(Photo by Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com) 

Truman Bartman | themavericks.ca

A bird-on-bird battle will make its way to Athletic Park tonight as the Sylvan Lake Gulls take flight against the Medicine Hat Mavericks, who will be wearing their Baby Spreys jerseys for the second time this summer.

2024 was the last time that the Sylvan Lake Gulls crossed through Medicine Hat, and they have experienced plenty of changes since then. Aside from several of their key players leaving, the biggest move for the Gulls was in the coaching department. With former coach of the year and inaugural head coach Jason Chatwood stepping into a new role, Matt Hape took his spot as the Gulls’ lead in 2026. 

Hape is a familiar foe within Sylvan’s organization, serving as their pitching coach for four seasons. Although the Gulls had a slow start to Hape’s head coaching tenure, their last ten games have included eight wins, bringing their record to 13-8 on the season.

Helping steer the Gulls offensively is 2025 All-Star Maddox Shaver. After a season in which Shaver broke out with the Brooks Bombers, the infielder decided a change of scenery was necessary, choosing to join Sylvan Lake for 2026. 

Carrying the best qualified batting average on the Gulls, Shaver has risen to superstardom amongst his WCBL counterparts, making an early MVP case not even a full month into his Gulls career. 

Finding proven WCBL talent has become a big part of Sylvans throughout their existence. Michael Quick is another valuable asset that the Gulls brought in last year after an impressive WCBL rookie season with the Medicine Hat Mavericks.

Making his first appearance back in the community where his summer collegiate baseball career began, it’s fair to assume that Quick will be targeting a big performance in his return.

Similar to the Gulls, Medicine Hat has been another hotbed for attracting former WCBL talent. That includes their projected starter for tonight’s game in Julian Pokorny, who was teammates with Maddox Shaver in Brooks last year. Pokorny had a fiery first few outings as a part of the Mavericks, but struggled in his last home game, being pulled early. 

Pokorny has shown that his pitch mix is no joke over his three-year WCBL journey. The tall right-hander will look to put his most recent start behind him with a vintage showing this evening.

It’s a birdbath at Athletic Park, as the Sylvan Lake Gulls and the Gas City Baby Sprays soar into action at 6:45 pm for the first time this summer.