BY TRUMAN BARTMAN ON MAY 8, 2024. THE MAVERICKS.COM
After falling just short of a WCBL title last season, the expectations for this year’s Medicine Hat Mavericks squad are sky high.
Building on past success
The Mavericks high flying offense landed them a 30-26 record in 2023 as well as an East Division title to top it all off! It was a journey to remember, but winning a WCBL championship is now the main focus going forward.
Head Coach Kevin Mitchell is in command once again this season and is hyper focused on “getting over the hump.”
“I mean, we were right there last year” said Mitchell, “we had an awesome group of guys, and my thought was if we can get a little stronger in certain spots, and make sure we have the right character on this team, there is no reason we cannot finish the job and win it all.”
Taking the next step
Although there is still a lot of things up in the air as far as how the team will perform on the field, Coach Mitchell ensures that “we have a standard that we’re going to uphold and that’s having a responsibility to the fans, to the game of baseball, to each other for them to come out and give it their best each and every day”.
Things do look promising for the Mavs as Mitchell feels that on paper the team has a lot of “Raw Talent”, but at the end of the day just having pure skill is not enough. The Mavericks will have to “play the right way” and “pull for each other” in order to reach their championship aspirations, says Mitchell.
Familiar Faces
There are a couple of players from last year’s team returning to the diamond for the Mavs this summer. Which includes the dynamic duo of Brody Gardner, the Greensboro College product, who batted .352 last season and Brady Bean, who led the team in Home Runs last season with 6.
Mitchell was ecstatic to have both back. “The two of them, I think, are going to be great examples of how we’re trying to play baseball through how hard they play as well as the passion that they have and shown for both the game and for Medicine Hat”
A New Wave
In the pitching department, the team made a wholesale change bringing in a brand-new pitching staff top to bottom. Coach Mitchell highlighted 6-foot-7 lefty Josh Landry as one of the many key additions.
“I think he was kind of a sleeper coming into this spring at his school. He started in the bullpen, and he quickly became their ace. He controls the game, and he has been, downright dominant through his college season. I think he is somebody that is going to be a lot of fun to watch.”
Let’s Ride!
With opening day just a couple of weeks away, a sense of hope and excitement is beginning to build around Medicine Hat. This team has a chance to be special this summer and just like a Maverick, this team will look to stand out from the pack and blaze its own trail on route to a successful 2024 campaign!
The Mavericks will kick things off on the road against the Moose Jaw Miller Express on Saturday May 25th and will have their first home stand starting on Wednesday May 29th vs the Saskatoon Berries!