Medicine Hat Mavericks catcher Andrew Savage waits for a Weyburn Beavers batter to step into the batters box in the Mavericks 13-10 win in Weyburn on July 3. - NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Andrew Savage is a long way from home.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks catcher is from Woodstock, Ont., and joins the WCBL club after playing his freshman year at Ventura College in California. After finishing up his spring season he returned home to work out and throw before he got call from his coach who was in contact with Mavericks owner and GM Greg Morrison.
Savage said before he knew it, he was in Medicine Hat and experiencing Alberta for the first time.
“You can see a lot farther in Alberta, there’s a lot more hills in Ontario,” Savage said. “I know going down to Saskatchewan, that was a pretty big difference, there’s a lot of flat land out there, so that was interesting.”
Savage said he was a bit homesick when he first left for college last fall but is slowly started to enjoy living on his own and that’s continued to his time in Medicine Hat.
“You talk to your parents every day, talk to your grandparents every day and you get used to it,” Savage said.
One thing he learned this season and looks to improve on with the Mavericks and afterwards is slowing the mental game down and getting a better connection from behind the plate with the pitcher and the infielders.
“If my shortstop makes a mistake, being able to just settle him down, working with the pitcher, if he makes a mistake, knowing the cues, if they need a breaking ball let him know up front,” Savage said. “What I worked on this year that was being a leader as well. I think that’s actually helped me settle in the game as well, just to have that connection with teammates and trying to help them along with the game too, that’s big for me.”
It is that game within the game between hitter and pitcher that Savage said he likes to be a part of while calling the game behind the dish.
“I love it, that cat-and-mouse game, it’s a lot of fun,” Savage said. “I think back to an at-bat (with the Mavs), I don’t remember who it was but I knew he was looking for that curveball and we ran a fastball right by him. It’s a lot of fun, I like that thinking game.”
Savage and the Mavericks were in action Thursday at Athletic Park against the Swift Current 57’s after losing 6-4 Wednesday night in Regina against the Red Sox. Thursday’s game was not complete by time of press, visit medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full game story.
When he’s not donning the Mavericks red at Athletic Park Savage says he spends a lot of time at his billet home either on the phone with his parents, grandparents, his girlfriend or watching the Toronto Blue Jays. He is also a St. Louis Cardinals fan because of their catcher, Yadier Molina.
“I like to watch how calm he is, it’s another big thing, you can just see him how good he is with the pitchers as well and obviously his arm is unreal,” Savage said.
When asked what he likes about baseball, the 18-year-old smiled and said, “it’s just a beautiful game.”
“I’ve played it my whole life and I just love the game, I always think about it. I Just want to play it forever.”
