The Saints Men's Baseball team has made winning habitual over the past four seasons, and it's a legacy newly minted interim head coach Tristan Bouchat hopes to sustain and build upon.
"We're losing our old core that we've had for the few years, but we have a couple guys who've been around the last year or two who are now ready to step up as leaders and just continue to outwork all the other teams," says Bouchat, who was named the interim head coach in late June, a few months ahead of the Fall 2025 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) season.
Trusting his returning core, along with some new, speedy recruits will be the recipe to getting to the top of the OCAA standings again this season.
Onlookers can take comfort in the fact that winning has come naturally to the 32-year-old throughout his playing and coaching career.
Bouchat's development started with the Riverside Minor Baseball Association as a player at the age of seven and now serves on the board of directors.
Bouchat later joined the Tecumseh Thunder during his teens where he was a pitcher and outfielder, winning two national championships with the Thunder before joining the Saints.
At St. Clair, he played 68 games over three seasons (2013, 2015-16), helping the Saints to three OCAA gold medals and the 2016 National silver medal along with the 2013 OUA/OCAA Championship.
After his playing career, Bouchat joined the coaching staff at the College, serving three years as an assistant coach and later transitioning to associate head coach, where he's specialized in coaching the outfielders.
"The biggest thing is being able to teach it, and not just say it," says Bouchat, discussing player development. "You have the players coming in, and they still are looking to learn, looking to develop, and you have to almost be a teacher for them first. You can't just tell them to do something. You have to show them how to do it properly."
He credits his former coaches for his own development, both on and off the field.
"I am thankful for having some great coaches and mentors throughout my career, including Rob Murphy, Dave Cooper and the late Chico LaBute," he says.
Bill Kell of the Riverside Minor Baseball Association is proud to see yet another athlete who was part of the Riverside minor baseball system continue to give back to the sport.
"We consider Riverside Minor Baseball Association to be a training ground for not only for players to come out, but also for good people and good community people. And we've had a lot of our players - just like Tristan - that come through and become coaches and trainers," says Kell.
"We're very proud of him coming through the system, and we look forward to going out and watching him coach and watching the St. Clair team play. We're glad to see him continue with his coaching at the next level," Kell says. "He's been with the team for a number of years, so he knows the players, he knows the system, he knows the league, so I think he's all set to step into that job."
Coach Bouchat will be leaning on his returning players - including centre fielder Andrew Sleiman, the reigning OCAA offensive player of the year in 2024. He also has high hopes for third baseman Kannan Gale, catcher Andrew Langlois and pitcher Brady Knelsen, who dominated hitters last season, on route to a 6-0 record, with 51 punchouts over 35 innings and a .40 ERA.
"We will be relying heavily on the leaders but pushing the whole team to follow their examples and putting our trust in them," Bouchat says. "The young guys are good. They've been in the league now for a year, so they know what to expect coming in. They're not rookies anymore."
Kevin Paradis returns alongside Bouchat as an associate head coach.
"He is one of the best teachers of baseball I've ever met," Bouchat boasts. "They don't come any better than Kevin for infield work."
A self-proclaimed "player's coach," Bouchat admits this year's squad will have a different look, with a potentially less explosive offence than in previous years, where home runs were a staple of the team's offensive prowess.
Instead, he hopes to put his focus on the team's influx of speed, run manufacturing capabilities and hard work ethic.
"This year, we're going have way more speed, so we're going utilize the speed," he says. "We're looking at being more aggressive on the base paths and play some better defence with that speed as well."
Bouchat is a graduate of St. Clair's Sport & Recreation Management program, later earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Davenport University (Grand Rapids, MI).
The Saints men's baseball season opens on Sept. 6 against the Sheridan Bruins at 1 p.m. in Mississauga. The home opener is slated for Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. against the Lambton Lions at LaCasse Park in Tecumseh.
Tristan Bouchat giving coaching instructions in the file photo. (Source: Tristan Bouchat)
Bouchat says he's ready for the challenge.
"I trust my players - both the guys who have been around and the new crop. They have the feel for the game," Bouchat says. "We just need to outwork everybody on the field by hustling and playing solid defence."
"We may not hit a million home runs, but if we're moving the ball, getting runners in scoring position and playing defence, I think we're going to have a good chance of winning our fifth straight."
