training, which is very regional.
“It’s one of the good groups that I was lucky to have on hand,” he said first. “It’s a still young team, made up of 18 and 19 year old players. Our veterans are only 20 years old so we have several players who are still here for three years and more. We’re going to have a competitive team, that’s for sure! We also have a lot of depth, especially at the mound. Enough that we can convert our number one starter Nathan Landry to a late-game pitcher to prepare him for his college season. “
“We have several players who can play several positions, so all the development that is being done in Mauricie at this level is relevant to us. It will allow us to keep our players active and it will give us additional options. We also have a group of winners in the sense that they have won many championships in their careers, many tournaments and some who have even won the Quebec Games. These are players who have experienced the pressure of more difficult games to win. “
As mentioned above, almost all of the players come from Mauricie. At batting, the Junior Eagles will also be one to watch.
“We wanted a team made up of players from the region as much as possible and that’s what we have on hand. We have players who come from the Mauricie and who come from our networks. We have only one outside player who came through the draft, ”explains coach Doucet.
“We can’t wait for it to start! We’re going to have a good team in attack too. Our hitters are going to be dangerous from 1 to 9 so there won’t be an easy inning for the opposing team. At the same time, it always keeps us confident to go for big heats or come back from behind at all times. “
As is the case every fall, not only for the Aigles Junior, but for all the formations of the circuit, several good players will have to leave their respective teams in order to join their school formation.
“We are going to lose Nathan Landry and Yohann Dessureault, who are going to play in Division 1. We also expect to lose Jaycob Lachance and Antoine Tremblay who will join their collegiate team. That’s why our depth becomes important at the end of the season, ”explains the head coach.
“You know, we put in the field the kind of individual and the kind of identity that we wanted,” adds Mike Lachance, the general manager. “We are where we wanted to be when we took office. We know that the challenge remains of how we will manage the playoffs, but we are ready and we will be able to count on a stable team at the Junior AA level. We are lucky to have Derek Marchand as the pitching coach, he who is also the head coach of the AA squad, so we will follow that closely, for sure, if we ever need reinforcement. “
The Junior Eagles will kick off the campaign against the Saguenay Voyageurs in a doubles program on June 26. Rémi Doucet’s troupe will play their first game at Stade Quillorama on Tuesday, June 29, against the Diamants de Québec.
