Never underestimate the value of the willingness to compete in sport.

You can add the current St Charles College boys baseball team to the list of potential testimonials.

While the Cardinals have arguably taken more talented teams to OFSAA Regional playdowns in years gone by, it wasn’t until last week that an SCC squad battled their way through stage one to take their place in the final four.

And the 2025 lads did it in style, posting a record of 3-0 and finishing first in the East, set to tackle the second seed from the West in one of two semi-final matchups Wednesday in London.

That said, a pair of one run victories followed by a three run margin at the conclusion of game three suggests just how tightly contested things are at this level of high-school baseball – and why the innate character traits of those who would take to the field might take on greater meaning this time around.

Infielder Brody Mabbott, a key cog at shortstop on a defensive unit that went three games without committing an error, was making his third straight trip to OFSAA all while recognizing that this team was not about to overwhelm opponents in the fashion of the New York Yankees of the early fifties.

“When I looked at our team this year, I couldn’t say whether or not we were going to do well, but I knew every game, we were going to compete,” said Mabbott. “On skill level, we could match up with anybody – but then I looked at the personalities on the team. We just never stopped battling.”

“The other team would put up two runs and we would come back and put up five.”

That kind of offensive surge was not needed in game one as the St Charles pitching duo of Will Burns and Hudson Fletcher held the St Theresa of Lisieux Lions (Richmond Hill) in check, limiting them to just three hits and one run as the Cardinals eked out a 2-1 win.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the fifth inning, Colton Nowoselsky doubled to score Chris St Germain while Brody Mabbott went 2/3 at the plate.

“You have to be lucky some time,” conceded St Charles head coach Jean-Gilles Larocque. “We ended the game on a 3-2 pitch that was up right up the middle – but we had our second baseman (Ethan Thompson) holding their runner close, so he made the catch and stepped on second for the double play.”

Down 5-2 after three innings in game two opposite the Donald A Wilson SS Gators (Whitby), the NOSSA champs exploded for five runs in the top of the fourth, a rally highlighted by a two-run double from Ethan Thompson. Chris St Germain picked up the win on the mound, going six full innings before Braiden Paul struck out all three batters he faced on the bottom of the seventh.

A back and forth affair secured the SCC spot in the OFSAA semis as the St Peter’s CSS Saints scored two in the bottom of the first, only to see the Cards counter with five in the third and three more in the top of five. A four-run Saints rally in bottom of six made things interesting (8-6), but again St Charles counter-punched, closing off with three in the top of seven en route to an 11-8 victory.

The bottom three in the locals batting order (Brett Rienguette, Chris St Germain and Brody Mabbott) accounted for nine of the 17 hits for the winners, with Gabriel Larocque also chipping in with a very nice stat-line (2/3 – 2 runs scored – 3 RBI).

Having now made this trip on basically an annual basis, coach Larocque suggested that his players are no longer out of their element at all when facing the south. “I don’t think they know any different now,” he said. “It’s just baseball to them.”

“We see a pitcher throwing low to mid eighties, but we see that on a regular basis now so the hitters are never intimidated.”

That certainly resonates with Brody Mabbott, a young man who appears more than ready to head into battle again this week with compatriots with whom he has a great deal of confidence.

“I think there’s just a balance,” he said. “Everybody can hit, everybody can play defense. Everybody can play on our team.”

The complete St Charles College roster also features Alex Marshfield, Joshua St Germain, Brady Soucy, Callum Hopkins, A.J. Dubeau, Owen Lamothe, Nathan Omeljaniuk, Caleb Larocque and Brady Rajotte.

Joining J-G Larocque on the team staff are Darren Michelutti, Rob Zanatta, Braeden Gobbo, Craig Thompson and Jeff Nowoselsky.

The Cardinals not only became the first NOSSA championship team to advance to the final four at OFSAA, they also became the first team to medal – and did so in ultra exciting fashion this week.

Battling the Upper Canada College Blues in their semi-final in London, SCC spotted UCC an early 3-0 lead but plated a run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings, leaving the contest tied heading to the bottom of the seventh.

Enjoying a day to remember by going 7/8, Cardinals’ catcher Gabriel Larocque singled to leadoff the inning, stealing second on the next pitch. Following an intentional walk to Ethan Thompson, Braiden Paul lined a shot to left-centre, advancing the Sudbury squad to the finals.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals luck would run out late versus the St Peter’s CSS Saints from Peterborough. Leading 3-1 heading into the top of the sixth inning, the local crew would see the wheels fall off in the final two innings, defeated 15-6 but progressing farther than any northern team before them.