* Both SS Louis Boyd (North Vancouver, BC) of the Cochise Apaches and SS Kyle Hann (Oakville, Ont.) of the St. Johns River State Vikings are off to fast starts. Boyd is a grad of the North Shore Twins playing for coach Larson Bauck, while Hann played for coach Dannny Bleiwas and the Ontario Blue Jays. ....  

2014 Canadians in the Minors … Canadians in College …. All-Canadian Team 2015 Canadian draft list …. Canadians in College 2016 Canadian draft list  Letters of Intent

 

By Bob Elliott

Canada isn’t known for producing middle infielders.

Left-handed hitters? Yes.

Catchers? Yes.

Pitchers? Yes.

Yet, two Canuck shortstops are off the memorable starts less than 10 games into the 2015 season.

SS Kyle Hann (Oakville, Ont.) of the St. Johns River State Vikings and SS Louis Boyd (North Vancouver, BC) of the Cochise Apaches are trying to change all of that.

Both came out swinging as the curtain was lifted on 2015.

Hann owns a .500 (16-for-32) average with three doubles and six RBIs in the first nine games of the season. He owns a 1.150 OPS. And with six stolen bases and is tied for second in the NJCAA, two behind Trey Amburgey of St. Petersburg Titans.

Boyd had hits in six of the Apaches first eight games and is batting .481 (13-for-27) with four doubles, two triples, one homer and eight RBIs. He has an OPS of 1.511.

For the Vikings ... Hann was 4-for-6 with a double and three RBIs including the game winner in a an 11-7 win over Gulf Coast State Commodores at Panama City. Earlier in the week he had two hits in a 2-0 win over the Palm Beach Panthers at West Palm Beach.

He had three hits with a double and two RBIs in a 16-6 win over Lurleen B. Wallace Saints and singled in a 2-0 win over the Chattahoochee Valley Pirates had three hits in an 11-0 win and singled in a 3-2 win at Panama City. Hann had two hits in a 5-3 loss to the Chipola Indians at Marianna, Fla.

The week before St. Johns opened the season with a 9-4 Abraham Baldwin Agricultural Stallions as Hann went hitless in Tifton, Ga. Hann had two hits, including a double in a 5-2 win over ABAC, he was 3-for-4 in an 11-0 win over the Stallions and singled in a 3-2 win against

For the Apaches ... this weekend in a four-game series against the Western Nevada Wildcats at Henderson, Nev., Boyd singled in a 7-4 loss, doubled in a 4-2 defeat, singled in a 6-5 loss and had two hits, including a double and a single, knocking in a pair of runs in the series finale, a 7-3 victory.

The weekend before against the New Mexico Military Institute Broncos he tripled, singled drove in a pair in a 13-3 win at Douglas Az. Boyd was hitless in a 6-1 loss, then was 2-for-2 with a double in a 10-1 win and was 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs in a 14-7 win.

 

Starting fast: LHP Guillaume Blanchette (St-Constant, Que.) pitched seven innings in the Lubbock Christian Chaparrals in a 3-1 win over Adams State. Blanchette allowed one run on three hits and one walk. He struck out four.

 

Robinson shows well: 3B Mitchell Robinson (Cloverdale, BC), who played for the Langley Blaze, is ranked 78th on Perfect Game’s top 100 freshmen heading into this spring. Robinson is with the Florida International Panthers. Robinson was drafted in the 22nd round in 2014.