Elliott: ABC celebrates 30th anniversary
Académie de baseball du Canada (ABC) is heading into its 30th anniversary season. Photo: ABC
January 13, 2020
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
The Toronto Blue Jays and a visiting club may stop in for two pre-season games a season.
Yet, the Olympic Stadium still remains headquarters for the Académie de baseball du Canada run by Baseball Québec out of 4545 Avenue Pierre-De Coubertin in Montreal, Quebec).
And the 2020 season will be the 30th anniversary of the ABC, which moves deeper into the technology era concentrating on such things as spin rate. Maxime Lamarche (Montreal, Que.), the executive director, will look after booking this season’s schedule for the 16U and 18U ABC teams which will continue to train from September until April. Over 50 players are playing college south of the border -- most from the ABC.
The 2019 season saw change as Robbie Fatal is no longer the head coach. Fatal’s duties for now are divided between the other coaches. The strong staff includes:
Maxime Hockhoussen (Laval, Que.) as player development coordinator and 16U manager.
Marc-Antoine Bérubé (Montreal, Que.) as pitching coordinator.
Karl Gelinas (Quebec, Que.), legendary Quebec Capitales starter, is the associate pitching coach.
Yannick Bergeron as hitting coordinator, in charge of new technology and innovation.
Yannick Desjardins as defensive coordinator.
Steve Duchesneau as administrative director.
Derrick Lavoie strength coordinator
And Raimondo Callari as special advisor to the program, responsible for American programs, tournament and schools relationships.
On Feb. 2 the ABC will announce its 2020-2021 program and on Feb. 27 a showcase will be staged for players and younger prospects at Centre Claude Robillard.
Lamarche previously, was director of sales and marketing at the Capitales de Québec for five seasons. He spent his elite Junior career with the Bisons de Saint-Eustache and the Diamants de Québec, from 1999 to 2004. After two collegiate seasons with Brevard Community College and Des Moines Area Community College, he joined the Capitals of Quebec in 2005.
Lamarche has been working for Baseball Quebec 2010 and has been a member of the Baseball Canada marketing committee since 2012. He is also responsible for the development of the National Training Center of Baseball Quebec. As current general manager, he takes care of the management of human and financial resources, in addition to strategically planning development plans for sports and excellence.
His job is find sponsorships and oversees the federation’s communication-marketing plan. He is also the link between Baseball Quebec and Baseball Canada as well as government institutions. He is the deputy director on the board of directors of Baseball Canada and member of the Baseball Canada championships committee.
For The 16U and 18U (summer) teams jobs for assistant coaches are open to anyone from the country, email mhockhoussen@baseballquebec.qc.ca if interested