Mavs finish West division road trip with 4-2 record

By JAMES TUBB on July 8, 2025.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

The Medicine Hat Mavericks return for some home-cooked meals after doing some cooking of their own on the road.

The Mavs return from their six-game road trip through the Northern teams in the West division with a 4-2 record, splitting their two-game sets with the Sylvan Lake Gulls and Energy City Cactus Rats. They won both games against the Fort McMurray Giants.

They beat Fort McMurray 7-5 on Friday before topping the Energy City Cactus Rats 11-10 on Saturday. They lost the final game of the trip, falling 7-1 to Energy City on Sunday.

Head coach Jonathon Thornhill says it was a good road trip record wise, also giving them an opportunity to grow as a team mid-season.

“Just getting to use some of our newer guys and get them experience, give them a feel for the WCBL and it was good to get them out there,” Thornhill said. “Also a couple of guys getting some rest on the flip side as well. So a positive aspect in a lot of fronts. Everybody wants to win every day, but it’s a game of baseball, it’s going to happen. So 4-2 is better than 2-4, and guys are happy to be home.”

The Mavs got their first look at pitchers Ryan Harney and Andrew Kim on the road trip. Harney, threw three innings in the Mavs’ 9-1 loss at Sylvan Lake on July 2, recording the save in an 11-10 win over Energy City on July 5. Kim earned the win in a 7-5 win at Fort McMurray on July 4 with 1.2 innings pitched, working a frame in the 7-1 loss to the Cactus Rats on Sunday.

The Mavs’ coaching staff is familiar with both, Harney pitching at Mid America Christian University where assistant coach Ryan Reed is from, and Kim pitching for Valley City State University where Thornhill worked last season. Getting to see both on WCBL mounds gave them the chance for an early look at what they can bring the Mavs’ staff.

“Harney is as advertised, 83-85 from a weird delivery angle arm slot there, and just induces ground balls, fills up the zone a lot, for him to come in and he got his first appearance against Sylvan and looked good,” Thornhill said. “Then he came in for a save against Energy City and did exactly what we needed him to do; it was huge. So, looking forward to see how many more times he goes out there and does that for us.

“Andrew Kim, he’s with us in the Valley the last two years, and him getting his first two outings was great to see as well in Fort Mac and then again in Energy City yesterday. We look forward to those guys and what they can do and progress as we go forward on top of the staff that’s already been here, doing great stuff.”

A highlight of the trip came in Saturday’s game where local product Evan Morrison knocked in seven RBIs with a pair of home runs, the second a grand slam in the eighth that propelled the Mavs over the Cactus Rats in the 11-10 slug fest. He had a three-run blast the night before in Fort McMurray, a pair of efforts Thornhill says come at the right time of the first baseman.

“It was great to see what he knows he’s capable of, and him to get back to that was fun for him, as well as us to watch,” Thornhill said. “Even the home run he hit at Fort Mac before that, he’s been swinging well, seeing the ball a little bit better and doing a great job mentally of staying in that same head space, not letting things out of his control, beat him up too much. So it’s been fun to watch him do that.”

Morrison is tied for the WBCL lead in home runs at eight with Saskatoon Berries slugger Ethan Menard.

The Mavs are back at Athletic Park tonight for the first of five straight home games. Tonight is the Medicine Hat News Christmas in July game with the Mavs taking on the Weyburn Beavers. Thornhill says Thanksgiving will always hold the No. 1 spot in his heart for holidays but he looks forward to experiencing Christmas in July from the other side of the diamond.

“When we were at Fort Mac for game two, they had their Christmas in July, so that was new for me,” Thornhill said. “I’m excited to see what our staff and everybody does here, they were working on stuff today and it’s cool seeing all the little things that they do with the advertisement, the props for what takes place in it. It’s exciting, I love Christmas.”

They’ll face the Beavers again on Wednesday before the Moose Jaw Miller Express return for a makeup game of the rainout on June 21. After the week on the road and the change that brings, Thornhill says they’re looking forward to getting back to routine and in front of the fans at Athletic Park.

“It’s good to get on the road and have that camaraderie, guys getting those right memories and seeing each other all the time, every day, every night, roomies,” Thornhill said. “At the same time, it’s a huge advantage being at home. These guys have the routine, they come in, they go to the gym, they come in after that and then get some pre-work done, whether it’s recovery, stretching or on field flips. Then we get going with stretching, and so they can get in that routine for a full week here and then our next two games are Moose Jaw on the road next week. So a lot of home games here at AP.”

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