Medicine Hat Mavericks pitcher Josh Landry celebrates an inning-ending strikeout in the Mavs' 11-2 win Saturday at Athletic Park over the Saskatoon Berries.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Mavericks look to leave a bitter taste on what has been a sweet debut summer in Saskatoon.
The Mavs get their 2024 playoffs underway Wednesday when they host the expansion Saskatoon Berries at Athletic Park for Game 1 of the WCBL East division semifinals.
For Medicine Hat, they enter the playoffs after holding second place in the East division for a majority of the season, with up and down stretches that saw them finish the season 10 wins above .500. With Saskatoon, they started their first season in the Berry patch on a five-game losing streak, including two losses to the Mavs.
The Berries dwindled around the bottom of the East division early in the season, appearing destined for a summer of wilting in the Saskatchewan heat before they caught a different kind of fire. Saskatoon rattled off a record of 20-11 since Canada Day, jumping the Moose Jaw Miller Express, who they beat 4-3 Monday in walk-off fashion, for the third spot in the division.
The Mavs, who were in action Monday at Swift Current against the 57’s, went an identical 20-11 in their last 31 games, not including Monday’s action that was not complete by press time.
Medicine Hat won the season series 6-2, with the two teams splitting the weekend at Athletic Park. The Mavs beat the Berries 11-2 on Saturday and Saskatoon won 11-3 on Sunday.
Head coach Kevin Mitchell likes the matchup for his team as they look to make the first steps on a return to the WCBL finals.
“We played them well all year and we are well positioned to run out our best nine and our best pitchers out there to go take advantage of the first game at home and get things started the right way,” Mitchell said. “They’re a strong team, they’ve got some pieces and I’m looking for the older guys on our team to lead with with maturity and hustle and do the things that will win us playoff games.
“We don’t have a huge core of guys that were here last year, but the ones we do have are very important to this team. So the experience they have as well in this environment is going to be helpful.”
The Mavs have four players on the roster from the 2023 team that fell short of a championship, losing in Game 3 of the WCBL finals to the Okotoks Dawgs. Infielders Johnny Vulcano, Tyler Vanneste, outfielder Brody Gardner and pitcher Adam Golby shared in the ultimate disappointment of last season, and Vanneste says they’re looking to help elevate the group to get back and rectify that loss. His advice for teammates entering their first playoffs is to simply enjoy the moment.
“The energy gets crazy and it’s fun to be out there,” Vanneste said. “Just don’t let the moment get too big, do your thing. We’ve been doing it for 56 games already this year.”
Game 2 of the series turns to Saskatoon on Thursday and if needed, a decisive Game 3 would be Friday back at Athletic Park. Mitchell has seen the heightened crowd at Athletic Park for three playoff games last season, with the Mavs winning two of the three. He’s looking forward to the home park advantage.
“It’s going to be rocking here on Wednesday night, I know our guys are looking forward to it,” Mitchell said. “Having the first one at home, getting to set the tone for the series, and for the whole playoffs is a big deal. I’m glad that we’ve done the work we need to do to get to that spot.”
Both the Mavs and Berries offences have flashed bright this season. In 55 games, the Mavs score 436 runs, the fifth-most in the league. Saskatoon tallied 358 runs, finishing eighth. Both clubs clobbered the ball, as Medicine Hat had 51 home runs entering Monday and the Berries knocked 47.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Berries allowed the third fewest runs in the league with 319. Medicine Hat surrendered the sixth fewest (373). The Mavs’ pitching staff led the East division in strikeouts.
With the goal of returning to the WCBL finals a focus for the Mavs all season, the ups and downs, the big losses and even bigger wins were met with an almost middled reaction as Mitchell was more focused on his team playing the right way at the important part of the season.
As the playoffs get underway and two wins can propel a team as quickly as two defeats can end a summer of dreams, Mitchell likes how his team is playing.
“We can do a lot of things really well and we have a lot of guys that have had a ton of success this year,” Mitchell said. “If one or two guys are having an off day, I’m confident that somebody else in the lineup is going to be able to pick them up, same thing on the mound.
“Depth is one of our biggest strengths going into playoffs, at the plate and on the mound. It really just comes down to guys executing as best they can. If it doesn’t go right for one guy, the next guy has to pick them up.”
Editors note: An earlier version of the story used an incorrect number for the amount of returning Mavs from the 2023 team.
