OMAHA, Neb. — In baseball, timing is key. In some instances, it’s timing the release of a ball to throw the perfect pitch; other times it’s making contact with the ball while at the plate to send it over the fence. For Sooners’ junior catcher Deiten Lachance, perfect timing is finding his groove in the midst of a lengthy season.
The “Big Maple,” as he’s known in the clubhouse, arrived in Norman following two seasons of junior college ball at McLennan Community College, where he played under OU head coach Skip Johnson’s son, Tyler. Lachance’s time in Waco proved to be all the evidence Skip needed to make the decision to bring him in, as he was an NJCAA Second-Team All-American his sophomore season and combined for 31 home runs and 173 runs batted in over his two seasons.
His junior college stats helped fans believe that he would be the power hitter he was at McLennan as a Sooner, but things didn’t pan out that way originally. While Lachance was still racking up hits at the plate, one thing was missing in his arsenal: the long ball. It wasn’t until OU’s (42-22) 33rd game of the season against Vanderbilt (33-25) on April 9 that he would finally log his first home run in the crimson and cream.
After that initial deep shot, the home runs started tallying up for the Sherbrook, Quebec native but none bigger than two he would go on to hit against the No. 5 team in the country, North Carolina (53-13-1), on the biggest stage.
In his first at bat against Tar Heels’ junior right-handed ace Jason DeCaro, who carried a 2.31 earned run average into Saturday’s matchup, Lachance cracked a two-run shot just over the right-center field wall that sent OU fans into a frenzy. It was the perfect start to the Sooners’ first championship series game since 2022, and it was just the start of one of the most historic hitting performances in College World Series history.
Only four players had ever hit multiple home runs in a College World Series finals game: Florida’s Ty Evans and Jac Caglianone in 2023, Texas’s Russell Moldenhauer in 2009 and Fresno State’s Steve Detwiler in 2008. But that was until Lachance joined the elite group by crushing a second deep ball just two innings later.
Moments before Lachance’s monumental at bat, the Tar Heels had put together a response to OU’s opening inning. UNC raked in three early runs off of Sooners’ freshman left-handed pitcher Cord Rager, who was making his second start in Omaha, and had a chance to build on the momentum by shutting down the OU offense. The Tar Heels retired two batters back-to-back in the top of the third, but Lachance had other plans than to let the tide favor UNC. However, it wasn’t without putting fans at the edge of their seats as he took back-to-back strikes on two outs.
DeCaro delivered back-to-back fastballs that Lachance nearly swung out of his shoes on. But DeCaro made a fatal mistake by thinking he had the Canadian beat. DeCaro went back to the well, throwing yet another fastball, but Lachance wasn’t going to be fooled three times.
“(DeCaro) came to me with two heaters at the top of the zone, and I couldn't get to them. I was just always under it and not on time,” Lachance said postgame with a massive grin. “The third one, I knew he was going to come with a heater, and I told myself, ‘I'm going to be on top of it’ wherever it was in the zone. And it was not in the zone, but I got on top of it. I just told myself that, and it worked out well.”
The moment turned into Lachance's perfect timing — years of perfecting his craft culminated into a single swing. He swung just as hard as he did at the others, but this time he made contact and sent the ball into the stands in left field.
Lachance’s two home runs marked his 17 and 18th of the season and sixth of the NCAA Tournament, with his last one coming against No. 7 Alabama (42-21) on a tweaked ankle, he helped the Sooners crush UNC 9-3 in their first College World Series finals game win since 1994.
He finished the day with three hits on five at bats and three RBIs and was the catalyst to the nation's hottest offense in the NCAA Tournament.
Even with all of the personal success at the plate, Lachance’s mind has always been on trying to set up his teammates to succeed.
“I'm just trying to catch the barrel at the plate right now and just help the team, just pass the baton. That's a big thing for us,” Lachance said. “I just gotta find a way to get on base. And if it's an error, I don't really mind. I just gotta get on first. … I got lucky. I got a good pitch to hit, and I was able to elevate them. But I mean it's just really pass the baton to the guy next to me.”
Johnson noted that it isn't just Lachance’s hitting that’s infectious; it’s also his attitude and energy he brings into the clubhouse every day.
“He's had to make adjustments, and that's what he does,” Johnson said. “You get to see his raw emotion every day. I don't know if he ever has a bad day. He's always happy. He's always keeping everybody up. He's a breath of fresh air. I get emotional talking about him because he's really good. I mean, really good. He's a good player, and he's a good team leader.”
Lachance and the Sooners will get their shot at the title in Game 2 at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Charles Schwab Field on ABC.
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.
