Medicine Hat Mavericks shortstop Johnny Vulcano celebrates his three-run double in the eighth inning Sunday in the Mavs' 11-5 win over the Weyburn Beavers at Athletic Park.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
It’s been a special summer so far for the Vulcano family.
Infielder Johnny Vulcano has returned for his third summer with the Medicine Hat Mavericks, joined by second-oldest brother Aaron and third-oldest Adam, both getting to experience their first full summers in the Western Canadian Baseball League.
The three have shared a team before, when Johnny and Aaron were in high school, all three played Single A American Legion baseball, with Adam making the Vauxhall Spurs team at age 14, winning a state championship that season. Getting the chance to share the diamond again, all as college athletes, has been quite the treat, Johnny says.
“It feels really cool, definitely for our parents to only live an hour away and being able to come to games, this is something that is really special for them,” Johnny said. “It’s something that I never really thought would happen, especially with our age gap, but it’s something I’m really happy to be part of.”
Johnny and Aaron play at Doane University in Nebraska, while Aaron plays for Colby Community College in Kansas. Aaron says he was able to watch some games over the last couple of seasons, seeing Johnny play in Medicine Hat, and he knew he wanted to get into the mix.
“I know a lot of guys in this league, so I’ve kind of heard things here and there,” Aaron said. “But coming into Med Hat, it’s been awesome. It’s been fun to play here and it’s a great atmosphere.”
It’s not an entirely new experience for Adam who has been around and on the Mavs the last two seasons. In the summer of 2023 he joined for the last few weeks of the regular season, bringing energy as they pushed for the playoffs. But he was ineligible to play in the Mavs’ run to the WCBL finals due to joining the roster too late. He joined the roster in plenty of time last season, a mid-campaign pickup who continued to bring energy and gain more playing time.
Being back for a third season, this time right from the start, brings a unique experience but one he says has been made easier by the group around him.
“We’ve gelled very well for two weeks and it’s been very cool because if you watch our games, we have a lot of ups and downs, and it’s always like hitters are picking up the pitcher if the pitcher has a good inning, and then vice versa, if we have a big inning at the plate, then it’s the same thing,” Adam said. “But even in the locker room, hanging out with whoever, this is a very, very close team already.”
He still hasn’t gotten used to seeing Vulcano written three times on the lineup cards.
“The first time reading the lineup and seeing the three Vulcanos I thought, ‘This is actually happening, it’s crazy,'” Adam said. “It’s definitely a very unique experience and I’m happy that I’m one of the brothers.”
Johnny, despite some early injuries this season, has been the Mavs’ starting shortstop for a second straight season. Aaron has moved between right field and first base, and Adam has moved from outfield to third. All three happy to just be in the lineup, playing baseball. For the younger two, both share a sense of pride in being able to play multiple positions.
“I just love that I am able to play all these positions at this high of a level,” Adam said. “I put the time in to understand all different positions, but as soon as it’s game time it’s all instinct and fun. It’s just fun that I get to do it from multiple different spots on the field.”
For Johnny, he is one of two third-year Mavericks on the roster, carrying the veteran load alongside fellow infielder Tyler Vanneste. Vuclano has looked at himself as a leader dating back to last year in Medicine Hat, finding it easier to set the tone and culture this season.
“Just making sure that all our guys are on the same page is something that’s really important to team success, really setting the standard for what the culture should be,” Johnny said. “That’s definitely something that me and Tyler Vanneste and other returning guys have brought upon ourselves, and so far it’s been going pretty good. This team has gelled really quick, and I feel like a lot of that has to do with the returning guys and the culture that we’ve set so far.”
All three have won a championship together before and when asked about the chance to do it again, the idea of bringing a WCBL title to Medicine Hat for the first time since 2018, with three Vulcanos on the roster, there was excitement but determination in their response.
“Winning a championship with them would be awesome,” Johnny said. “And even just winning a championship with all the guys that we got on this team and the coaches, especially our owner, Greg Morrison. He’s put so much time and effort into this team behind the scenes that not really a lot of people see.
“So to win a championship for a guy like that and this city, would just mean the world to me, forever.”
