NEWS FILE PHOTO
The Medicine Hat Mavericks celebrate their Western Major Baseball League championship. following an 8-2 win over the Regina Red Sox Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018 at Athletic Park in Medicine Hat. The Mavericks start their championship defence Thursday, May 30, 2019 at Athletic Park.
srooney@medicinehatnews.com@MHNRooney
Athletic Park was positively bubbly Monday as the Medicine Hat Mavericks took to the field for the first time, with opening day not far off and more than two full months of baseball after that.
If anything, new head coach Tom Vessella’s only concern was that somebody might hurt themselves trying to impress all of their new teammates. But he wasn’t complaining as balls seemed to leap off the wood bats, and players talked up a storm.
“Guys were so amped to be out here, they were so hyped,” said Vessella, the California native who takes the helm on the heels of a championship campaign, the franchise’s third. “You’ve got pitchers picking up, they’re throwing 90 miles an hour across the diamond… That’s exciting for our coaching staff.”
Plenty of faces were familiar ones, like catcher Colton Wright, first baseman Sal Rodriguez and hometown infielder Nolan Rattai. Wright had indicated after last year’s title run he didn’t think he’d be back – a feeling that lasted about as long as the champagne in the trophy.
“I thought last year would be my last year, even after winning a championship I didn’t think I was going to come back,” said the senior catcher from Surrey, B.C. “But it was a pretty easy decision, a week later.
“I’m just happy to be here. I love it here, it’s a great place to play.”
Wright drove from B.C. with a pair of Northeastern State (Oklahoma) teammates in Collin Klingensmith and John Rains. A natural leader, Wright knows every team is different but realizes there are more key returnees this time around than 2018.
“I’m just trying to keep things calm, everybody’s having a good time,” he said. “You’ve got to be comfortable to play baseball with confidence, if you’re confident you can go out and execute your job, and that’s all I ask of these guys.”
Rains has had a stressful week, as tornadoes in his home state of Oklahoma have caused devastation, wrecking his old high school and nearly hitting his parents’ house – don’t worry, they’re fine. But the right-handed pitcher is glad to be north of the border, eager to see what the summer has in store.
“I definitely want to win a championship,” he said. “I’ve never won one in baseball, I’ve won in other sports. I always want to get better, but just being around a bunch of guys, some of my friends from back home, I want to have a good time. Have fun, play hard and win.”
Fans are invited to meet the team and reacquaint themselves with the park at Fan Fest today at 5 p.m. The home opener is set for Thursday, 7:05 p.m. against Brooks.
