Mavericks get unique experience during Saskatoon road trip

By JAMES TUBB on June 19, 2024.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

The Medicine Hat Mavericks got to add the stamp of Warman, Sask. to their passports.

The Mavs visited Saskatchewan’s ninth-largest city, the hometown of infielder Tyler Vanneste, last week while on the road against the Saskatoon Berries.

Ahead of the 6-4 win over the Berries on June 13, the Mavs took a 15-minute drive to Vanneste’s childhood home, taking part in some yard games and a meal before the contest. It was an opportunity for Vanneste to share his childhood with his teammates and new friends.

“All the boys came out, we had some good food, had a good time, just hung out before the game, it was good,” Vanneste said. “They got to see where I grew up so it was a good experience for sure.”

Vanneste’s parents, Joey and Patty, put out a spread of pulled pork, fruits and veggies, and as described by Vanneste, the right kind of iced tea.

“Some Nestea, the Canadian iced tea,” Vanneste joked.

The road trip was the Mavs’ first time back in Saskatoon, with the last time they visited the berry city being June 8, 2014, an 8-6 win against the former Yellow Jackets franchise.

The Mavs’ two games at Saskatoon were a mini-home coming for Vanneste, who estimates around 30 friends and family getting the opportunity to see him play in the city for the first time since grade school.

“It was awesome having all my family and friends there, I hadn’t played on that field since high school, which was a long time ago,” Vanneste said. “It was cool to just to have them all there and be back home.”

Vanneste was happy to see the WCBL return to Saskatoon following the 10-year hiatus after the Yellow Jackets folded. He says the Berries are good for baseball in Saskatoon and a positive for the city itself.

“They have a lot of people and baseball’s been growing and growing there,” Vanneste said. “So having baseball is good and they’ve gotten a lot of support this year, so that’s good to see.”

The Western Canadian Baseball League touts the opportunity the American players joining the league have to see Western Canada while also playing a high level of baseball. Getting the chance to do so and see where a teammate grew up, becoming the player and person they are today, was an experience returning Mavs hitter Brady Bean enjoyed.

“It’s always a pleasure to be in a Canadian household with great hospitality, too, but it’s always good to see where your teammates come from and their story, too,” Bean said.

The trip to Warman and Saskatoon was an enjoyable opportunity for catcher Nick Thibodeau, who comes from Burlington, Ont., to see both small town and city life in Saskatchewan.

“It was very interesting for me coming from a city, so felt like a little bit like home being back in a different city in Saskatoon,” Thibodeau said. “Going to Tyler’s home and his family welcoming us, it was really amazing.”

Vanneste is one of four returning Mavericks players from last season, alongside Bean, Johnny Vulcano and Brody Gardner. Assistant coach Tory Nelson and head coach Kevin Mitchell were also part of the 2023 team and got to know Vanneste throughout the summer.

Mitchell described the experience of visiting Vanneste’s childhood home as a peak behind the curtain he wouldn’t have had without the trip.

He says the ability to meet new players every season but also learn who they are as people is a part of why he enjoys coaching in the WCBL as much as he does.

“For a lot of the guys that we have, we’re not playing in Texas or North Carolina or California, so you don’t get that but to have some Canadian guys that are in places where we go, is a really unique opportunity,” Mitchell said. “It gives me a good background of what it was like for these guys growing up and it helps me build a deeper relationship with them.

“It helps our team as a whole for these guys to kind of humanize one another and not that they would treat them any differently otherwise, but when you get that peek behind the curtain about what a guy is all about where it comes from, you understand them differently. With the whole group, there was a very homey feel. A backyard barbecue type thing and we all have great memories of that in our own lives, wherever it’s been, and to get to do it as a group, was a really special experience.”

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