« Le baseball est en pleine émergence au Québec, » Anthony Croteau-Leblanc, assistant director of sports programs at Cégep de Thetford, told Le Soleil.
That growth has driven the creation of a brand new collegiate baseball team at the institution. Cégep de Thetford officially launched its new baseball program, the Filons, with their inaugural game on Sept. 6, following nearly three years of planning by the school’s sports management team.
The timing coincided with the completion of a new indoor stadium on campus, giving the program year-round training capabilities. The team’s opening selection camp in May drew roughly 50 student-athletes—a turnout that exceeded expectations for the program’s debut season.
Filons Roster Includes 22 Student-Athletes
The inaugural Filons roster features 22 student-athletes. Three players hail from Thetford Mines itself, while the remaining 19 athletes come from teams across the province.
School officials opted to delay launching the initiative by a year to secure proper coaching staff and build a competitive recruitment pipeline. « C’est la raison pour laquelle on n’a pas lancé l’initiative l’an dernier. On veut faire de notre programme un programme d’élite, » Croteau-Leblanc explained to Le Soleil, emphasizing the focus on maintaining high athletic standards from day one.
Unlike eight established collegiate baseball school-teams in the province that compete within the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ), the Filons are operating outside traditional league structures. Without a formal league affiliation, the team has scheduled roughly 30 games across Quebec, Ontario, and the United States as independent exhibitions, without standings or postseason playoffs.
Traveling Schedule Designed for American Exposure
The program adopted a traveling team model inspired by similar setups in Ontario, aiming to expose players to varied competition levels and different baseball environments.
The schedule is structured across three distinct phases: fall, winter, and spring. In January, the Filons plan to visit roughly 10 American junior college (JUCO) programs. These schools serve as common stepping stones for players aiming for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) or Major League Baseball (MLB) draft consideration.
« Notre objectif, c’est d’accompagner les jeunes vers le prochain niveau, » Pelchat stated, outlining goals that include opportunities in Canadian or American universities, elite junior circuits, or the Frontier League.
To prepare for this demanding schedule, the 22 players practice six times per week in all weather conditions, splitting time between outdoor fields and the new indoor facility. The weekly routine consists of four baseball-specific sessions and two strength and conditioning workouts.
Program Opens to Female Athletes
While the initial roster is predominantly male, the program is open to female athletes and includes one female player on the inaugural team—a milestone the organization views with pride. Regarding the possibility of adding a dedicated women’s division in the future, Croteau-Leblanc indicated that leadership remains open to opportunities but wants to focus on the current program first.
When measuring long-term success, leadership points directly to individual player development over three to five years rather than win-loss records in an unranked schedule.
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