(Photo by Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com)
Truman Bartman | themavericks.ca
For the first time in July, the Medicine Hat Mavericks will play at Athletic Park as the Weyburn Beavers make their first appearance of the season in the Gas City.
During their two previous battles, both the Beavers and Mavericks came away with shutout wins, splitting their first series at Tom Laing Park.
In game one, it was Derek Archer for the Mavericks who pitched 6 clean innings, striking out 11 batters in the process. Logan Lynch would provide an upstanding performance of his own a night later with 7 shutout innings of his own in a winning effort for Weyburn.
Tonight it will be Diego Centella who gets the call to the mound for Medicine Hat. Centella was brilliant for the Mavericks in his last home outing, pitching a complete-game shutout against the Swift Current 57s. The Panama native will look to ride his newfound confidence into a crucial bout with the Weyburn Beavers, who sit one place ahead of the Mavs in the East Division.
There aren’t many scenarios where a team with a negative run differential finds itself in a playoff spot, and that’s the case for the Weyburn Beavers in 2026. With former All-Star Logan Kinter returning to stardom in 2026 and Logan Lynch breaking out in his first season in the WCBL, the Beavers have rolled out a potent pitching attack. Throw in a perfect 4-0 record with Zach Raichel on the mound, and it’s no surprise that Weyburn finds itself in a playoff spot.
To make things even better, both Ryan Dauphinee and Trevor Dale have rejoined the Beavers for the back half of 2026. Dale was one of Weyburn’s best power hitters a season ago, sitting only behind Ian Heck for the team lead in home runs. Dauphinee, on the other hand, has become a Weyburn legend in his 5 years with the organization, collecting over 200 career hits and making three All-Star appearances. There’s no arguing that the additions of Dale and Dauphinee are massive needle movers for the Beavers.
Medicine Hat also welcomes back a big name this evening with Danny Retzlaff returning to the Mavs for his second season. Retzlaff was named the Mavericks team rookie of the year this past year, finding success primarily as a starter. For a team with only two left-handed pitchers in Beck Button and Cody Myers, Retzlaff’s addition satisfies a key need for the Mavs.
Desperate for a win after dropping their last two games, both the Medicine Hat Mavericks and Weyburn Beavers hope that their short losing skids come to a close this evening. Separated by only half a game, the Beavers and Mavs head into today’s game fighting for position in a tightly contested Eastern Division.