Mavericks embrace new roles in playoffs
Through the Medicine Hat Mavericks’ sweep of their East Division semifinal series against the Regina Red Sox, it was players in new roles having a big hand in the team’s success.
In their Game 1 win, Tory Nelson — who played a majority of second and third base this season — contributed offensively and defensively while playing first base, a spot in which he had only eight innings of experience this summer.
Reliever Isaiah Bartels got the start Tuesday and was relieved by starter Zac Robinson in their series clinching 3-2 win at Athletic Park. Starter Mathew Krall got the save as he pitched the last two innings of the game.
Robinson has pitched in two big games for the Mavericks this year, as he started on the mound when they clinched a playoff spot in a 10-4 win over the Weyburn Beavers on Aug. 5, and was the pitcher of record in Tuesday’s Game 2 win. He joined the Mavericks mid-season from the West Division’s Okotoks Dawgs and said the important thing for him when it comes to different roles and responsibilities is respect.
“I came in from Okotoks and got my role, my role. I’m going to come out here, I am going to throw it in the zone, going to do my stuff and play my game,” Robinson said. “(Tyler) Jeske’s going to keep giving me innings and it’s great. Just respecting each other is what it comes back to. It’s awesome.”
Mavericks head coach Tyler Jeske said everything in the game, on and off the field, starts with respect.
“It’s a key word that we talked about on Day 1 of the season. It’s about respecting the game, respecting the fans, respecting the organization, the community,” Jeske said. “It takes a lot of people to create this type of environment, this type of league. With players it’s no different. It’s about respecting them as people, which means respecting their intelligence, their past experience and ultimately, who they are as people and players and encouraging them to take the opportunity and run with it.”
Robinson said he is excited for the team’s East Division final series against the Moose Jaw Miller Express that kicks off Friday in Moose Jaw. He said he wants to get on the mound in the series and enjoy the electric atmosphere of playoff baseball.
“My coach at school tells us ‘same stuff, different day’ when it comes to regular season baseball and you still have to come with the same intensity in the regular season. But once playoffs start, guys are tired, guys are mad,” Robinson said after Tuesday’s win. “I got out of bed today and said, ah man I have to pitch today. You hit Tim Hortons, get the double espresso and you find the last ounce of energy. Today, I mean I didn’t even have my best stuff, I was grinding, but it’s about finding some way to persevere and get your three outs every inning. There’s 27 outs in a ball game and you have to fight for all 27.”
Krall had no trouble finding energy for his outing in Tuesday’s win as the Texas product was slated to pitch in Game 1 on Monday but was not needed that evening. His number was called in the eighth inning of Game 2 with runners on the corners and nobody out. The 20-year-old induced a double play and got out of the inning while only allowing one run.
All season Krall has been working on controlling his emotions in game and tipped his cap to Jeske for his help with doing that in a big moment on Tuesday.
“Skip and I have really talked about my emotions all year and how I need to learn to control it,” Krall said. “It did come out towards the end and he came out to talk and calm me down, so that helped a lot, great coaching.”
Jeske spoke highly of Krall’s emotional control after the win Tuesday, and why he chose him to close out the game.
“He’s a very fiery and attentive, young man. He’s talking to himself in the dugout between innings. I joke that I’m scared of him, like I don’t want to go close to you,” Jeske said with a laugh. “But throughout the season, the message has been that’s part of who you are, feed off of that but you have to be able to regulate the top end of that. I know that intensity and fire is going to be there every time you step on the mound. But can you regulate the top end of that and not let yourself get too hyped up and get outside yourself, just focus on executing pitches.”