Laurentian Voyageurs Baseball Gearing Up for 2026 Fall Campaign

(September 4, 2026)— The Laurentian University Voyageurs baseball team is kicking off their 2026 fall season, building on the energy built during an intense training camp at the Terry Fox Sports Complex and early preseason action in Toronto.

Heading into the season, Head Coach Patrick Whalen returns almost his entire roster, having lost only one player to graduation from last year’s squad. With strong core continuity and fresh talent joining the program, the Voyageurs are primed to navigate league changes and contend for a championship.

Featured Voyageurs: 

Ryan Lacasse (Outfielder / Pitcher & Senior Leader)

Entering his final season as a Voyageur, Lacasse brings veteran leadership and academic excellence to the roster. Currently completing his final year of the Concurrent Education program after earning his degree in Sport and Physical Education with a specialisation in Kinesiology, he balances a rigorous schedule of classes, practices, and training. For Lacasse, the Laurentian jersey represents far more than just baseball.

"Representing Laurentian means everything to me. Over the years, this program has become far more than just baseball, it’s a family. We’ve built a culture of brotherhood where every guy on the roster has your back through both success and adversity. Entering my final season as a Voyageur makes wearing this jersey even more meaningful. I want to leave everything I have on the field and finish my career knowing I gave my absolute best to this program."

Will Burns (Pitcher)

Incoming freshman pitcher Will Burns joins the Voyageurs straight off a championship-winning summer. Playing for the Sudbury 18U squad, Burns helped lead his team from the seventh seed through a remarkable playoff run to capture the Premier Baseball League of Ontario (PBLO) Championship. Inspired by high school studies at St. Charles College, Burns is pursuing Earth Sciences to become a geologist while looking forward to making an impact on the mound.

"Winning the PBLO championship was awesome, and that momentum is going to be my fuel all season. I’m studying Earth Sciences to pursue my goal of becoming a geologist, and on the field, I’m just looking forward to going out on the mound and battling for the guys behind me. I’m so honoured to represent the Voyageurs and play post-secondary baseball."

Devan Madore (Shortstop)

A Sudbury native holding down the infield at shortstop, Madore takes immense pride in proving that a smaller program can go toe-to-toe with larger southern schools. As a Biology student, he credits student-athlete life with forcing him to establish a strict routine to succeed both in the classroom and on the field. Throughout training camp, his focus has been on assimilating new players into the team culture to push toward a deep Ontario University Athletics (OUA) postseason run.

“It’s great to represent Laurentian on the field. Being from Sudbury, it’s hard to compete with bigger programs from down south. Laurentian being a smaller baseball program, we’re excited that we can show that we can compete and keep up with bigger programs in the league... Training camp is going well; right now we're just trying to get the new guys assimilated into the culture and make sure all of our goals are aligned so we can work efficiently towards our end goal of going as far as we can in the OUA season."