Medicine Hat Mavericks third baseman Tyler Vanneste celebrates his three-run home run in the second inning of the Mavs' 25-6 win July 11 at Athletic Park over the Edmonton Prospects. Vanneste was one of the players owner and general manager Greg Morrison said took the biggest steps forward during the 2024 season.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Playing into August in the WBCL is something Medicine Hat Mavericks owner and general manger Greg Morrison says is earned by every team. Looking back on his 2024 roster, he thought they had the team to earn those extra innings.
Despite unfulfilled aspirations, the Mavs’ franchise boss didn’t spend long sitting in a fog over the shorter-than-he-planned-for summer. Morrison, an experienced pro in baseball’s ups and downs, thanked his players and staff and then returned to his family for some coffee on the patio and a few days on the beach before getting back into action working toward 2025.
Tasked with looking at where the Mavs fell short, Morrison says they had some bullpen questions that never got answered.
“We had some some young guys, some freshmen, some guys that competed amazingly but I think we’re going to get back to more of an older bullpen,” Morrison said.
He liked the hustle of the team this summer and their desire for success throughout. Those are attitudes he saw in players like Tyler Vanneste, Marshall Burke and Jordan Phillips in the field and at the plate, and Jack Novak and Braedon Davis on the mound, players he was happy to see further develop over the season.
“Vanneste looked like he matured as a player five seasons in one season, and that’s just, that’s hard work,” Morrison said. “You can tell he got to a place psychologically, even more than physically, but he was the kind of guy who was a vacuum at third base. He had quality at bats almost every time, he was great.
“It’s always great to see these kids grow right. That’s a big thing for me. It’s nice to recruit and bring in top dogs, but to see guys grow, that’s a special thing for me.”
He hopes to return 75 per cent of the 2024 roster, a figure he says would be a league record. Morrison says he’s heard from players who already want to return, and he’s more than open to it.
“There’s not a lot of guys we had who I would say, we have to get better at that position than them,” Morrison said. “I think adding that depth in the bullpen is really just a big thing and you would hear that conversation with probably 12 coaches or GMs that aren’t in the playoffs.”
On the education-based grade scale, with a championship being an A+, Morrison still grades the season at an A.
“Don’t take that as complacency by any means, it’s just continuing on head down,” Morrison said. “The social media marketing, that’s been two years now, it’s just been amazing, it’s really trying to keep that stuff going right, which is good. Sometimes that’s OK. You don’t have to have any miraculous decisions. It’s the hard work, just like the gym.
“It’s the consistency that pays off, not a magic exercise. That’s how I see it with this organization, there’s going to be no one big magic thing that’s going to take us to 2,000 fans, or win a championship.”
His offseason efforts will start at the helm of his team, with the Mavs announcing last weekend head coach Kevin Mitchell and assistants Cody Henderson and Tory Nelson will not be returning. Mitchell and Henderson have started new year-round jobs and Nelson is entering his first year of school that also runs all 12 months.
Morrison tipped his cap to all three and credited them for the team’s success. He was impressed by the growth in Mitchell’s recruiting ability and how he handled players on a day-to-day basis.
“Players want to be communicated with and Kevin is a very good communicator and communicated with me as well with lineups and that sort of thing,” Mitchell said. “I don’t really have huge constructive criticism for him. It’s just putting together that list of pitching, and as a younger coach, he actually impressed me last year with a lot of what he could do with only being in it for one year.
“With Tory, it was an injury that took him off the field and put him into a coaching role with players he’s played with before. That’s not easy to do, to step in a coaching role.
“But his work ethic on the field, his work ethic off it, there’s little things that coaches have to look after. He’s the kind of guy who will always have a home here.
“Cody worked hard with guys off and on the field, the field conditions were the best they’ve ever been. There’s lots more than what the players did, we had my brother and others, but just the work ethic Cody has, and that’s what shows the players. The hustling out there from the coaches and knowing they’re out there. That’s what we want to really represent, is that work ethic in this team.”
Morrison hopes to have a coach in place in the next couple months to help in the recruiting process, as they have in the past.
Off the field, the Mavs were affected at the turnstiles by the combination of a lengthy Edmonton Oilers playoff run and a wet, cool spring into early summer. The Mavs had 35, 952 fans file into Athletic Park in their 28 home games, for an average of 1,284. The regular season totals still rose from 2023, where the Mavs averaged 1,266. The Okotoks Dawgs led the WCBL in attendance, with 133,664 fans attending 28 home games, an average of 4,774.
Another 2,501 attended the Mavs’ two playoff games against the Saskatoon Berries. Morrison says the playoff games cover up any potential lost revenue from the rainy nights early in the season. He’s always looking for them to continue growing the off-field experience and says community businesses have played a large role in the ability to do so.
“Winning breeds fans, it’s not a coincidence that Okotoks, Sylvan Lake, those guys have been winners for years and we just have to get to that level,” Morrison said. “They’re winning 70 per cent of their regular season games, and I think Medicine Hat wants and deserves that winning record in the regular season.”
He says they’re looking to include more shade for fans as summer weather continues to get hotter, and is interested in more giveaways with businesses. Morrison says they’re also planning on bringing back the mid-season all-star camps they introduced this season, with WCBL coaches and players passing on skills and tips to the all-star level local players.
There are a lot of moments across a season that standout to Morrison as eight months of work lead up to a four-month season. Having a group of the 2014 championship return to Medicine Hat and relive the memories of that summer, his first title as owner, was a special weekend Morrison says he will never forget.
“It’s the biggest reason for doing this stuff, it’s having a purpose in life. I’m just really lucky,” Morrison said. “I’m a baseball guy who got to come home and run the summer college team, it’s pretty amazing. It’s pretty amazing. I’m just going to keep doing it and hopefully I can do it for another 20 years.”
Editors note: An earlier version of the story had incorrect attendance numbers due to an error on the WCBL website.
