Mavs surpass 2024 win total heading into final weekend of regular season

By JAMES TUBB on August 2, 2025.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

The Medicine Hat Mavericks have an easy goal for the final weekend, just make it through.

The Mavs have four road games left to finish the 2025 regular season, starting Friday at Weyburn against the Beavers. They face the Beavers again on Saturday before a two-game set of 1 p.m. starts in Saskatoon against the WCBL-leading Berries on Sunday and Monday.

They head into the final weekend with 34 wins after a 7-1 win Thursday at Swift Current over the 57s, surpassing their 2024 win total. Head coach Jonathon Thornhill says the early camaraderie from training camp set a foundation to reach this level of success they hope to build off.

“As the year progresses when you’re winning, and even on losses, it’s getting together even more and trying to fix things,” Thornhill said. “Kudos to the guys, kudos to Mo (owner Greg Morrison) and everyone behind the scenes as well, getting everything ready, bringing in these guys, recruiting, it’s been an overall team effort to accomplish this and we look forward to the final four before the big fun starts.”

The 34 wins sit tied for the third most the Mavericks have recorded in a season since 2010, as far back as the WCBL’s online records show. They won 34 games in 2011, tallied 38 in 2018 and had 39 victories in 2013. Thornhill says they aren’t concerned with trying to reach the 38-win mark with the four games remaining, he just wants his team to enjoy the final weekend before playoffs start on Aug. 6.

“Thursday night was a great example of for the first time in a while, it felt like there wasn’t a lot of pressure,” Thornhill said. “Everybody just kind of went out and played in the aspect of we’re not trying to clinch something. We’re not trying to make sure we solidify the two-seed, we’re not trying to do this or that, we’re just simply, ‘Let’s go and play some ball and have some fun.'”

He says ensuring everyone is mentally fresh is as important as being physically ready for the postseason.

“It’s a tale of two seasons, the regular season is a grind, it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Thornhill said. “At times it can be an ugly marathon and the guys weathered the storm for sure, especially the beginning part of the year. The first six weeks of the year we were the only team that didn’t have back-to-back off days. So for our guys to do what they did and accomplish what they have up to this point is the kudos to the testament to their character and work ethic.”

The Mavs had three pitchers throw Thursday, with Danny Retzlaff starting and surrendering the lone run in four innings of work. Garrick Levesque worked three frames, striking out three without allowing a runner, and David Heinen finished the game, allowing one hit. They did not surrender a walk.

On the offensive side, Carter Roth hit his fifth home run of the season and finished with two hits and two RBIs.

Thornhill says they will continue to rotate players in and out of the lineup over the final weekend to ensure everyone is fresh and also ready to go for Game 1 Wednesday at Athletic Park.

“Guys know they’re not supposed to treat it as just show up and get your swings,” Thornhill said. “Get out now, you have to cherish your swings, cherish your innings of work, cherish your defensive work. We still have a game to play because we want to go into playoffs playing the right kind of baseball as well as having the confidence side as well. So wins help with that, but at the same time , if you’re playing good baseball, things will fall your way as well.”

The Mavs will finish the season with just 55 games played. The rained-out game at Athletic Park against the Saskatoon Berries that was moved to Saskatoon has been outright cancelled.

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