NEWS FILE PHOTO
Medicine Hat Mavericks infielder Tyler Vanneste celebrates a home run in the Mavs' 25-6 win at Athletic Park over the Edmonton Prospects on July 11.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Tyler Vanneste is looking to squash the dreams of his hometown team.
The Medicine Hat Mavericks infielder is getting set for the Mavs’ first-round matchup against the Saskatoon Berries that gets underway Wednesday with Game 1 at Athletic Park.
The series will turn to Saskatoon on Thursday for Game 2 and Vanneste, who grew up 14 minutes away in Warman, Sask., will get to play a playoff game close to home. The WCBL playoffs are nothing new for Vanneste who is one of four returning players from the 2023 Mavs that lost in Game 3 of the WCBL finals to the Okotoks Dawgs.
But it’ll be only the fifth game he’s played in Saskatoon at the WCBL level.
“It’ll be fun,” Vanneste said about Game 2 at Saskatoon. “Obviously I want to beat them with that connection, so hopefully we go out there and do what we do.”
The Mavs got a final look at Saskatoon ahead of their playoff-opening matchup, with the two teams splitting a series this weekend. Medicine Hat won 11-2 on Saturday and the Berries came out on top 11-3 on Sunday.
It was the first time the Mavs had played Saskatoon since July 4 and 5, where they beat the Berries by a combined score of 20-6. Vanneste says it was a positive to see how they look a month later and he likes the matchup for the Mavs.
“We got to see some new faces from them and some arms that we might see,” Vanneste said. “For pitchers I think it’s good just to see their hitters and learn how to pitch them, and obviously that’s going to help us in the playoffs.
“We’ve played them really good this year. Saskatoon has energy but we have more. It’s going to be a fun, fun series.”
Vanneste has played an important role for the Mavs all season. He’s hit in the top of the order and manned the hot corner of third base defensively when playing. The junior from Cal State San Bernardino has dealt with injuries this season, being limited to 35 games, but has shown up in those appearances. He’s batting .373 with three home runs, 29 RBIs and 53 hits.
He played a big part in the Mavs’ 2023 lineup and found increased success when the lights got brighter come playoff time. He hit .303 in eight playoff games, jacking a home run in a Game 2, 9-1 semifinals clinching win over the Regina Red Sox.
The Mavs finished up their 2024 regular season Monday night on the road, taking on the Swift Current 57’s. That game was not complete by press time, visit medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full game story.
Editors note: An earlier version of the story used an incorrect number for the amount of returning Mavs from the 2023 team.
