Carillon Sultans dominate MJBL awards

Cedric Lagasse capped off his star-studded junior career in style, getting named the Manitoba Junior Baseball League’s most valuable player and pitcher of the year following the end of the season.

Lagasse, who is from St Adolphe, finished his career a perfect 6-0 in MJBL finals games with the Carillon Sultans. When he isn’t on the mound he takes up residence at shortstop. He’s been the MJBL’s playoff MVP for the past three seasons.

“I was pretty surprised, honestly,” Lagasse said with a chuckle when asked about the league MVP award.

“I had a good year throwing, I thought I needed my hitting, but I guess my pitching did the job for me this year.”

Over the course of this season, his final in junior, he pitched nearly 70 innings for Carillon with a perfect 10-0 record. He also finished tied for the team lead in assists with a fielding percentage of 0.936 and just five errors on the season.

Lagasse also had his best offensive moment of his Sultans career at nationals this year. With his team down two runs in the bottom of the seventh against reigning and soon-to-be national champions Windsor, Lagasse launched a two-run home run to tie the game.

The Sultans would go on to win in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the eighth. It was Lagasse’s first home run at the junior level for Carillon.

“I asked (head coach Don Meilleur) if he wanted me to take the first pitch so Jackson (Penner) could steal second, and Jackson comes up to me and said ‘that’s your pitch,’” Lagasse said.

“I made sure that one was my pitch. After I hit it, I kind of blacked out. I didn’t know what was going on until I went to the dugout. It was a very special moment.”

The Sultans may have four-peated as league champions if Lagasse and a few other key players hadn’t missed the 2023 final to play for Team Manitoba at the North American Indigenous Games.

“After that year I told myself, ‘I’m not losing again,’” Lagasse said.

“I’m glad we got all those wins and I got this achievement for myself at the end of the day.”

Lagasse’s season wasn’t finished after nationals. Just days after returning from Ontario he was back out on the diamond to suit up at shortstop for the Sultans senior team. Lagasse and Anders Meilleur squeezed in appearances the day before leaving for nationals to ensure they would be eligible to play for Carillon in the Winnipeg Senior Baseball League playoffs.

“I can’t get enough, I love the game,” Lagasse said.

“I don’t know what I’d do without it. I’ve got to keep playing.”

The Sultans graduating class of players is spectacular this season.

Centerfielder Brady Papineau picked up defensive player of the year and all-star honours for the third year in a row and Joe Plett (outfield) also earned an all-star nod alongside Lagasse and Papineau.

“That ‘04 group was very special,” Lagasse said.

Cody Gunderson returned to the program this season as well to close out his career following two all-conference seasons in the NCAA with Charlotte. Ryan Powers, who was a finalist for Canadian College Baseball Conference pitcher of the year this season and won the nationals batting title in 2026, also graduated from the program.

All five were honoured before the start of game three of the MJBL finals in Steinbach, the win that clinched the program their third straight championship.

Coach Meilleur earned coach of the year honours as well rounding out the Sultans award winners.

Cody Wielgosh was also named a league all-star at second base.