Eric Lanoue Commits to Pitching and Pre-Law at Wells College in Upper State New York

18U Titans Pitcher Eric Lanoue became the third member of his veteran-laden team to commit to a US College this week.  The Toronto, Ontario resident signed his letter of intent with the Wells College Express—an NCAA D3 school closely associated with Cornell University and located in the beautiful Finger Lakes District of Upper New York State.  

The resident of Toronto, Ontario explained the many benefits of attending Wells College and playing for the Express:  “When I took a good hard look at Wells College, I saw myself fitting in well to both the school and the baseball team. The school size is what I was looking for-- small and with a good professor-to-student ratio. In speaking with Coach Stevens, I found that he had a solid vision of what he wanted to do with the baseball program and how I could be a contributing part of that vision. Coach Stevens has a very similar approach to Coach Bailey in the sense that he knows when it's time to work and when it's time to have fun. The campus is close enough to home which gives me the ability to travel back to Canada and visit my family, but it is also convenient for my parents to come watch some of the games.”   

Lanoue acknowledged that the Wells College campus—set on Lake Cayuga in Aurora, New York-- and its features were also persuasive elements in his decision-making: “The Finger Lakes are a beautiful part of Upstate NY.  It is really a four-season area that has tons of activities to offer.  I'm looking forward to being able to focus on my academic and athletic pursuits on the beautiful campus of Wells College. The fact that the College has a Robert Trent Jones golf course on campus will allow me to enjoy the beauty of the area while brushing up on my game.”

In addition to golfing and playing baseball on campus, the Honour Roll graduate of Father John Redmond Catholic High School in Toronto has a very specific academic focus at Wells College: “My Major will be Political Science with a minor in History. Ultimately, I'm looking to get an Undergraduate degree from Wells College that will allow me to get into Law School.”  Lanoue delineated and differentiated his athletic and academic goals while playing and studying in New York:  “Athletically, I want to be a strong contributor to a baseball program that is driven to get better and more competitive, under the direction of Coach Stevens. I also believe that Wells will provide me the opportunity to contribute as a Freshman to the baseball team. Academically, I want to push myself to become a well-rounded student with a strong foundation to pursue Law along with being able maintain at least a 3.0 GPA and to make it onto the Dean’s list. Wells College has a wide variety of courses and also has a cross-registration program with Cornell in Ithaca which broadens my academic choices.”

The veteran award-winning hurler praised the process by which the Titans College Placement team helped him commit to Wells College:  “The Titans asked what I wanted in a College placement and helped me search for the schools that would be the best fit for me as both a student and athlete.  I found that the Titans listened well and assisted the best they could to check all the boxes that were important to me.  The resources that the Titans are able to tap into are invaluable to student-athletes looking to pursue a US experience.”

As Lanoue enters his final CPBL season with the Titans, he reflected on the highlights that were meaningful to him in a navy and orange uniform:  “If I had to narrow it down to one thing, I would say getting the Pitcher of the Year Award when I was with the U17's .  It was a difficult year as it was the Titans’ first year in the CPBL.  That award helped me stay resilient and focused while getting better with my pitching and certainly paid off with a very successful 18U year with 10 wins.  It further encouraged me to continue to focus on my ultimate goal: getting an education while playing baseball.”

As a top pitcher in the Titans program and a model student-athlete, Lanoue offered words of encouragement and wisdom to the younger players in the organization:  “Follow your dreams and never give up.  There will be difficult challenges that you need to face head on, but always believe in yourself.  All the hard work will pay off in the end when you have coaches looking for you to join their roster and make them better baseball clubs.  For pitchers, I would say, never let them know you are rattled, always keep your mound composure, believe in your ability, and take it one pitch at a time.”

The Titans Baseball Club extends its congratulations to Eric Lanoue in his dual commitment of pitching for the NCAA D3 Express and earning a pre-Law academic degree in Political Science and History at Wells College.  Your goals as a student-athlete are exemplary and sources of pride for the Titans. All the best in your final CPBL season as a significant starting pitcher for the 18U Titans.