Another season is underway for the St. Clair Saints Baseball team, which opened with a pair of splits against rivals the Durham Lords and Lambton Lions over the past week.
“Through four games, we played two of the top teams in the league and we get to see where we stand right away,” said Tristan Bouchat, the Head Coach of the Saints Baseball team. “We’re able to get that knowledge of what we need to work on to get to where we want to be. To get that this early is something nice.”
The Saints finished their 2025 campaign with an OCAA silver medal. Bouchat, now in his second year at the helm, has the team at a 2-2 record and said the crew is hungry to improve on last year’s finish.
“I think that there's some still things we can improve on, but there's a lot of bright spots and things that we were impressed with early in the season,” he said, noting his team’s pitching this season is a strong point, with some returning pitchers and top-end transfers.
“We think once they get their feet, they can really make a difference for us,” Bouchat added.
He said the lineup is also strong, with an ability to put up runs and create chaos on the basepaths.
“We have some solid guys in the lineup. We have some power, we have some speed, we have some contact guys – we’ve got a good mix, one through nine, whoever's in each day,” Coach Bouchat said.
That line-up will be tested again this weekend with a re-match against Durham, a perennial top contender in the OCAA.
“We want to leave an impression with them that we're going to be a tough opponent for them to come past,” Bouchat added.
The next game against Durham is slated for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Saints home diamond, Lacasse Park in Tecumseh, Ont.
$5.5 million was recently invested into the park “to build, I think, one of the best small-town parks in Southwestern Ontario,” said Tecumseh Mayor, Gary McNamara, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch during the Lions double-header.
“We knew we had a jewel here in LaCasse Park, and if you build it, they will come,” said Mayor McNamara. “And it’s very encouraging for players to be able to play in a beautiful home park.”
The project was funded by the municipality, provincial and federal governments, along with St. Clair College and its Alumni, Tecumseh Thunder, and the Circle of Seven.
“These are great partnerships in the community and what it has done for us, is basically this park now has gathered the attention of the collegiate leagues and Baseball Canada,” said the mayor. “We’ve hosted two national championships already, which creates great opportunities for the region with sports tourism.”
The park originally opened in 1947. Beforehand, it was a cornfield before Bert Lacasse started grooming it for a ball diamond, according to McNamara. He says the redevelopment gives people in the neighbourhood a nearby attraction in the centre of the community.
“You want people to be able to walk to the park, enjoy a great ball game, and walk home,” he said.
Coach Bouchat said the Saints are lucky to call it home and is hoping fans will fill the stands to help boost the team as it progresses through the season.
“It's the nicest field, I think, in the league — and I would argue in the province,” said Coach Bouchat. “People can come out, it's a good atmosphere, it's a good stadium, and it's great baseball.”
For the full season schedule, click here.
