Jets head to Lethbridge for PBA battle

Posted on September 17, 2026 by Vauxhall Advance

By Cole Parkinson
Vauxhall Advance

It was a weekend in Lethbridge for the Vauxhall Jets as they lined up against the Prairie Baseball Academy for a pair of doubleheaders at Lloyd Nolan Yard. Weather once again was a challenge, but both teams were able to get in all four games before the rain played a factor.

In game one, it was a low-scoring affair on both sides as errors played a factor. A four-run fifth inning for PBA propelled them to a 4-1 win. Vauxhall saw Hudson Nikkel notch a pair of hits, Nic Danilak hit a double, and Kaden Carson had one hit. Calum Andersen started on the mound and was flawless with three strikeouts and didn’t allow a single base runner. Cason Burton pitched two innings out of the bullpen and allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk. The reliever also struck out one batter in his appearance. Will Zielinski finished things on the mound with an inning pitched where he walked one batter.

In game two, the Jets returned the favour with a 4-1 win of their own. The Jets were able to pitch a seven-inning combined no-hitter. Richard Marshall started the game and pitched two innings with a pair of strikeouts and a walk. Gavin Benard was called from the pen and went two innings with one unearned run on two walks, and he struck out three PBA batters. Josh Daloise finished the game with three solid innings where he struck out two and allowed one walk.

Sunday’s doubleheader started early to beat the rain, and PBA came out fast. Outhitting the Jets 9-2, PBA would take it 6-1. Nikkel and Will Henzi had the hits for VAB. Charlie McMillan was the starter and pitched three innings with a pair of strikeouts. Four earned runs scored on seven hits, and the starter didn’t allow any walks. Ben McMahon finished the game with three innings and four strikeouts while allowing two earned runs on two hits.

Looking to end the weekend on a high note, the Jets saw their offence explode in game two. While both teams would notch plenty of hits, Vauxhall was able to plate plenty of runs en route to a 15-6 win. Nikkel continued to lead the way as the centre fielder notched three hits in the win, including a double and a triple. Tanner Morris, Riley Pineau, Gavin Thomson, and Nathan Kim all had two hits; Carson hit a home run, and Zielinski and Henzi each had a single. Ben Connolly started on the bump and pitched three innings, in which he struck out two batters. One earned run scored on three hits and a walk. Jacob Flach pitched 1.2 innings, in which four earned runs scored on five hits and a walk. Flach notched one strikeout in his appearance. Parker MacKenzie finished the weekend with 2.1 innings and two strikeouts. One earned run came home on three hits and a free pass.

“It was the PBA alumni weekend, which is always a fun weekend. They have a little bit of a crowd and the ballpark was in great shape. Anytime you go and play a college team, there’s always a little bit of energy to things,” said Les McTavish, head coach of the Jets. “We were super happy, and overall, the weekend went really well. We went 2-2, but just on the baseball side of things, I thought we handled ourselves very well playing against older players. I thought it was a successful weekend on a lot of fronts.”

Playing older teams definitely brings some extra juice to the games for the Jets. While preparation largely remains the same, the coaches do see a big uptick in energy when they hit the diamond against college-aged teams.

“I don’t know if it’s like playing any other game, but one thing I can tell you is the guys are ready to play, that’s for sure. They’re playing against some experienced guys and the PBA and Todd Hubka (head coach) do a good job. They threw some of their better guys at us, so I was really happy with how we came out. We were ready to play four games,” continued McTavish. “We had some energy to us, and all four games were competitive. There are several Vauxhall alums that are coaching with the Prairie Baseball Academy, so that’s always fun too.”

Weather has been a constant challenge since players arrived back in southern Alberta. While practice time has been inconsistent, they are hoping things clear out for the rest of their outdoor time. Another challenge is nine departing players this week for the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays Canadian Futures Showcase in Vancouver.

“Practice was pretty much non-existent, and we’ve kind of piecemealed what we could all last week. We did a lot of cage work and a lot of individual type stuff, and I’m proud of the guys that didn’t get in our way. We weren’t able to accomplish a lot as far as just preparation for not only the weekend, but just overall preparation building towards next spring. We didn’t get much of that done, but it didn’t seem to affect them,” explained McTavish. “They came out ready to play right out of the gates, and it was great to see. This week is kind of a short week as well, because we have nine players leaving to Vancouver for the Blue Jays showcase (Wednesday) morning. So they’re gone until Sunday, so there are no games this week. I’m looking forward to next week, when we can kind of get back to, you know, full practices and try to get some things done.”

The players heading to Vancouver this week are:

RHP Calum Andersen

OF Rogan Rivard

RHP Wil Zielinski

OF Hudson Nikkel

RHP Josh Daloise

INF Will Henzi

RHP Cason Burton

C Tanner Morris

RHP Richard Marshall