Baycats Sign Lacasse for 2021 Season
BARRIE - The Barrie Baycats Baseball Club announced today that we have signed corner infielder Marcel Lacasse for the 2021 season.
Lacasse, 22, joins the Baycats after a decorated college career spent at both Western Texas and West Texas A&M.
Before transferring to West Texas A&M for his junior season, Lacasse spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Western Texas and put up a combined stat line of .373-.490-.759, good enough for an on-base-plus-slugging of 1.249.
The Gatineau, Quebec native, who hit a combined 22 home runs at Western Texas, was named to the Canadian Baseball Network's All-Canadian College Team in both 2018 and 2019, as a Second-Team All-Star in 2018 and as a Second-Team All-Star in 2019.
Lacasse, who was roommates with Baycats infielder Carson Burns while at Western Texas, recorded an on-base percentage [OBP] of .400 in 10 plate appearances at West Texas A&M last season before the COVID-19 pandemic halted the college baseball season.
In 2020, with a limited amount of baseball leagues operating, Lacasse played in the Junior Quebec Major League -- the highest level of amateur baseball in Quebec -- and was named as the league's best offensive player by season's end.
He was then drafted in the first round of the Quebec Major League draft last fall.
The 6'2", 210 lbs corner infielder -- who can also play catcher -- will become the first player from Quebec to play for the Baycats when our season kicks off in June.
Baycats director of player procurement Dante DeCaria -- who recruited Lacasse to the Baycats -- says he is excited to add an impact Canadian who will star in the middle of the Baycats' lineup this spring.
"Marcel slipped under our radar for months, so we are so excited we found him. With both him and I being from the Ottawa area, it brings an even bigger smile to my face with his addition to the club. I’m excited for Marcel and our organization, as we’re getting a great young man and an exceptional ballplayer with major power and solid defensive ability.”
Baycats manager Josh Matlow says he is thrilled to add a dominant Canadian player who is fresh out of college.
“We are thrilled to add Marcel to an already deep lineup. Marcel is another impact player who is the middle-of-the-order type of hitter. With his versatility on defence and power on offence, we feel he is a great addition to our already potent lineup. We also love that he’s from Quebec as that may help us tap into that market for Canadian talent in the near future.”
Lacasse, meanwhile, says he cannot wait to suit up with the Baycats this summer.
"I’m excited to join the Baycats this summer. I will bring the best of my talent to the team. I am a versatile corner infield player that hits for power. I cannot wait to hit the diamond for Barrie in the 2021 season."
We, meanwhile, have also signed local pitcher Evan Soules and corner infielder Tyler Plumpton.
Soules, 18, pitched for the Toronto Mets during his travel ball career, while Plumpton was a member of the Baycats' championship-winning team in 2014.
That season, Plumpton recorded an OBP of .342 in 74 plate appearances as the Baycats' backup catcher.
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