The Sault College Cougars are preparing to turn the page on the 2025 OCAA baseball season and begin a new chapter in 2026, with manager Ryan Johns seeing a roster that combines returning experience with a talented group of newcomers. The Cougars finished 2-13 last season and will open the 2026 campaign on the road against the Humber Hawks, playing two games on September 5 before returning for another matchup on September 6.

For Johns, one of the biggest strengths of this year’s roster is the combination of players who already understand the Cougar program and younger players eager to establish themselves.

“I think one of our biggest strengths is the combination of experience and young talent on this roster,” Johns said. “We have returning players who understand our expectations, culture and style of play, while our newcomers bring energy, competitiveness and a willingness to learn.”

The Cougars’ returning group includes players with different levels of experience in the program. John Gignac, a second-year player from Fort Erie, Ontario, is back, along with Brooks Aylward, a third-year player from Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Sault Ste. Marie contingent includes Tyler Caruso, a second-year player; Lucas Diberardino, a second-year player; Kolton Tremblay, a second-year player; Jayce Prgomet, a second-year player; and Michael Starzomski, a third-year player. The roster also features Athan Souglis, a second-year player from Markham, Ontario; Ben Weatherbee, a third-year player from Brampton, Ontario; Ryan Leighton, a second-year player from Ottawa, Ontario; Ryan Tays, a second-year player from Brampton, Ontario; and Tyson Lay, a second-year player from Ottawa, Ontario.

With that returning experience comes an expectation that the veterans will help establish the standard for the program, both on the field and inside the clubhouse.

Johns specifically pointed to Gignac, Aylward, Caruso, Tremblay, Starzomski, Lay, Leighton and Tays as players who have an opportunity to take on larger leadership responsibilities this season.

“I expect our returning players as a group to step into bigger leadership roles this season,” Johns said. “Leadership isn’t just about what happens on the field — it’s also about preparation, accountability, communication and helping create the right environment every day.”

While the veterans will be expected to lead, Johns believes the newcomers can play an equally important role in pushing the program forward.

The challenge during the offseason and preseason has been developing more complete players while helping newcomers adjust to the expectations of the Cougar program. Fundamentals, conditioning, situational awareness and consistency have all been major areas of focus.

“For our returning players, it’s about taking the next step in their development and becoming more complete players and leaders,” Johns said. “For our newcomers, it’s about learning our systems, adjusting to the pace and expectations of the program, and building confidence within their roles.”

That balance between veterans and rookies will be especially important as the Cougars look to establish a stronger team identity.

Johns believes the key to successfully bringing the two groups together is communication.

“Our returning players have a responsibility to set the standard and help our younger players understand what it means to be a Cougar,” he said. “At the same time, the rookies bring a lot of enthusiasm and new energy that can push the veterans as well.”

Rather than separating players based on experience, the goal is to create an environment where everyone contributes and learns from one another.

“The goal is to create an environment where everyone is learning from each other and where the focus is on the team rather than individual roles,” Johns added.

That team-first approach will be put to the test during an important preseason evaluation on Friday, August 28, when the Cougars take part in an intersquad game.

For the coaching staff, the game will provide an opportunity to see how players respond in a competitive, game-like environment before the regular season begins.

“The intersquad game on August 28th will be a great opportunity for us to evaluate where we’re at as a group and give everyone a chance to compete in a game-like environment,” Johns said.

For the veterans, Johns wants to see leadership, communication and preparation. For the younger players, it will be an opportunity to compete for roles while getting their first real feel for the pace and expectations of the program.

However, the final score of the intersquad game won’t be the priority.

“At this stage, the result of the intersquad game isn’t the most important thing,” Johns said. “We’re looking for good habits, good communication and players competing for each other and getting to know each other.”

The timing of the preseason game is significant, with just over a week remaining before the Cougars travel to Humber for the opening weekend of the season.

After opening against the Hawks, Sault College will return home for its first home action of the 2026 season on September 19 and 20 against the Durham Lords. The Cougars will play two games on September 19 before another game against Durham on September 20, giving local fans their first opportunity to see the 2026 roster in action.

The 2026 season also brings a significant change to the OCAA Men’s Baseball postseason format.

Beginning this season, the top four teams in the regular-season standings will qualify for the playoffs, with the semifinals featuring No. 1 versus No. 4 and No. 2 versus No. 3. Each semifinal will be a best-of-three series, with the higher seed hosting every game.

The semifinal winners will then meet in another best-of-three series for the OCAA championship, while the two teams that fall in the semifinals will compete for the bronze medal. The higher seed will maintain home-field advantage throughout the final round.

For a program looking to take another step forward, the new format provides an even clearer target: finish in the top four and earn an opportunity to compete for a championship.

The Cougars will compete in an OCAA men’s baseball division that also includes the St. Clair Saints, Lambton Lions, Fanshawe Falcons, Humber Hawks, Sheridan Bruins and Durham Lords. The Fanshawe Falcons enter the season as the defending OCAA champions after capturing the 2025 title.

With the postseason field now limited to four teams, consistency throughout the regular season becomes even more important.

Johns believes that will be one of the biggest challenges facing his team.

“The biggest challenge will be maintaining consistency throughout a long season,” Johns said. “There will be ups and downs, injuries, adversity and tough stretches, and how we respond to those moments will be important.”

The Cougars know they will have to improve in the details if they want to move up the standings. Johns emphasized discipline, fundamentals and avoiding complacency as critical pieces of the team’s development.

“If we can build good habits early and continue to improve throughout the season, hopefully we’ll be in a position to play our best baseball when the games matter most,” he said.

Ultimately, the expectations surrounding the 2026–2027 Cougar program extend beyond simply improving on last year’s 2-13 record.

Johns wants to build a team capable of competing every day, developing throughout the season and putting itself in a position to contend when the postseason arrives.

“Our biggest goal is to continue building a team that competes every day and is capable of playing its best baseball when it matters most,” Johns said.

The Cougars will look to establish a strong culture, handle adversity and continue improving from the opening weekend through the final games of the regular season.

“Success will ultimately be measured by our results,” Johns said, “but just as importantly, we want to see a group that plays hard for one another, handles adversity well and continues to develop throughout the year.”

The first opportunity to see whether that development is translating onto the field comes August 28 in the intersquad game. From there, the Cougars turn their attention to Humber and the beginning of a new OCAA season.

With a veteran core returning, newcomers ready to compete and a new four-team playoff format providing an additional incentive throughout the regular season, the Cougars enter 2026 looking to build something bigger than their record from a year ago.

The road to the postseason begins September 5 against the Hawks.