Feature Photo by Toccoa Falls College

Adjustments…we all are forced to make them at some point. Some people reluctantly so. Not Chathan Clouatre. The Tallulah Falls alum, who traded the TFS for TFC, is putting the finishing touches on a solid (albeit short) career at Toccoa Falls. He’s in the midst of a season that has the following stat line: .338 average (25/74), .468 OBP, .405 SLG, 13 RBI, 26 runs, 3 doubles, a triple, and 10 SB. He’s been an impact player since he arrived for the Eagles.

“One thing I see about me being able to carve a key role in the team was my bat at the plate,” says Clouatre. “I had a great fall hitting my freshman year which helped earn a starting spot at the beginning of the season. I was able to use my at bats to get hits, bring runners home, steal bases, and work counts with pitchers. Overall, being able to produce quality at bats at the plate helped me develop a key role since year one.”

Despite being a regular in the lineup as a freshman in 2022, he had his share of struggles, as he batted a mere .195 with a homer and 16 RBI while getting his first college experience. The leap he made from year one to two was impressive to say the least, and he did so while switching from catcher to outfield.

“Transitioning from catcher to outfield was tough mentally for me in the beginning because I was catcher during most of my time at TFS so the transition was different for me,” adds Clouatre. “The reason I got moved to the outfield was because after my first fall at TFC, my bat was hot and I had a strong arm so coach wanted to fit me into the lineup. So spring of my freshman year I started working in the outfield and getting ready to play there when our season started. I did not have as many struggles, but one major one was I was not the quickest so I had to work and build up my speed to help me get good reads in the outfield and make plays for my team. Although I miss catching, I have adapted and learned to play the outfield to help my team win games.”

In his second season, Clouatre was 51-for-137 at the plate, registering a slash line of .372 AVG/.457 OBP/.555 SLG, clubbing 4 HR, 30 RBI, 49 R, 11 2B, 1 3B, and 9 SB. To date, he officially has exactly 100 career hits for TFC as of March 26, giving him a .299 average with grand totals of 5 round-trippers, 59 RBI, 80 runs scored, 16 doubles, 2 triples, and 22 stolen bases. Despite being a junior officially, this season marks his last.

“This is most likely my last year playing baseball and the reason for that is I am on track to graduate early and I plan to start to look for an opportunity to coach baseball,” he adds. “I still have love for the game, but I am ready to transition into the next step into teaching and training the younger generation about baseball from what I have learned over my years of playing the game. Not just the physical demands of baseball, but also the mental aspect.”

His experience and impact on the diamond is significant, but it’s not life. Toccoa Falls, and Tallulah Falls before that, have played a big role in modeling the man he wants to be.

“The last few years playing baseball at TFC, I developed my skills as a player but also learned a lot about life,” recalls Clouatre. “My freshman year I was moved to the outfield mainly to get my bat into the lineup so I had so much pressure on myself mentally and it was tough, but I learned from my first year not to carry over a bad at bat to the next time I step up to the plate, or letting an error affect my body language to my team. Really learning how to adjust the mental aspect of baseball to help my game. Most importantly, I learned that baseball was not all about performance. Everyone wants to do well, but sometimes it is not your day. So I learned to take in every moment I had and just have fun and play the game I love. I look forward to trying to teach and coach in the future to help shape and grow the future baseball players off what I have learned in my years playing the game.”

Clouatre is earning a degree in Sports Management with a minor in Psychology. He hopes to become an athletic director and coach at the middle or high school level and eventually coach collegiately.

Clouatre was an All-State selection prior to his junior season at Tallulah Falls, and had a career .375 average which still ranks second best in TFS history. That includes batting .417 in 2018 and .439 in 2019. He finished his high school career with 75 hits, 56 RBI, 59 runs, and 21 SB.