Barracudas de Montpellier
The Barracudas de Montpellier are a French baseball team in French Division 1 Baseball Championship based in Montpellier, Hérault. They were founded in 1985. The team plays its home games at Veyrassi Sports Complex on the northern edge of the city of Montpellier. According to mister-baseball.com's yearly ranking of European clubs, Montpellier currently stands as the 20th ranked club in Europe (as of February 2020).
History
Under Canadian coach Greg Hamilton, the team won three consecutive French leagues titles from 1993-1995. In 1994, the then 22-year old fellow Canadian pitcher Jeff Zimmerman would spend a season with the Barracudas. Five years later, in 1999, the righthander was selected for the American League All-Star team as 26-year old rookie for the Texas Rangers. In his '99 season, Zimmerman went 9-3 with a 2.36 ERA for the AL West champs. In his career, the reliever would post a 17-12 record with a 3.27 ERA in 228.2 innings in the majors. Following the departure of Greg Hamilton after the 1997 season, the club had nine different managers from 1998-2008.
In 2009, Jean Michel Mayeur took over the helm and for three seasons was player/coach before becoming the full time manager in 2012. In early 2010, local product Anthony Cros would become at the time, just the third French player to sign with a pro club in North America. The power hitting righty spent 2010 with the Quebec Capitales before returning to the Barracudas the following season. Cros' number 55 is one of five numbers retired by the club to this date. In 2011 and 2015, the Barracudas lost to the Rouen Huskies in the French Series. The club has finished in the top 4 in the 11 team French Division 1 in every year but one since Mayeur became manager. In 2018, Montpellier pitcher Yoan Antonac, who came up through the Montpellier youth teams and academy, was the first player from the club to be signed by an MLB franchise. The tall righty is currently in the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system.
In 2019, the club finished in third place in France with a 23-9 record, thanks in large part to Venezuelan ace Kevin Canelon, who finished 11-1 in 110.2 IP, with 125 K and a 0.49 ERA. The annual Challenge de France was held in Montpellier in 2019, where Senart edged Rouen in a thrilling final by the score of 7-5. Following the end of the 2019 season, the club said goodbye to former AAA Venezuelan shortstop Larry Infante. Infante, in his two seasons with Montpellier, batted .389 (63-for-162) with 27 runs scored, 1 HR, and 31 RBI in 44 games played.
European Cup Appearances
1994 Champions Cup (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
1995 Champions Cup (Nettuno, Italy)
1996 CEB Cup (Zagreb, Croatia)
1997 CEB Cup (Montpellier, France)
1998 Champions Cup (Karlovac, Croatia)
2000 Champions Cup (Nettuno, Italy)
2001 CEB Cup (Montpellier, France)
2002 Champions Cup (Regensburg, Germany)
2005 CEB Cup (Montpellier, France)
2007 Champions Cup (Hoofddorp, Netherlands)
2011 CEB Cup (Montpellier, France)
2016 CEB Cup (Rouen, France)
Retired Numbers
2 James Schwedhelm
12 Lahcene Benhamida
42 Laurent Cassier
55 Anthony Cros
58 Frederic Raynaud
2021 Preview and Schedule
On May 6, 2020 the FFBS announced that the 2020 season would be cancelled due to the coronavirus. After finishing third in the 2019 campaign, the 2020 version of the Barracudas hoped to reach the French Series and knock off perennial powerhouse Rouen. The club have made some significant additions to the roster. In late 2019, they announced the signings of pitchers Owen Ozanich and James Murrey. The two righties, along with lefty ace Kevin Canelon, who planned to come back for a second season with the club, figured to get the bulk of the starts for the Barracudas. Murrey comes over from Toulouse, where in 2019 he posted a stingy 1.34 ERA in 75 innings, striking out 92. The tall veteran hurler was looking for his first championship after a decade in the French Division 1. Ozanich, who has played around the world, most notably in the Australian Baseball League for Adelaide, where he posted a 2.25 ERA, came over after having spent 2019 with Parma in the Italian Serie A, where he posted a 3.86 ERA and a 27/4 K/BB rate, and prior to that 8 seasons in Rouen where he went 91-15, winning 7 French championships. Luc Polit, Antoine Villard and Lucas Khemache would have solidified the Barracudas bullpen.
In January 2020 the club announced the arrival of Americans Andy Cosgrove and Patrick Cromwell. The two ACC products (Cosgrove--NC State, Cromwell--Clemson) figured to make an immediate impact in the middle of the lineup. The two have confirmed there interest in returning in 2021. Cosgrove will catch the bulk of the innings before youngsters Fabian Kovacs and Nolan Soliveres return home from their college seasons in the United States. Back in 2021 will be familiar faces Mael Zan, Julien Monks, Clement Le Pichon, Nicolas Khoury and Paolo Brossier, all of whom will roam the Montpellier outfield for manager Jean Michel Mayeur. Mathis Guiraud and Fred Walter will fill out the infield around Cromwell and Murrey.
The Barracudas, like the entire sports community, have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak of 2020. Montpellier's four players on team France (Ozanich, Murrey, Zan and Pontiac) were forced to return home, when on March 12, 2020 MLB cancelled the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Tucson, Arizona. France hopes to get another chance to qualify in late 2020, or early 2021.
Current Roster
PITCHERS
Kevin Canelon
Owen Ozanich
James Murrey
Luc Polit
Antoine Villard
Lucas Khemache
Ismail Pontiac
Alex Cauvy
CATCHERS
Andy Cosgrove
Nolan Soliveres
Fabian Kovacs
INFIELDERS
James Murrey
Ismail Pontiac
Antoine Villard
Mathis Guiraud
Patrick Cromwell
Arthur Bidaut
Luc Polit
Fred Walter
Desi Relaford
OUTFIELDERS
Mael Zan
Paolo Brossier
Clement Le Pichon
Julien Monks
Nicolas Khoury
Andy Pitcher