Falls native happy to be home
Jackfish outfielder Nate Mastervick hits home running at Welland Stadium
Nate Mastervick knows his way to home plate at Welland Stadium, and he can cause havoc with his speed once he gets on base.
So how fast is the 26-year-old from Niagara Falls?
Quick enough to beat the entire Intercounty Baseball League to Niagara.
Before the Burlington Herd received unanimous approval from the league relocated to the region, where they rebranded themselves as the Welland Jackfish, Mastervick was playing “home games” in a 2,500-seat ballpark.
Last year in his fourth season patrolling the outfield for the Hamilton Cardinals, he played three games in Welland while Bernie Armour Memorial Stadium was being repaired.
Before going away to play baseball at the collegiate level in the U.S., Mastervick was a familiar ballpark figure as a member of a BullettProof Baseball Academy elite team.
“I grew up playing on this field. This is like coming home,” said Mastervick, who signed with the Jackfish after securing his release from the Cardinals.
An employee in the City of Niagara Falls roads department, Mastervick is glad he decided to continue his IBL career in Welland.
“This stadium is awesome. The fans are great out here,” he said. “We get huge support.”
Having fans behind a team is important.
“They are so loud. You can hear them all the time encouraging you and cheering for the Jackfish. It gets us going once we hear the crowd getting loud.”
He is not surprised that a franchise that never had more than 15 wins a season in its first decade in the league has already surpassed that in its new home.
“I knew we had a good lineup going into the season. I knew it would be a solid team that could compete.
‘‘ “I grew up playing on this field. This is like coming home.” NATE MASTERVICK Welland Jackfish outfielder
“We’re looking ahead to playoffs and hoping to do well.”
The franchise’s past doesn’t matter to players on the current roster.
“History started for us on opening day,” he said. “We just started with a clean sheet, and we want to compete every day.”
Mastervick’s biggest adjustment in his fifth year in the league was getting used to watching a game in Hamilton — from the visitors dugout.
“The first couple of games was weird, sitting in the opposite dugout,” he recalled with a laugh.
The change in scenery did nothing to slow his competitive juices, though. “I like beating them.” Manager Brian Essery said the five-foot-nine, 160-pound, lefthanded batter was just the type of player the Jackfish were looking for when the team was being assembled.
“Nate’s a scrappy guy. He battles all the time,” Essery said. “He’s not the biggest kid, but he plays a lot bigger than his size.
“He battles every at-bat. He grinds it out.
“When he’s on base, he causes havoc.”
Mastervick is one of three players from Niagara on the roster. Pitchers Ryan Bench and Tyler Wood are from Fonthill and Niagara Falls, respectively.
Essery said showcasing local players helps the team and also promotes the sport.
“It’s really important. We want to give the opportunity for local kids to make this team,” he said. “This is such a higher level than what we can offer in this area, so to get anybody who is good enough, it’s great. We’re always looking for local guys.”
However, where a player is from doesn’t trump talent when it comes time to set the final roster.
“We can’t look at it that way, because we have to put the best product on the field,” Essery said. “Logistically, it works out great for us, but this is a business.
“At the end of the day, we’re looking for the best 25 players.”
A graduate of Beamsville and District Secondary School, Mastervick spent two years at Jefferson Community College in Waterdown, N.Y., before playing for three seasons on a Division 2 scholarship at Salem International University in West Virginia.
On Sunday, the Jackfish visited the five-time defending playoff champion Barrie Baycats hoping to rebound from a 12-9 loss to the London Majors the night before at home.
Welland plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a 9-7 lead, but was outscored 5-0 the rest of the way for a 17-15 loss.
Vaughn Bryan — with three hits in four at-bats, including a home run, three runs and two RBIs — had a multiple-hit game for the Jackfish, as did Mattingly Romanin, 2-for-2; Wilson Soriano, 3-for-5; and Caleb Feuerstake, 2-for-6.
Bench, the third of three Welland pitchers, was tagged with the loss, falling to 1-1.
He allowed three earned runs on four hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings.
Starter Christian Young gave up six earned runs on 13 hits and one walk in six innings. Reese O’Farrell surrendered two earned runs on one hit and two walks over 1 1/3 innings.