Softball star Ryan Boland is The Telegram sports department’s choice as athlete of the week.
Boland was one of the many standouts on the Galway Hitmen senior men’s softball squad which won a sixth Canadian championship in seven years last weekend, beating the Sooke Loggers from B.C. 8-0 in the final game in St. Croix, N.S.
Boland, a national team veteran, hit a grand slam home run in the bottom of the fifth inning sealing the win (the Hitmen won by the seven-run mercy rule).
Boland, who had seven RBIs in the playoffs, was named MVP of the championship round.
The Hitmen dominated the nationals going 9-0, including 3-0 in the playoffs, while outscoring the opposition 68-2.
In their opening game of the provincial championship Thursday night, Boland hit a pair of two-run home runs and knocked in five runs for the NTV Hitmen.
Date of birth: Oct. 5, 1987
Height: 5-11
Weight: 210 pounds
Birthplace: St. John’s
Residence: St. John’s
Occupation: engineer
Club: Galway Hitmen (nationals); NTV Hitmen (league play)
Coaches: Mark Dwyer (Galway); Eddy MacDonald (NTV)
