Medicine Hat Mavericks 2025 Preview

By IAN WILSON

Seemingly a lock to make playoffs every year, the Medicine Hat Mavericks consistently field competitive teams each summer.

The Mavs squared off against the Okotoks Dawgs in the 2023 Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) championship final – a best-of-three series they ultimately lost in three games – and they bowed out in the opening round of the postseason to the Saskatoon Berries in 2024.

Medicine Hat will seek to find the same winning formula they’ve applied to the regular season year after year and adapt it for success in the playoffs, where the team will push for a return to the WCBL final yet again.

Once a West Division team, the Mavericks will try to climb the East Division rankings, a place they’ve called home with the Saskatchewan-based teams since 2022.

They fit in just fine in the East Division last summer, going 33-23 for a second place finish during the regular season.

The Mavs were fourth in total and average attendance in the WCBL in 2024, drawing an average crowd of 1,220 fans to Athletic Park.

COACHING

Jonathon Thornhill will serve as the head coach of the Mavs under general manager Greg Morrison.

“Medicine Hat stood out for several reasons but as a baseball fanatic, you love hearing that it’s one of the sunniest cities in Canada,” said Thornhill, who is currently the lead assistant coach and primary hitting coach at Valley City State University (VCSU) in the North Star Athletic Association.

“When you can have beautiful weather, a great fan base and talented players from all over, it makes for a great summer. I look forward to working with our coaching staff, the Medicine Hat organization and getting to know the Medicine Hat community.”

Thornhill also works as the lead groundskeeper for Charlie Brown Memorial Baseball Field, which is the home diamond of the VCSU Vikings.

He is taking the reins from Kevin Mitchell, who worked as the East Division club’s skipper the last two summers and was named the 2023 WCBL Coach of the Year.

Thornhill’s assistants are Chad Martin and Ryan Reed, as well as pitching coach Cesar Rodriguez.

Martin is a longtime coach with the club and a local product.

Reed is a graduate assistant coach with Mid-America Christian University (MACU), a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) program.

Rodriguez pitched in 16 WCBL games out of the bullpen with the Mavericks last summer, going 2-1 with a 5.46 earned run average (ERA) and 33 strikeouts in 29.2 innings.

“I decided to come back to Medicine Hat as a coach because, not only do I like the culture that’s been built there, but the community is great and supports the team, and, finally, it feels like my home away from home,” said Rodriguez, who is from Houston, Texas.

“What I’m looking forward to, as I transition from player to coach, is hoping to be able to help players out however I can and, just like last year, I want to win.”

After playing for Kansas Wesleyan University in 2023 and 2024, Rodriguez is now a graduate assistant coach at Ottawa University.

PITCHING

The Mavericks are welcoming back a pair of bullpen pieces this season.

Righthanded reliever Ryan Dexter put in 14.1 innings over nine games last year. The Ottawa native who attends Ventura College had 17 strikeouts in those outings.

Minnesotan Max Hudlow, another righty, had eight strikeouts in six games and nine-plus innings.

Medicine Hat is bringing on board three new righthanded pitchers from the Ottawa University Braves: Diego Centella, Luis Diaz and Fawster Voytko.

Centella is a pitcher from Panama who has six strikeouts in just four innings of work at Ottawa University this season.

Diaz is a reliever from Mexico with a 4.25 ERA and 49 strikeouts in his 29.2 innings this year.

Voytko, who stands 6-foot-4, has worked as both a starter and a reliever for the Braves. In 95-plus innings, the Texan is 10-2 with a save, 90 Ks and a 4.42 earned run average (ERA) over two college seasons.

The Mavs also added a couple of arms from Tabor College in the form of Xander Roberts and Garrick Levesque.

Roberts has taken the mound out of the bullpen and as a starter with the Bluejays. Over two seasons at Tabor College, he’s 3-2 with 33 Ks in 16 appearances and 43.1 innings.

Levesque is a former outfielder who now works as a lefty reliever. In 25 games at Tabor College the last two years, the Littleton, Colorado hurler is 3-1 with two save, a 4.79 ERA and 45 strikeouts through 41.1 innings.

Japanese pitcher Hikaru Mikami is another newby. He toes the rubber for North Central Missouri College.

Jesse Alfaro, a righthanded pitcher from Cal State San Bernardino, will look to turn heads as a new player on the roster.

Other newcomers include Luke Barrientos (Vassar College); Danny Retzlaff (Colorado State University Pueblo); Tyler Spruiell (Western Texas College); A.J. Doll (Hutchinson Community College); and British Columbian Graham Stack (University of the Fraser Valley).

BATTING

Shortstop and third baseman Tyler Vanneste, a product of Warman, Saskatchewan, returns to the Mavericks for a third straight summer. The lefty batter has been excellent for Medicine Hat in his 91 games, registering a .325 batting average, 76 runs, 64 runs batted in (RBI), five homers and 20 doubles. Vanneste led the Mavs in being hit by pitches in 2024. He was plunked 11 times.

The Vulcano brothers from Cloverdale, British Columbia – Johnny, Adam and Aaron – will also be on the roster in 2025.

Johnny Vulcano is a middle infielder who has suited up in 101 games for Medicine Hat over the last two WCBL seasons. He’s recorded 89 hits, 63 runs, 40 RBI and 20 doubles in those games.

Adam Vulcano appeared in seven games for the Mavs last summer and batted .400 with a home run in his 15 at bats. He’s a righthanded batter and a utility player.

Aaron Vulcano is an outfielder at Doane University who is new to Medicine Hat.

Infielder Blake Dale will also be back at Athletic Park after playing in 40 games with the Mavs in 2024. The Riverton, Wyoming native bashed five long balls and produced 19 RBI.

Local product Evan Morrison returns for a second summer. The 6-foot-3 first baseman and outfielder had 16 hits and 10 runs in 30 games last year.

Behind the dish, look for St. Albert, Alberta catcher Jaden Babiuk to frame pitches again. The Valley City State University student had 21 hits, 17 runs and 14 RBI in 35 games for the Mavs in 2024.

Babiuk is expected to share catching duties with his VCSU teammate, Jamel Chabot. A newcomer to the club, Chabot has a .344 batting average and a .458 on-base percentage in his 94 games with the Vikings over the last two years.

Kansas outfielder Micah Dvorak will look to build on his solid 2024 WCBL season as a returning member of the Mavericks. Last year he batted .313 with 34 runs and 22 RBI in 47 games with Medicine Hat.

New outfielders on the squad include Jeremy Freeman Jr. (Ottawa University) and Yusei Uzawa (Northeastern Junior College), while Ontario native Carter Roth (Doane University) is an infield addition.