Campus Newcomer: Saint-Pie LHP Elliot Cadieux Lanoue
We continue on with the Iowa Baseball campus newcomers series and this time we head north of the United States border to preview the next one. Out of Saint-Pie, Quebec, Elliot Cadieux Lanoue is a member of the Canadian Junior National Team and played his travel baseball with 17u Diamondbacks Elite Showcase Team out of Michigan. He is rated as the #1 LHP and #3 recruit in Quebec by Perfect Game.
We caught up with the 6-foot-1, 190 pound left-handed pitcher to preview his upcoming freshman season with the Hawkeyes.
Q: When do you move to Iowa City and what is your excitement level like for that move in day?
LANOUE: I move next week the 12th and I’d say that out of 10 my excitement level’s probably a 15.
Q: What number do you plan on wearing and why?
LANOUE: I already talked to Marty Sutherland and I chose the number 16 because it’s the same number as my grandpa’s really good friend Claude Raymond who played with the Montreal Expos back then.
Q: How would you evaluate the way you played during your senior season?
LANOUE: I would say that I played pretty good. ERA lower than 1 and more than 2 K’s per inning.
Q: What pitches do you have in arsenal? What would you say is your best pitch?
LANOUE: Right now, I control a 4 seams fastball topping out 93-94 with high spin rate around 24-25 hundred, a circle change in the low 80s and a 10-4 curveball in the low-mid 70s. I am also working on a cutter and a sweeper slider which are both starting to get very good and accurate. My best pitch this year was obviously my fastball because nobody was able to touch high velocity but against better hitters, like Pro guys that I faced with Team Canada, my changeup (was the best).”
Q: What have you been doing since the high school season to prepare for when you join the team?
LANOUE: Here in Canada we don’t have high school season instead I did some spring training camps with the national team. But after, during the summer, I played travel ball and played in 6 tournaments across the US to build up my arm and have volume to come ready for this fall.
Q: Looking back at your recruitment, what stood out about the Iowa Baseball program that made them an easy choice over other schools?
LANOUE: Well for me the two big reasons were the incredible coaching staff and the advanced technology that the program offered. On top of that, I fell in love with Iowa City and the people there so for me this choice was a no brainer.
Q: Were there any other teams that you considered during your recruitment?
LANOUE: I didn’t have that many offers to be honest, but I did think Xavier was an option at some point. However, Iowa has always been my first option for all the reasons mentioned earlier.
Q: What is your relationship like with the coaching staff? Who do you talk with the most?
LANOUE: I would say that my relationships with every single one of the coaches are A1 but the pitching coach Sean McGrath and Marty Sutherland are the two that I’m talking with the most.
Q: What is your relationship like with the other incoming freshman? Current players?
LANOUE: I’m starting to slowly know the guys that I will be playing with like we have a group chat for the upcoming freshmen and I’m staying in touch with what my future teammates are doing. Every single time they do something good I’m probably one of the first to congrats them. I think we are gonna have a lot of fun this year because from what I can see we are such a beautiful family.
Q: If someone asked you “what do you bring to the Iowa team?” How would you describe your game?
LANOUE: I would say that the Iowa Hawkeyes are getting an athletic little lefty who really knows how to throw a baseball, but also a human being who’s ready to be the hardest worker in the room every single day to fulfill his dream and (someone) who’s got more love for the game than the game itself. So basically a future, a lot of strikes, a lot of wins, hard work, will, and passion.
Q: What are your goals for your freshman season at Iowa? What areas of your game do you want to improve?
LANOUE: My goal for the 2023-2024 season is to be able to establish a routine, work hard, play a respectable amount of games even though I’m a freshman, but beyond all that I want to have fun and help my team to win. I want to improve my abilities to deal with problems, not that I can’t , but I just think I could do better in difficult situations and of course have better and faster pitches.
