Upon reviewing the 2024 report, one impression persisted: that of a French baseball and softball scene tentatively starting to breathe again, without however triggering the enthusiasm usually associated with real progress. The year 2025 only prolonged this mixed feeling.
Sportingly, the scenario is by now well-known. The return to the top of the eternal regulars — Saint-Raphaël and Rouen — reassures as much as it tires. At the same time, disappointments were numerous for the French teams: two out of three did not meet expectations, whether in men’s baseball, women’s baseball except in baseball5. A severe assessment, mitigated however by the brilliance of a few individuals who shine far from the Hexagon.
For it is often abroad that hope is nurtured. The remarkable progress of Mathias Lacombe with the White Sox, the signing of Ernesto Martinez with the Yankees — and his commitment with the Cuban national team for the next World Baseball Classic, which could definitively distance him from the blue jersey — or the historic draft of Melissa Mayeux in a professional women’s championship in the United States, are all positive signals. Individual trajectories that raise questions, but also prove that French talent exists.
The central question remains, the one that divides and animates debates and comments: is the level of French baseball and softball really on an upward curve?
Certain matches, through the quality of double plays, the repetition of solid hits or the proposed intensity, invite optimism. Others, on the contrary, cool the ardor: bullpens exhausted well before the ninth inning, decimated lineups during away games, too visible level gaps. Reader reactions and social media confirm it: opinions are divided. But all converge towards a common question: when will French baseball and softball finally come out of the shadows to find their zone of light in their own country?
On the federal side, the year 2025 was marked by an important internal transition. The departure of the National Technical Director, Stéphen Lesfargues, marks the end of a cycle. The recruitment of his successor is now eagerly awaited. On the other hand, few elements have been disclosed regarding the presidency and the secretariat. A televised interview with the president, initially planned, could not be organized for health reasons, leaving the exchanges on the assessment and prospects pending. If the creation of Division 3, for its first season, can be considered a positive point, the recurrent lack of communication on the federal vision and project appears even more glaring this year. Upon reviewing the eleven monthly newsletters published during the year, it is difficult to find material to enthuse about or perceive the contours of a structuring project in gestation. Let’s hope that the general assembly scheduled for the end of the first quarter of 2026 will finally provide the expected clarifications.
The year 2026 is nonetheless shaping up to be dense. The Division 1 championship will resume in early April with the return of PUC Paris, to the detriment of Metz. The broadcasts should, we hope, continue their improvement in quality and regularity. The Youth Olympic Games in Dakar will offer a beautiful showcase, with the ambition of a podium for the French junior baseball5 team. Rouen and Savigny will carry the French colors in European cups. Softball, finally, seems promised to a more substantial platform, both among men and women.
So many national and international deadlines that we will have the opportunity to return to from the beginning of the year.
The entire Baseball TV France team wishes you an excellent year 2026.
Photo credits: F.Volpato
