Saints' New Skipper Bouchat Ready to Win With Hustle and Bat Smarts

Tecumseh, ON — August 2025 The St. Clair College Saints men’s baseball team is embracing a new identity under Interim Head Coach Tristan Bouchat who will steer the ship for the 2025 OCAA season.

"It's super exciting," Bouchat told Powerplay Sports following practice at Lacasse Park. "We have a young group here, guys are coming in ready to work and some old guys coming off a national championship that are leading by example so it's been nice to see the first couple of days.

⚾ From Saint to Skipper

• A three-time OCAA gold medalist as a player

• Key contributor to the 2016 CIBA national silver medal

• Former Tecumseh Thunder standout and two-time national champion

• Assistant and associate coach since 2020

• Board member with Riverside Minor Baseball

Bouchat has been part of every stage of the Saints' rise—and now, he’s leading it.

🔁 Shifting Gears, Not Standards

Bouchat, 32, is taking over for Roberto Duncan who stepped aside during the offseason. "Roberto and I have been super close. We played together, coached together and have a great relationship. Tough to see him go because we worked well together." Bouchat explained. "Being around good coaches my entire career from Roberto to Rob Murphy to Dave Cooper and Chico Labute, both from a player and coaching side, I feel like I've been mentored by the right guys and I'm mature enough now that it's a good time for me to take over."

The Saints have dominated the OCAA in recent years with four straight titles, but with big bats graduating, the style is changing.

“We have a lot of speed,” Bouchat said. “A lot of guys that can put the ball in play and run and we want to be aggressive with those guys and take advantage the speed, the legs and gap power. It's an exciting style of baseball.”

Returning veterans like Andrew Sleiman (2024 OCAA Offensive Player of the Year), Kannan Gale, and Andrew Langlois will anchor the lineup. On the mound, Brady Knelsen returns as the ace, fresh off a national championship with the Windsor Selects U22 team in Nova Scotia. He went 6-0 record last season with 51 strikeouts and a 0.40 ERA.

🧠 Coaching challenge

With a talented crop, Bouchat feels his biggest challenge will be giving players time on the field:

“Right now we have 13-14 guys who you could put a roster together and they could be one of the best lineups in the league so getting guys reps too.

There's different ways and different situations we can do that. It's just a matter of finding them and making the moves at the right time.”

📅 Key Dates to Watch

• Season Opener: Sept. 6 @ Sheridan Bruins (Mississauga, 1:00 PM)

• Home Opener: Sept. 10 vs. Lambton Lions (LaCasse Park, 7:00 PM)