By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
Coach Cam Walker is in his 25th season running the Indian Hills Warriors.

Walker (Souris, Man.) inducted into the National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2012, and assistant Steve Kletke (Altona, Man.) have done an excellenting reruiting job in their home and native land.  

Indians Hills has the top two rated Canadian freshmen in the class of 2016-17 according to Perfect Game Scouting USA. All the better to improve on Walker’s career mark of 851-423 (.668 winning mark). There are five Canucks listed in the incoming class of top 142 and both are headed to Iowa: OF Ryan Humeniuk (Stonewall Man.) of the Okotoks Dawgs and C Zachary Fascia (Brampton, Ont.) of the Brampton Royals.

Humeniuk is listed 39th and Fascia 41st. 

Humeniuk helped the Okotoks Dawgs Academy to the final of the PG High School Showdown Academies tournament at LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Ga. Humeniuk batted .462 (6-for-13) with a double and an RBI. That performance earned him a berth on the all-tourney team.  

Humeniuk ran a 6.85 60 to rank amongst the quickest at Tournament 12 in 2015 for Prairies Purple.  He who played for both the St. Boniface Legionaries AAA juniors and the Stonewall Blue Jays seniors.

Fascia was ranked seventh on the Rawlings Top Prospect List from the PG Spring Prospect Showcase at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids. He has shown a big arm on the mound and behind the plate and did so in Iowa.

Fascia had some of the best arm strength of the event, throwing 83 mph from behind the plate in drills and popping a 1.86. His left handed bat is strong and plays up as well. 

At age 15 he made the Ontario Youth Team competed in the Baseball Canada Cup earning top catcher honors, was named the OBA adult player of the year.

Humenuik and Fascia join sophomore OF Noah Renaud (Amherstburg Ont.) and freshmen LHP Jared Spearing (Winnipeg Man.), RHP Markus Gregson (Surrey BC) RHP Brett Stenger (Kingsville Ont.) LHP DJ Depiero (Thunder Bay Ont.) and OF Justin King (Okotoks Alta.).

The others 3B Brett Esau (Meadow Lake, Sask.), a former Okotoks Dawgs, is headed to play for the Frank Phillips Plainsmen, RHP Corey Jackson (Abbotsford BC) of Abbotsford Cardinals New Mexico College Thunderbirds and RHP Nick Trogrlic-Iverson (Oakville, Ont.), who pitched for the Langley Blaze and the Field House Pirates is headed to the Central Arizona Community College Vaqueros.

Walker joined the legendary Pat Daugherty, whom Walker played for at IHCC, and Rick Mathews, under whom he coached and later succeeded at the helm of the program in the Hall of Fame. Daughtery is so famous that they named the field after him. 

Top 142 Junior College Freshmen (2016-17 season)
Rk. First Name Last Name Pos. Hometown ST/Prov Commitment
1. Jaren Shelby OF Lexington KY State College of Florida
39. Ryan Humeniuk OF Stonewall Man. Indian Hills CC
41. Zachary Fascia C Brampton Ont. Indian Hills CC
51. Brett Esau 3B Meadow Lake Sask. Frank Phillips College
70. Corey Jackson RHP Abbotsford BC New Mexico Junior College
118. Nick Trogrlic-Iverson RHP Oakville Ont. Central Arizona CC