BY TRUMAN BARTMAN. THEMAVERICKS.CA

Fresh off their first road swing of the year, the Mavericks return home for the first edition of the Trans Canada Tilt as they take on the Brooks Bombers. Both teams sit near the top of their respective divisions, each suffering only 2 losses. Medicine Hat will look to rebound after dropping a game last night in Moose Jaw, while the Bombers look to extend their West Division lead.

After a quintessential start where the Mavericks went 5-0, they ran into some trouble during their first road trip. Regina snapped their win streak, gutting out a tight one on Tuesday, and Moose Jaw walked them off days later thanks to a Jackson Yeager single. 

Despite the turmoil, the Mavs are still tied for 1st place in the East Division with the Saskatoon Berries and have many positives to build off of.

Carter Roth currently leads the WCBL with a .567 batting average, which is 0.67 points higher than Zane Skansi, who sits second. He’s also 4th in on-base percentage, making him a consistent option for hitters to drive in. 

One Mavs hitter that has taken advantage of Roth’s stellar play is outfielder Micah Dvorak. He leads the WCBL in RBIs with 12 and has remained as one of the league’s best contact hitters. They’ve only played 8 games together, but the Mavs’ new 1-2 punch has the attention of coaches league-wide.

The Bombers have a new duo of their own, consisting of senior outfielder Payton Matthews and Cerritos College infielder Wyatt Ormonde. The two have started in each of the Bombers’ 5 games, and both have batting averages in the .400s. 

Matthews is a player whom the Mavericks are familiar with, as assistant Ryan Reed coached him at Mid-America Christian University. Keeping the Bombers’ big bats at bay will be a hefty task for the Mavs staff.

If there’s one thing that does work in the Mavericks’ favour, it’s that they have a 4-0 home record and they have yet to score under 10 runs at Athletic Park. The home crowd has played a vital role in instilling confidence within this group, and with warm temperatures expected for Friday night, it should be another beautiful night for baseball. 

The party kicks off at 7:05 pm with Xander Roberts set to pitch for the Medicine Hat for the second start of the season.