NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Mavericks reliever Dylan Weaver strides towards the plate with a pitch in the ninth inning of the Mavericks 8-7 win Thursday night at Athletic Park against the Swift Current 57's.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
There’s not a lot that goes through Dylan Weaver’s head when he’s on the mound besides the next pitch.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks’ reliever has quickly become a go-to arm out of the bullpen this season, tied for the team lead in game appearances with fellow receiver Kyle Calzadiaz. It’s a role Weaver is used to and feels he can excel in.
“I had a similar role this spring in my school and I just want to be that guy out of the bullpen people can rely on to throw strikes, continue to compete and get outs,” Weaver said. “I want to be that norm they can always say, ‘He’s going to be our guy who we will follow behind and we want him to pitch for us.'”
The Fruita, Col. product appeared in 18 games for Colorado State University Pueblo, a NCAA Div. II school. He picked up one save in his 24.1 innings pitched with 23 strikeouts.
When he’s on the mound Weaver focuses solely on his catcher and throwing his next pitch to, and through, the glove. It’s a mindset he says came through time and experience in the role.
“It’s just learning how to fine-tune my game, how my craft works and where I want to put myself in positions where I think about one pitch at a time and always attacking the zone,” Weaver said. “It’s a lot harder to hit the ball than it is to pitch the ball, so you have to think about it that way, too.”
Weaver pitched in both of the Mavericks’ double-header games Tuesday in Regina. He worked one frame with two strikeouts in their 4-2 loss in the first game and picked up the win himself in the second, pitching two innings with three strikeouts in a 2-1 triumph.
The game-two win marked the first for Kevin Mitchell as the new head coach. He took the reins when Mark Goodman earned a pitching coach role in the Pioneer League 25 games into the WCBL’s summer campaign.
After Weaver pitched in the Mavs’ 4-2 win over Moose Jaw on Sunday, Mitchell spoke on his importance to the bullpen.
“He’s been one of our go-to guys, a lot of talent and I, and the team, have a lot of confidence in him,” Mitchell said. “Even with guys on base, he looks like he has it all under control. That’s the presence he has on the mound and that’s what we ask all of our guys to try and emulate.”
Weaver says he’s enjoyed working with the whole pitching staff and both coaches so far, learning a lot from both Goodman and Mitchell, who served as the pitching coach before moving into the head role.
“We have a wide variety of arms, a lot of lefties and it’s just different every year, you play with a different team whether it’s at school or in summer, there was always a wide group of guys and I’ve liked it a lot,” Weaver said. “Our coaches have really helped up in that position to never get too high or too low but stay on that constant stretch.”
Weaver is an outlier compared to the other Mavericks’ pitchers when it comes to pre-game batting practice. While the majority are in the outfield shagging fly balls, Weaver hits grounders to infielders. He says it’s about staying loose while helping his teammates get better.
“I don’t mind trying to get as many ground balls and all the work for the guys as I can, I want to make sure they’re getting all the work they can especially in the early hours of the day before we really strap it on for the game,” Weaver said. “I also just enjoy doing it, I keep myself loose instead of just sitting around the outfield.”
Weaver and the Mavs were at Weyburn on Wednesday taking on the Beavers in the first of a two-game set to cap off 10 games in nine days.
