(Photo by Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com) 

Truman Bartman | themavericks.ca

The Medicine Hat Mavericks return to Athletic Park after 4 consecutive road games, where they posted a 2-2 record. Entering against the Mavs are the Fort McMurray Giants, who continue their road trip south, coming off two losses in Sylvan Lake. 

Beyond the last two games, the Giants enter Alberta’s sunniest city on a 6-game losing skid. Outside of the playoff picture early in 2026, the Giants are in danger of missing out on the postseason for the 3rd consecutive season.

Throughout the Giants’ WCBL existence, they have repeatedly rolled out a deep starting rotation. Pitchers like a two-time All-Star, Matt Whitney, and All-Star reliever Rob Schmidt helped anchor the Giants in past seasons. Since their departures, it has been the emergence of starters Ashe Ammerlaan and KJ Jones that has kept Fort Mac’s group relevant.

2025 was a flawless rookie season for Ammerlaan, who led all Western Division pitchers in strikeouts with 70. On top of that, he was named a first-time All-Star and even started in the mid-summer classic for Team West. Despite his early success, it’s been a shakier beginning to 2026 for Ammerlaan. The righty has given out 21 free passes over his 3 starts, the most by any Fort Mac arm.

KJ Jones has also seen his fair share of peaks and valleys during his days in Fort McMurray. His start to 2026 signals a bit of the same, boasting a positive strikeout-to-walk ratio while holding an ERA 4 points higher than his 2025 average.

Slow starts have been the story of Fort Mac’s 2026, but they don’t always define a team’s destiny. The Medicine Hat Mavericks’ Takeo Cervantez knows that better than anyone. 

In his first relief outing against the Regina Red Sox, Cervantez surrendered a grand slam to second baseman Justin Simard. However, over his last 3 relief appearances, the right-hander has been all-world, pitching 4 scoreless innings in big spots. During Medicine Hat’s Tuesday game in Weyburn, Cervantez got out of a bases-loaded jam, thus leading to a Mavs road win.

Trustworthy relievers are hard to come by in WCBL, and Cervantez seems to be shaping into one as the Reno, Nevada, product adjusts to life in a new league and country.

More than an arm’s reach away, but less than a country mile, the northern-hailing Fort McMurray Giants arrive in Medicine Hat for a pair of contests at Athletic Park, with the first getting underway this evening at 6:45 pm.