Sultans aiming high at 22U national championships

One year after winning a bronze medal at nationals and a couple days after clinching back-to-back-to-back Manitoba Junior Baseball League championships, the Carillon Sultans were preparing to take on the best baseball teams from across the country once again.

The Sultans have high expectations for themselves at the 22U Baseball Canada National Championships, hosted near Windsor, Ont., this year.

A deep roster boasts experience from last year’s national championship and other, younger national tournaments, with head coach Don Meilleur saying the team is aiming to improve on last year’s third-place finish.

“There’re very confident,” Meilleur said in a phone interview with The Carillon July 30.

“I don’t think the moment will be too big for our guys. They know we have a good team and we have a very good chance of winning. They’re ready, they’re anxious. We would love for this to start tomorrow, we’ve been on such a roll.”

To that end, the team is picking up three players from other teams across the MJBL to bolster their roster. Pitchers Colson Smith (Elmwood) and Josh Dyck (Pembina Valley) and catcher Cal Lagace (St Boniface) are joining the Sultans in Windsor.

Smith, who plays for Cumberland University in the American college ranks was a pick-up player for Carillon at nationals last year, and is considered one of the best arms in the league. He got the nod to start for Elmwood in game five of their semi-final series win over Pembina Valley, and his high pitch count in that game meant he could only start game three in the finals for the Giants.

“(Smith) throws very hard, has a really good slider,” Meilleur said.

“He’s a battler, we always have tough times against him.”

Dyck, provides another pitching option for the Sultans at nationals, with Meilleur noting he expects to Dyck to get the start for at least one game at the tournament.

“(Dyck) throws hard, has a good curveball as well, will throw teams off with his off-speed,” Meilleur said.

“He’s just a big presence on the mound. I’m really looking forward to seeing him at nationals.”

Lagace is a cousin of Carillon regular Cedric Lagasse and will provide a much-needed second catcher for the Sultans, as St Malo’s Cody Gunderson isn’t making the trip to nationals.

He was the only player to get a hit on Cedric during the pitcher’s game four win over St Boniface in the 2026 MJBL semi-finals.

There will be days at the tournament where Carillon plays two games in a day, and giving starter Dayton Christensen a rest is a must.

“He’s good defensively, good at the plate,” Meilleur said.

“We’re really, really happy with the three guys we picked up, we’re happy they accepted. They just supplement the 12 of our guys who are going who are already a good team.”

The pitching help is especially needed because of the short tournament format. Pitch counts are restricted across the four-day event, putting pressure on coaches to properly manage every at-bat.

The format has changed from a pool system to a round robin, with the top two teams after all six teams play each other advancing to the gold medal game.

“That’s where the coaches earn their money,” Meilleur quipped when asked what the team’s pitching strategy will be heading into nationals.

“The fortunate thing is we have so many pitchers on our roster, we will never run out of guys… Our task now is to make sure we’re calling on the right guys in the right situation and those guys have to deliver for us.”

The 22U national championship begins Aug. 4, with the gold medal game scheduled for 3 p.m. Manitoba time Aug. 9.