Fall ball baseball starting strong

This year, Jesse Lahache was committed to getting a fall ball baseball team in Kahnawake.

Last year, the U15 coach held tryouts after the summer baseball season concluded but did not have enough players to get a team going.

This year was looking like more of the same, until Lahache decided to do something different: bring in some outside help.

“Not that many kids from town were available, so I reached out to Chateauguay, a couple other places, and they found some players,” said Lahache.

He said that because their local teams - Chateauguay, Beauharnois, and Mercier - were not doing fall ball in the Lac St. Louis division this year, the Warhawks were able to add them to the team.

His son was very interested in playing fall ball, but Lahache also believes that it has an important role to play as part of the sports available for youth to play during the year.

“A lot of kids don’t do hockey or other sports, so it’s to keep them involved in the sport and keep them active, because once the regular season ends, there’s nothing for them to do,” said Lahache.

Although he was only able to manage the U15 fall ball team, he said he received a lot of demand from other levels and is hoping they will also have teams in the future.

Lahache said because of the level of play, and that teams were allowed up to two U18B players on the team to fill out rosters, it was not appropriate for much younger players to join.

Assistant coach Dominic Séguin and his son, Noah Séguin-Lalonde are who Lahache was able to get for the fall ball team from Chateauguay.

“We didn’t know necessarily where (Noah) would play fall ball. He did not mind where it would be, he just wanted to continue his baseball season,” said Séguin.

Séguin has coached minor baseball for many years, both for his son Noah and previously when his daughter played in Chateauguay, but he has found his experience with the Warhawks so far to be unique.

“It is the first time in all my time coaching that I feel an ambiance like this,” said Séguin. “The kids are very engaged, they’re all helping each other, no one is acting like they are better than anyone else. It’s really a team that feels like a family.”

The Warhawks have started their 10-game regular season 3-1, losing their latest game 10-4 against the St-Lazare Mustangs.

“Right now, they’re playing really good baseball, the team is getting along, the energy is high, and there’s a lot of talent,” said Lahache.

“Jesse is doing an incredible job coaching, I am getting along with him really well,” said Séguin. “We complete each other, we understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses even if we didn’t know each other before.”

Lahache was complimentary of his Chateauguay counterpart as well.

“It’s very good to have a coach like him. He’s very knowledgeable about the sport, so it makes it easier to coach kids and develop them,” said Lahache. He also said that Séguin was able to help kids who did not know English very well by translating for them.

While the results on the field have certainly been good so far, Séguin stressed just how enjoyable the fall ball season has been so far for him and Noah.

“We have been welcomed as if we were part of the family. I have never felt like this participating in any team before in all my years in baseball,” said Séguin.

“It is all to their credit. I knew Kahnawake baseball was very competitive, having coached against them in the past, but being with them is a completely different experience and just wonderful.”

Given the chance, Séguin would not pass up the opportunity to come back next year.

“My son is having such a great time, he would love to play for Kahnawake again next year if he could,” said Séguin. “I would not hesitate to coach again with them if I get the chance, too.”

The fall ball regular season will continue for the next three weeks, as the Warhawks will play twice per weekend, splitting their season evenly on the road and at the Kahnawake Sports Complex.

Their next home game will be Saturday, September 21, at 9 a.m. against the St-Laurent Crush 2.

A four-game playoff will be played after the regular season concludes.

This article was originally published in print on September 20 in issue 33.38 of The Eastern Door.

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