A new baseball program will appear within the Filons du Cégep de Thetford. It will be added to the 18 other teams that already represent the establishment, which offers a total of eleven sporting disciplines.
Although the idea of integrating a baseball team had been considered for a long time, it was the construction of the indoor sports complex that truly made this project a reality. “It allows us to have the necessary facilities. There is also the fact that baseball is a growing sport in Quebec. In ten years, the number of players has doubled. It is also being developed within the college network. These three factors combined convinced us to move forward,” explained the coordinator of sports programs at Cégep de Thetford, Anthony Croteau-Leblanc.
The new team will evolve at the civilian level, which will allow the establishment to offer a different sporting experience to student-athletes. Thus, around thirty matches will be played in the United States and Ontario. The institution has also been approached by programs located in the Maritimes. The schedule will run from August to November, with some games also scheduled in the spring.
The Cégep de Thetford team is convinced that this model will offer its players an optimal development opportunity thanks to an increased volume of meetings, while preserving the balance with their studies. In addition, this format will allow them to benefit from a showcase among Quebec, Canadian and American universities. Among existing programs, that of Collège Laflèche in Trois-Rivières, a private establishment, is the closest to this model. Anthony Croteau-Leblanc believes that the distinctive structure of the Filons offering will allow Cégep de Thetford to stand out.
A group of experts was formed in recent months to set up the project. They are responsible for finding opposing teams in order to establish the schedule, in addition to helping to choose coaches and carrying out recruitment. The sports program coordinator said he was happy to count on passionate and actively involved people. “We are extremely privileged to benefit from their advice and knowledge. These people know everything about the workings of a baseball team and it will not take long for this to have an impact on our organization,” underlined Mr. Croteau-Leblanc.
In addition to the future indoor sports complex, the Filons team will also be able to train at the Desjardins stadium when the weather permits. For the coordinator of sports programs, it is a source of pride to offer young baseball players the opportunity to be an integral part of what the CEGEP calls the “triple project”. “We promote harmony between studies, sport and the personal and social development of the student-athlete. We offer players high-quality academic support and a high-level sporting experience, while paying extreme attention to the human factor. The sports schedule is designed to minimize school disruptions and our coaches also place great importance on the development of the person and not just the athlete. This is the balance that we are looking for with this triple project concept. We work to ensure that all our student-athletes emerge from their time with us. »
FALL 2025 OBJECTIVE
The Cégep de Thetford is targeting fall 2025 for the start of the program, but it is the coming weeks that will truly determine whether this is possible. “We need to recruit coaches and we don’t want it to be done recklessly, we want to find the right people first and foremost. Recruitment may also begin soon. We have a form that is already online on our website so that young people can notify us of their interest. Considering that students are in the process of choosing their CEGEP, time could become an issue. If we see that this is not possible, we will simply postpone it to 2026,” said Anthony Croteau-Leblanc, who is nevertheless confident for 2025.
The latter wanted to thank the Cégep de Thetford for its support as well as the board of directors who approved the project. “They believe in us and in this extraordinary program. I believe that this will provide great visibility, not only for the CEGEP, but also for the city of Thetford Mines. »
The next few months will be used to complete the organization chart and preparations, but already the leaders of Filons and the CEGEP are convinced of the success to come. “Our team has spared no effort to ensure the success of what promises to be a great adventure, both for our organization and for the players who will join our program. We are excited and excited about this new project and we still need to refine certain parameters to ensure the expected success,” concluded the director of student, international and sports affairs, Anne-Marie Rousseau.
