Carillon Sultans Dominate MJBL Awards as Cedric Lagasse Named MVP and Pitcher of the Year

The Carillon Sultans have put an exclamation point on another championship Manitoba Junior Baseball League (MJBL) season, dominating the league’s major year-end awards following the conclusion of their campaign. At the forefront of the recognition is St Adolphe native Cedric Lagasse, who capped off a star-studded junior career by being named both the MJBL’s Most Valuable Player and Pitcher of the Year. Lagasse’s incredible season led a sweep of league honours for the Sultans after the program secured its third consecutive league championship.

Lagasse Delivers Historic Final Junior Campaign

Cedric Lagasse was a dominant force on the mound and in the field throughout his final junior season. Over the course of the year, he pitched nearly 70 innings for Carillon while maintaining a perfect 10-0 record. His stellar work on the rubber capped off a remarkable junior career in which he finished a perfect 6-0 in MJBL finals games for the Sultans. In addition to his regular season and finals achievements, Lagasse has earned the title of MJBL playoff MVP for each of the past three seasons.

When he was not pitching, Lagasse took up residence at shortstop for Carillon. He finished tied for the team lead in assists, compiling an impressive 0.936 fielding percentage while committing just five errors all season long. Despite his dominant numbers on the mound, Lagasse admitted to feeling caught off guard when the league announced his MVP award.

“I was pretty surprised, honestly,” Lagasse said with a chuckle when asked about receiving 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.”

National Thrills and Senior League Transition

Lagasse’s ultimate offensive highlight in a Sultans uniform arrived on the national stage this year. Facing reigning and soon-to-be national champions Windsor, the Sultans found themselves trailing by two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Lagasse stepped up to the plate and launched a dramatic two-run home run to tie the game—his very first home run at the junior level for Carillon. The Sultans went on to win the game in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Recalling the moment, Lagasse shared the exchange he had prior to the swing. “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’ current run of three straight league titles might have been a four-peat had circumstances been different in 2023. That year, Lagasse and several other key players missed the MJBL final while representing Team Manitoba at the North American Indigenous Games. The absence stayed with Lagasse as motivation. “After that year I told myself, ‘I’m not losing again,’” Lagasse stated. “I’m glad we got all those wins and I got this achievement for myself at the end of the day.”

Even after nationals wrapped up in Ontario, Lagasse’s diamond action was far from over. Just days after returning home, he was right back on the field playing shortstop for the Carillon Sultans senior team in the Winnipeg Senior Baseball League (WSBL). To remain eligible for the WSBL playoffs, Lagasse and teammate Anders Meilleur had squeezed in game appearances the day right before departing for nationals. Expressing his passion for the game, Lagasse noted, “I don’t know what I’d do without it. I’ve got to keep playing.”

Loaded Graduating Class and Award Winners

Lagasse is part of a spectacular graduating class for the Carillon Sultans this season. Centerfielder Brady Papineau achieved standout honours of his own, taking home defensive player of the year and earning an all-star selection for the third consecutive season. Outfielder Joe Plett was also named an MJBL all-star, joining Lagasse and Papineau on the league’s marquee list.

The graduating group also featured Cody Gunderson, who returned to the Sultans program this season to conclude his career after completing two all-conference seasons in the NCAA with Charlotte. Also graduating was Ryan Powers, who built an elite resume this year as a finalist for Canadian College Baseball Conference pitcher of the year while also winning the nationals batting title in 2026. All five graduating seniors—Lagasse, Papineau, Plett, Gunderson, and Powers—were honoured prior to the start of game three of the MJBL finals in Steinbach, where the team went on to secure the victory that clinched their third straight league championship.

The accolades for Carillon did not stop with the players. Second baseman Cody Wielgosh was named a league all-star, and head coach Don Meilleur earned coach of the year honours to round out the Sultans’ hardware tally for the season.

Reporting based on original coverage from The Carillon.