(Photo by Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com)
Truman Bartman | themavericks.ca
This evening, the Medicine Hat Mavericks will wrap up their 2026 home campaign with one last game at Athletic Park against the Swift Current 57s. For a season that hasn’t gone exactly to plan for the Mavericks, they still find themselves in a playoff spot with less than a week left of play. Swift Current isn’t far off the Mavs’ pace, with only 2.5 games separating the two East Division counterparts.
Whether or not the 57s make it to the dance, their summer has already been a massive success. In 2025, Swift’s season was a write-off with a week left in the year, a stark difference to where they sit heading into tonight. Powered by the long ball, Swift Current has fielded one of the league’s scariest home run-hitting duos in their team’s history.
Jake Hiromoto and Keagan Knowler have each set the league on fire, starring as two of the most feared home run hitters.
Hiromoto’s first year in the WCBL has been a historic one, with the 2nd baseman taking over the league’s home run record with 21 home runs. It doesn’t appear that Hiromoto is going to stop at just breaking a singular record, as the 57s slugger is right in the thick of the MVP conversation as he looks to become the first Swift Current player to win the award since Alec Humphreys in 2016.
Knowler has become known for more than just smacking home runs as he’s turned himself into a legitimate two-way option. With a few starts on the mound already under his belt, Knowler has emerged as a dependable asset in his rookie year. Now the 2026 All-Star looks to lead the 57s back to the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
Johnny Vulcano was only beginning his Mavericks tenure the last time the 57s made the postseason. Fast forward four seasons, and Vulcano recently claimed Medicine Hat’s all-time games-played record during the team’s road trip through Saskatchewan. Playing his best WCBL baseball to date, Vulcano’s late-season surge has the Mavs trending in the right direction, despite their recent skid. No one wants it more than Johnny Vulcano, and a chance for the veteran shortstop to end his WCBL career with a championship would be the perfect ending to his time with the Mavs.
Athletic Park will be filled to its brim as the Medicine Hat Mavericks meet the Swift Current 57s for one final home game before the postseason. The stakes are high for both the Mavs and 57s, who are desperate for wins as the Eastern Division playoff race reaches its boiling point. A Mavs win tonight would strengthen their command over the final playoff spot, while Swift looks to come within a game and a half of acquiring the fourth seed themselves.