Quebecer Making Waves in Texas: Deiten Lachance’s Rise in College Baseball

The tall 6′4′ catcher has been making his mark so far this season with the Mclennan Community College baseball team, which plays in Division 1 within the National Junior College Athletic Association (JUCO).

The educational institution is located in Waco, Texas, a small town sadly recognized and anchored in popular memory for the police siege of the site of a Davidian sect, which left 83 people dead in 1993.

A first Quebecer

A very popular baseball destination on the other hand, but which is not among the most frequented by Canadian or Quebec players. Lachance is the first Quebecer to play for the Highlanders in program history.

In 46 games, the Sherbrooke player has already produced 59 runs, with the help of eight home runs and a very solid batting average of 0.352.

In baseball, hitting over .300 is solid.

More than interesting statistics for someone who played for two years with the Canadian junior team.

The Sherbrooke player has played all of his team’s games, and he also leads the team in number of hits (58), number of RBIs (59), in addition to being third in batting average. (0.352).

Simply incredible stats for a first year player.

He was even named player of the week in his conference last March.

The receiver from Sherbrooke dominates in several offensive categories for his team. He was even named player of the week in March. (McLennan Coll)

The Highlanders are also having a lot of success this season, going 33-13, including a 21-5 mark within their conference.

Deiten Lachance moved with three other teammates last August into a residence not far from campus.

And his nickname Bam Bam already follows him to the United States.

An adaptation full of challenges

Adaptation to the field, to his new environment and to school took place gradually, and it had its share of challenges.

“At first I found it difficult, I am very far from the family. Before, when I played for the ABC (Baseball Canada Academy), I was in Montreal, so I could come home every weekend. Here, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to see them for four months, so it was harder.”

“Acclimatizing to the temperature was also difficult. It’s hot and humid here, I was burning on the pitch at first! In addition, we have a synthetic pitch. I lost so much weight just because I was sweating a lot! It took me three or four weeks to adapt. It was hard at first. I’m happy to have gone through that, though,” said the wide receiver.

“I arrived on August 15. During the fall, the team played preseason games against different opponents, such as college programs. And we focused a lot on training. It was a bit of a time to get seen by college programs and MLB teams. We played against Okhlahoma, for example, which is an excellent baseball program in NCAA division 1. We gave them a good game.

The Highlanders’ regular season began last February.

It was thanks to the tours carried out by the ABC that Lachance got noticed.

“Two years ago, at a tournament in Atlanta, I was noticed by McLennan’s coach. He started writing to me on X (Twitter) and I decided to come to Texas for the rest of things. I regret nothing. Every year, McLennan is in the top 10. It’s a school that is known for its baseball program,” he explained.

Baseball is serious in Texas

If Deiten Lachance has successfully acclimatized, he impresses on the field.

“At the beginning, before coming here, my goal was just to make my place in the lineup. After a few games, I saw that I could play with these guys and be in the lineup every day. I had offensive objectives for the season, and I would like to do even better, I am very demanding of myself. But I admit that it’s going pretty well, I’m happy with how it’s going so far.”

“I try to focus on my game only, and have fun through it. I’ve always been a power guy and I always try to swing hard. I tell myself that my talent will be discovered one day. I try to do my best to help my team win, we already have a very good team.”

— Deit Lachance

Baseball in Texas is serious.

“It’s completely different here. It’s another world. With the ABC, we were on the ground for two or three hours a day, no more. Here, from the first day, I spent six hours on the field, and then I went to the gym. During my first two weeks, I sometimes had practices at five o’clock in the morning. My body was burned!” he laughed.

First in their conference, the Highlanders want to win everything this year.

The season ends in May and the team wants to qualify for the NJCAA Division 1 World Series, which will be held in Grand Junction, Colorado at the end of May.

“After the season, I’m leaving for Wisconsin. I’m going to play a month, or a month and a half in a summer league, where I can get seen by major baseball recruiters. Then, I’m going to come back to Sherbrooke to see my family and play with the Coaticook Rocket (LBJEQ), around July.”

The latter confirms that he will be back with the McLennan Highlanders next year.

“In my head, I’m going to stay here next year. I love it, I’ve made a lot of friends, and the head coach really likes me, same goes for the wide receivers coach, who’s the best I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t see why I would go anywhere else.”

Deiten Lachance is eligible for the MLB draft this year, and for the next three years.

However, he wants to play for an NCAA division 1 team, after McLennan, in order to complete his training.

2024-04-19 08:26:26
#Deiten #Lachance #dominates #Texas