Mavs pickup winning record, look to keep it that way

By JAMES TUBB on July 1, 2023.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

The Medicine Hat Mavericks enjoyed a much needed day off Friday.

The Mavs finished up their stretch of 10 games in nine days with a 3-2 win at Weyburn against the Beavers on Thursday. That win gave them a record of 6-4 on that busy stretch, and more importantly, put them at 15-14 on the year for their first winning record of the season.

Head coach Kevin Mitchell took full advantage of the off day and says there was a lot of relief on the faces of players as they packed the bus Thursday night knowing they earned the ability to sleep in the next day.

“The guys were visibly and physically beat down, this was a much needed day off, no baseball activity for most of them,” Mitchell said. “The best part of it was finishing it the way we did, especially the last three days of that road trip, going 3-1 on the road trip, getting us over .500 for the year and really being able to go into the off day feeling good about where we’re at. The vibes are good, the energy’s good and I think getting into Saturday, this was an ideal end to our trip.”

Thursday’s game gave the Mavs the eighth opportunity of the season to go above the .500 level for the first time and get a winning record. Heading into that game Mitchell said they viewed it as a hurdle they had to eventually cross. Coming off the win, he says they talked about it post game and are ready to make a winning record the norm going forward.

“We not so jokingly talked about setting a new goal of not going back, understanding how good we are and how good we can be when we compete in all phases of the game and guys are engaged,” Mitchell said. “I let them know, that seeing them able to do that and grind it out last night, at the end of such a long stretch, tells me that they can do it anytime they want, it’s in there.

“I’m glad Thursday night went the way it did because it made it mean a little more. That moment had come so many times, it felt like it just wasn’t going to happen. We got to .500, lost a game, back to .500 and would lose a game. So it was an emotional relief being able to get it done.”

Thursday’s game also puts the Mavs past the halfway point of the season as they sit in second place of the WCBL’s East division, 2.5 games back of the Moose Jaw Miller Express entering play Friday. Mitchell says the Mavs have done a good job in quickly finding chemistry as a group and continue to lean on each other throughout games.

“We’ve talked a lot about the three pillars of baseball -offence, defence and pitching – and if you win two out of the three, you’ve got a great chance to win a ballgame,” Mitchell said. “Sometimes you don’t swing it very well and the pitchers pick you up, which happened Thursday. Sometimes you’re hitting the ball really well and the defence isn’t great. So as long as we can win two out of three pillars each night, we give ourselves a pretty good chance and that comes back to team chemistry and trusting your teammates. Understanding if it’s not your night, someone else is going to be there to help you out and get the job done.”

The Mavs’ pitching has gotten it done in spades as of late, holding opponents to four or fewer runs in all but one of the last six games. They’ve also addressed the free bases that plagued the club early in the season, no longer holding the league lead in most walks allowed. Mitchell says it’s been a turnaround he saw coming and comes from a mindset of making hitters earn their way on base.

“It should be a point of healthy pressure, a point of pride to continue that run and support the guy that was before you and put the guy after you in a good place to succeed as well,” Mitchell said. “Good pitching is contagious, when you get a string of them in a row, a string of good outings in a row and then bullpen guys coming in and shutting the door, it’s contagious and everybody wants to be part of that.”

The Mavericks’ next action is Saturday at Athletic Park when they host the Regina Red Sox for Canada Day action. Mitchell expects the park to be rocking with excitement and says it should give them a boost with the expected big crowd on hand.

He hopes the success and the feeling of winning they had wrapping up the busy stretch only continues to roll on and they don’t want to let that feeling go.

“That feeling we have postgame and even in the hotel on this road trip, guys are smiling, high-flving each other, everyone’s having a good time because winning is fun,” Mitchell said. “They understand that and know it can become a habit. I feel this is becoming a habit. Going into this next five game stretch, what I’ve asked of them is just keep the good times coming. Enjoy it, play hard and results will be what they’ll be, but the results are usually pretty favourable when you’re playing hard and you’re having fun.”

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