CANYON OUTFIELDER HAY STARTS HIS SEASON OFF RIGHT.

Byline: GERRY GITTELSON Community Sports

CANYON COUNTRY - A disappointing season-long baseball slump during his junior year is a thing of the past for Johnny Hay, who's off to a terrific start for Canyon High.

Hay has homered in three consecutive games entering Wednesday's 3 p.m. matchup at Burroughs. Finally, it appears the senior outfielder finally is making good on the hype that has surrounded him since his freshman season, when he hit six JV home runs and was tabbed a future major leaguer by former Canyon coach Chuck Crim.

``The talent has always been there, but I think now Johnny has learned how to be a good hitter,'' said Canyon's new coach Scott Willis, who was an assistant last year. ``The problem last year was he just wasn't swinging at strikes. He's an aggressive hitter, and now he's learning his strike zone and learning how to swing at pitches in his strike zone.''

As a sophomore, Hay batted .463 with two home runs and 16 RBI in just 17 varsity games, establishing himself as perhaps the Foothill League's brightest young prospect. Last year, however, Hay batted below .300 and averaged more than one strikeout per game, failing to earn all-league recognition.

``I just tried not to get too down on myself,'' Hay said. ``This year, I'm just playing to have a good time, and I'm trying not to think about things too much and to just have some fun. I'm not worried about my stats and all that stuff.''

A key change has been a switch from eyeglasses to contact lenses.

``I'm seeing the ball a lot better, and now I can pick up the rotation on the ball and see the seams,'' he said.

After Hay's breakout sophomore season, teams began pitching around him, and that's how the slump started - and continued, because Hay kept swinging at pitches out of the strike zone.

All that stuff is yesterday's news.

Hay was at his best during a 14-13 loss to Saugus in the league opener Friday, hitting a grand slam and a long single off the fence. He has eight RBIs over the past three games.

Crim has never lost faith in his prized prospect. The former Major League pitcher with the Angels and several other major league teams is taking a year off this season but remains close to Canyon's program, and Crim has been charting Hay's improvement.

``I've seen thousands of kids through the years, and Hay is the only one whom I've ever said, `That kid is going to be a major leaguer,' '' Crim said.

Last year, it was obvious all Hay had to do was wait for the right pitch, but it was a lesson that took a long time to learn. In batting practice, Hay would hit home runs one after the other, then go 0 for 4 with two strikeouts when it counted.

``It was unbelievable. I'd have to put a kid on the other side of the fence,'' Crim said. ``At one point I actually got mad at Johnny because he was losing all my baseballs by hitting them over fence during practice.''

Hay can take a deep breath because the misery of last season is behind him. Canyon is just 2-5 but Hay is on a hot streak. If the Cowboys can shore up their pitching and defense, the team might finally reach the playoffs following three successive sub-.500 seasons.

Hay, also a top center fielder, is perhaps Canyon's most important player.

``He's just one of those aggressive hitters who can hurt you at any time if he gets his pitch,'' Willis said.

One good thing about last season was Hay always kept a good attitude, and Willis appreciated it.

``He really did a good job staying positive,'' Willis said. ``Now he's made changes. He's a more patient hitter.''

Another helpful development was joining a wood-bat league last summer. Hay performed well, and now a larger-but-lighter aluminum bat feels like a weapon in his hands.

Can Hay keep it up? That remains to be seen, but the kid is on the right track.