The Chicken's at Goss Stadium tonight

The Famous San Diego Chicken returns to Goss Stadium for tonight's 6:40 p.m. game with the Walla Walla Sweets. Don't miss the best act in sports, the one and only Chicken.

Tickets are available online, or at the stadium starting at 6 p.m. Reserved seats are $11, GAs are $5, and you can also use your 10-game punchcards, of course.

So we will see you at the stadium. The Chicken is a sports legend, and is not to be missed!

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San Jose catcher Alex Burg, our 2008 MVP, was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs on Thursday in a 6-5 win over Modesto to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. San Jose is San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A California Leagbue.

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Here's our weeekly roundup of Corvallis Knights in minor-league baseball (all stats through Wednesday's games):

NICK AKINS (2007): The former Vanguard outfielder has been re-assigned to the Ogden Raptors in the Pioneer League. They have not yet started their season.

TYLER ANDERSON (2009): Now with the Asheville Tourists (A, Rockies), the ex-Oregon star is 5-0, 3.32, 25 strikeouts in 40.2 innings. He became the first former Corvallis Knight to be drafted in the first round in 2011.

MATT ANDRIESE (2009): Now with Lake Elsinore (A, Padres) in the California League, the pitcher from UC Riverside is 4-3, 3.39, with 55 strikeouts in 66.1 innings.

CARTER BELL (2009): Now with Visalia (A, Diamondbacks) in the California League, the former Oregon State infielder is hitting .250 (41-164) with one homer and 17 RBIs.

DANIEL BIBONA (2007): Now with the Batavia Muckdogs (A, Cardinals) in the New York/Penn League, the pitcher from UC Irvine is on the 7-day disabled list.

ALEX BURG (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the former Washington State catcher/infielder/outfielder is hitting .204 (20-98) with three four homers and 16 RBIs.

JOHN ESHLEMAN (2008): The San Jacinto JC infielder is on the 7-day disabled list on the double-A Eastern League Richmond Squirrels.

ROCKY GALE (2007, 2009): The former Portland catcher is hitting .167 (6-36) for Lake Elsinore of the Class A California League, with no homers and two RBIs.

DREW GARCIA (2007): Now with Charlotte (AAA, White Sox) in the International League, the former UC Riverside infielder is hitting .194 (21-108), with one homer and 15 RBIs.

SAM GAVIGLIO (2009): Now with Quad City (A, Cardinals) in the Midwest League, is 3-5, 5.03, with 40 strikeouts in 62.2 innings.

DEAN GREEN (2008): Now with West Michigan (A, Tigers) in the Midwest League, the former Oklahoma State/Barry infielder is hitting .306 (67-219), with nine homers and 38 RBIs.

D.J. JOHNSON (2008-09): Recently promoted to Visalia of the Class A California League, the former Mt. Hood/Western Oregon pitcher is 0-0, 4.50, with two strikeouts in two innings.

SCOTT LYMAN (2010): The ex-UC Davis star has been assigned to the Jamestown (N.Y.) Jammers of the Class A short-season New York/Penn League. They have not started their season.

ADAM MELKER (2008-09): Now with Springfield (AA, Cardinals) in the Texas League, the former Cal Poly outfielder is hitting .246 (34-138), with two homers and 11 RBIs.

JIM MURPHY (2007): Now with Clearwater (A, Phillies) in the Florida State League, the former Washington State infielder is hitting .274 (59-215), with six homers and 44 RBIs.

JAMES NYGREN (2009): Now with Greensboro (A, Marlins) in the Florida State League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 2-1, 4.50, with 10 saves and 17 strikeouts in 32 innings.

JOSH OSICH (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 0-0, 2.53, with a save and 12 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.

GREG PEAVEY (2008): Now with Binghamton (AA, New York Mets) in the Eastern League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 3-2, 5.23, with 32 strikeouts in 51.2 innings.

NICK STRUCK (2010): Now with Tennessee (AA, Cubs) in the Southern League, the former Mt. Hood pitcher is 7-6, 4.09, with 62 strikeouts in 77 innings.

ANDREW SUSAC (2009): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State catcher is hitting .247 (40-162), with four homers and 23 RBIs.

NOT YET ASSIGNED: OF Dayton Alexander (2011), Feather River CC (Athletics); INF Cody Bartlett (2007), Washington State (Blue Jays); P Michael Blake (2010), Mt. Hood/Hawaii (Diamondbacks).

We had 14 more players with Knights connections drafted this year. So we'll include them in our roundup once they are assigned a team and begin playing.

We do know that:

* Pitcher Kyle Kraus (2009-10) will play at Lowell in the New York/Penn League (A, Red Sox).

* Pitcher Chris Johnson (2011) and infielder Matt Duffy (2010) will play at Salem-Keizer in the Northwest League (A, Giants).

* First baseman Taylor Ard (2009) will play at Everett in the Northwest League (A, Mariners).

* Infielder Thomas McCarthy (2010) will play at Great Falls in the Pioneer League (A, White Sox).

Victoria ... Victoria. Victoria, Toria

Pardon me for channeling my inner Kinks. But the big news about the West Coast League's expansion to that fine Canadian city for the 2013 season has the Knights excited for the immediate and long-term future of our league.

Here are some details, from the Victoria Times Colonist newspaper.

And here's the official announcement, from WCL president Ken Wilson:

"Victoria, British Columbia is officially a member of the West Coast League, to begin play with the 2013 season.

"Our owners are thrilled to have Victoria as the 10th member of our league," said WCL president Ken Wilson. "It's a large, thriving market that has always supported baseball, and we have terrific owners that are excited at the opportunity."

The team will be owned by British Columbia businessmen John McLean and Dwight Willett.

"In choosing a location for our franchise, we were drawn to Victoria for a variety of reasons," said McLean. "An impressive baseball history dating back to 1866, strong grass roots baseball organizations, impressive fan support for past franchises and teams and a high quality ball park made this an easy decision."

Victoria has been home to numerous professional baseball franchises, including a stint as a New York Yankee farm team in the 1940s. The city last had professional baseball in 2010.

"We are thrilled to welcome the West Coast League to Victoria," said Mayor Dean Fortin. "The Capital City welcomes the return of baseball to Royal Athletic Park with open arms and I look forward to great community support for the team."

The team will conduct a name the team contest in the near future.

My suggestion? Well, how about this, from a guy who also suggested the "Sweets" for Walla Walla when that expansion franchise was awarded - the Victoria Ehs? They are Canadian, eh?

Either way, welcome to the league, gentlemen.

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We've got some updates on two of our drafted future/former Knights, and a roster move:

* Westview High School senior Carson Kelly, a projected 2012 Knight and an Oregon signee, has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. They selected him in the second round of the MLB draft. Here is more on the story from The Oregonian.

* Washington State first baseman Taylor Ard (2009) has signed with the Seattle Mariners. He was a seventh-round draft choice.

* Pitcher Kendall Motes of Mt. Hood CC, a 10-day signee, has been released. He was 0-0, 2.25 in four innings over two appearances. He will now play for the Swift Current, Alberta, Indians in Canada's Western Major Baseball League.

* Outfielder Connor Hofmann of Oregon, pitchers Carlos Rodriguez of Oregon State, Mitch Patito and Trevor Frank of UC Riverside and catcher Nate Esposito of OSU will be on the roster for Friday's series finale against Walla Walla.

* Pitchers Dylan Stuart and Antonio Gonzales of UC Riverside, infielders Chris Rabago of UC Irvine and Greg Mahle of UC Santa Barbara report on Monday, and outfielder Nate Blackham of Washington State goes full-time with the end of his summer school term.

So, we'll finally be at full strength.

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Former Knights pitcher Jimmie Sherfy (2011) of Oregon was named a second-team National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American. Here are the details, from The Oregonian.

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Former Knight James Nygren (2009) of the Greensboro Grasshoppers got his 10th save of the season on Wednesday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. Greensboro is Miami's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League.

Nygren pitched 3.1 shutout, hitless innings, and had two strikeouts. Greensboro won 14-2, but it was only 4-2 when Nygren entered the game.

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That's all for today. Normally we'd update the stats of our minor leaguers but we've got to get ready for tonight's game, so we'll wait until Friday.

Remember, it's a Block 15 Thursday tonight, and the San Diego Chicken comes to town on Friday. Don't miss what could be the final Corvallis appearance by a sports legend.

Finally, we're playing at home!

We really haven't been on the road that long, it just seems that way when eight of your first 10 games are played away from the friendly confines of Goss Stadium.

Well, that ends tonight. The Knights return home for a three-game series with the Walla Walla Sweets. All three games start at 6:40, and we have something special planned for each night.

* Tonight is Philomath Chamber of Commerce Night. It's also a Seniors Night ($2 GA tickets for our 60-plus fans). Popcorn is only $2. Cal Poly freshman pitcher Bryan Granger makes his Knights' debut tonight as our starter.

* Thursday is our first Block 15 Thursday, presented by KLOO-FM. The popular local brewpub will feature a special brew at a discounted price, and it's also a $1 hot dog night. Knights' veteran Max Beatty of Pacific Lutheran makes his return as a starting pitcher after a battle with cancer this past winter and spring.

* On Friday night, the Famous San Diego Chicken returns for an encore performance. Make sure to see a living sports legend!

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Some news about our minor-league Knights:

* Former Knights first baseman/pitcher D.J. Johnson (2008-09), now a reliever in the Arizona organization, has been promoted to the Class A (advanced) Visalia Rawhide of the California League. He was 2-4, 3.08 with four saves with the South Bend Silver Hawks of the Class A Midwest League. He'll be teammates with ex-Knight Carter Bell (2009) at Visalia.

* The Chicago White Sox have assigned former Knights infielder Thomas McCarthy (2010) of the University of Kentucky to the Great Falls Voyagers of the Class A (rookie) Pioneer League. They drafted him last week.

* The New York Mets have released former Knights' pitcher Dustin Emmons (2009-10). He was 2-0, 3.78 at Kingsport of the Class A (rookie) Appalachian League in 2011 after playing at UC Riverside.

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A quick check of MLB.com shows that two more Knights' alums who were selected in the 2012 draft have signed.

Pitcher Kyle Kraus (2009-10) of Portland has agreed to terms with Boston, and shortstop Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State has signed with San Francisco.

They join the aforementioned McCarthy, pitcher Mark Trentacosta (2011, UC Irvine, St. Louis) and Chris Johnson (2011, Portland, San Francisco) and catcher Ryan Gorton (2011, Oregon State, Oakland) as signees from the latest draft.

Outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010, Cal Poly, Milwaukee), catcher Bo Altobelli (2010, Texas Tech, Minnesota), pitchers Eddie Orozco (2008-09, UC Riverside, Cubs) and Matt Boyd (2010, Oregon State, Cincinnati), and first baseman Taylor Ard (2009, Washington State, Seattle) have not yet signed, according to MLB.com.

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Speaking of Knights' minor leaguers, former Oregon star Tyler Anderson gave up two runs on five hits and had five strikeouts in seven innings for Asheville in a 6-3 win over Greenville to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Asheville is Colorado's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League. Anderson became the first Corvallis Knight to be drafted in the first round in 2011.

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Mitch Patito returning for his third year!

It's always nice to come to work the day after we've won a game, and we really needed last night's 5-4 win at Cowlitz after losing three straight at Wenatchee.

Not much on the docket today. We finish up a long, five-game road trip tonight at Cowlitz, and then start a three-game series against Walla Walla at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday at Goss Stadium. It will be nice to be back home again.

And remember, Thursday night is a Block 15 Thursday, with special discounted prices on our Knights Summer Ale, and on Friday night the San Diego Chicken makes a return appearance. So don't miss either night!

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We've got another roster move, one that should be popular with our fans.

UC Riverside pitcher Mitch Patito is returning for a third season. He was 3-4 with a 3.96 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 50 innings as a combo starter/reliever for the Highlanders this spring.

Mitch also played for us in 2010 and 2011, and played well. He was 1-1 with a 3.22 ERA, two saves and 19 strikeouts in 22.1 innings in 15 games last summer, and was 0-0, 1.38 in 2010, with eight saves and 29 strikeouts in 26 innings.

Welcome back, Mitch!

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UC Santa Barbara first baseman/pitcher Greg Mahle, a 2012 Knight who will join us on June 18, was recently named a freshmen All-American by Louisville Slugger Collegiate Baseball, and a second-team freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Mahle hit .347 (66-190), with 35 RBIs, and was 3-4, 3.88 as a pitcher, with four saves and 45 strikeouts in 46.1 innings.

Congrats to Greg!

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Catcher Andrew Susac of the San Jose Giants was 1-for-4 with an RBI in a 12-8 loss to Inland Empire to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. The Giants are San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A California League.

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

KELOWNA: Nine players with ties to the Falcons were selected in the recent MLB draft. Here are the details, from the Kelowna website.

WENATCHEE: Thirteen former AppleSox were selected in the recent MLB draft. Here are the details, from the Wenatchee web site. One of those draftees, Ryan Gorton of Oregon State, also played for the Knights in the WCL.

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That's all for today. See you on Wednesday, when we host Walla Walla at 6:40 p.m. And don't forget, tonight's 6:35 game at Cowlitz is on KEJO-AM 1240.

Off to Wenatchee

The Knights left Corvallis at 8 a.m. Friday for Wenatchee, where they will face the AppleSox in a three-game series matching the two most successful teams in WCL history. It's the start of a five-game trip that ends with Monday and Tuesday night games at Cowlitz.

The AppleSox (2009-10) and Knights (2008, 2011) have shared the last four WCL championships. They also have advanced to the playoffs in each of the last four years; the only other club to match that accomplishment is the Bend Elks and they've only one one playoff series in that span, and no championships.

We bolstered our roster late on Thursday with the addition of Brandon Jackson, a 5-foot-11, 193-pound right-handed pitcher from Western Nevada JC who wil play at Oregon State next season. He was 10-1 with a 1.55 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 63.2 innings at WNC this spring, and he made the District XVIII all-star team.

Riverside City College pitcher Blake Burrell will also join us for the trip. Washington State outfielder Nate Blackham, who missed the last three games due to summer school conflicts, will rejoin the club tonight as well.

And more help is on the way. Our Cal Poly guys (OF Alex Michaels,, OF Nick Torres and pitcher Bryan Granger), and Seattle University infielder Nate Roberts, will join us in Cowlitz.

So, we're getting closer to being all the team we can be.

However, we have lost UC Irvine pitcher Mark Trentacosta, our 2011 closer who set a franchise record with 11 saves. He was drafted by the Cardinals in the 34th round on Wednesday and has elected to sign.

And we've lost Portland pitcher Chris Johnson, another 2011 WCL all-star and our 2011 Most Outstanding Pitcher. He was drafted by San Francisco in the 17th round and has already signed. We will most likely see him playing for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes this summer.

So we wish Mark, Chris, and any of the other 12 drafted Knights who are going pro, the best of luck at the next level.

Now, for the rest of today's Knights news:

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Oregon State pitcher Jace Fry, a 2011 Knight and WCL all-star, was named an honorable mention Freshman All-American on Wednesday by Collegiate Baseball magazine.

Fry was 5-3 record and 2.45 ERA in 13 starts for the Beavers. He had 53 strikeouts in 88.1 innings, allowed just seven extra-base hits, and held opponents to a .215 batting average.

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A record 51 West Coast League players or alums were selected in the 2012 MLB draft. Here are all the details, from the WCL website. The draft is just another illustration of the quality of our league!

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

WALLA WALLA: The Sweets have turned 10-day contract players Joe Arlt and Jarrod Turner into full-time Sweets, and have signed Columbia Basin College right-hander Arturo Reyes to a full contract.

Arlt (LHP) and Turner play at Walla Walla CC, Reyes is the younger of former OSU pitcher Jorge Reyes, who played in the WCL for the now-defunct Moses Lake Pirates. Here are the complete details from the Our Sports Central website.

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That's it for today. Gave a great weekend!

Cleaning out the notebook

We're off to a great start, with four wins in five games even though we're fielding a makeshift lineup and used three pitchers as position players/DH in Wednesday's win over Klamath Falls.

We're off to Wenatchee on Friday morning to start a five-game road trip. We play the AppleSox on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Wenatchee, and then head over to Longview for two games against the Cowlitz Black Bears on Monday and Tuesday at Lower Columbia College's Story Field. You can listen to all five games on KEJO-AM 1240.

We'll also have some reinforcements on this trip. Pitcher Blake Burrell of Riverside City College will join us for the Wenatchee series, and our Cal Poly trio of Nick Torres (OF), Alex Michaels (OF) and Bryan Granger (RHP) will sign on in Cowlitz.

We're not home again until June 13, when we host Walla in a three-game series that concludes with a return performance from the World Famous San Diego Chicken on Friday, June 15.

Our attendance at our first two home games was super. The Tuesday night opener drew an opening-night record of 913, despite the cold, breezy conditions. Wednesday's Science and Art Day drew 2,162, the largest crowd we've ever had for a regular-season game that didn't feature fireworks.

All told we're at 3,075 through two games, an average of 1,538 per night. That's just above our target goal of 1,500, and puts us 1,350 fans ahead of last year's pace. And that's a good sign, as we drew a franchise-record 42,447 in 2011.

But we need to keep that great start going, so make sure to head out to the ballpark next week!

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It was a great MLB draft for the Knights, and obviously for every player who was selected in the three-day event. We had 14 former or current players selected; here's a roundown from our website.

We learned today that reliever Mark Trentacosta of UC Irvine, a WCL all-star for us in 2011, will sign with the Cardinals and thus can't play for us again this summer. He was a 34th-round draft pick. Best of luck to Mark in the pros!

And speaking of the G-T, here's a link to reporter Ragu Woodward's story on the Science and Art Day event, which was a great success.

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Great news for our pitching coach, Connor Lambert. He's been hired as the new pitching coach at Tacoma Community College for the 2012-13 academic year. Here's a link to the TCC baseball website so you can learn more about the Titans.

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More accomplishments from the Knights family to announce. Oregon State senior gymnast Leslie Mak, a 2011 College of Business intern, a two-time Pac-10/12 Gymnast of the Year and a many-time All-American, was named OSU's top female student/athlete for 2011-12.

Here's the complete story from the OSU website. Congrats to Leslie, who was a crowd favorite last summer!

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Several former Knights playing for the Beavers received honorable mention on the Pac-12 All-Academic team for their performance in the classroom. So honored were Jake Rodriguez (2010), Ben Wetzler (2011) and Taylor Starr (2008).

Rodriguez is majoring in criminal justice;Wetzler is majoring in physical education, and Starr is majoring in sociology, with an option in criminology.

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West Michigan infielder Dean Green went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs on Wednesday in a 4-2 win over Fort Wayne to earn our Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. West Michigan is Detroit's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

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Here's our weeekly roundup of Corvallis Knights in minor-league baseball (all stats through Wednesday's games):

NICK AKINS (2007): The former Vanguard outfielder has been re-assigned to the Ogden Raptors in the Pioneer League. They have not yet started their season.

TYLER ANDERSON (2009): Now with the Asheville Tourists (A, Rockies), the ex-Oregon star is 3-0, 4.23, with 20 strikeouts in 27.2 innings. He became the first former Corvallis Knight to be drafted in the first round in 2011.

MATT ANDRIESE (2009): Now with Lake Elsinore (A, Padres) in the California League, the pitcher from UC Riverside is 3-3, 3.51, with 47 strikeouts in 56.1 innings.

CARTER BELL (2009): Now with Visalia (A, Diamondbacks) in the California League, the former Oregon State infielder is hitting .245 (37-151) with one homer and 15 RBIs.

DANIEL BIBONA (2007): Now with Palm Beach (A, Cardinals) in the Florida State League, the pitcher from UC Irvine is on the 7-day disabled list.

ALEX BURG (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the former Washington State catcher/infielder/outfielder is hitting .188 (16-85) with three homers and 11 RBIs.

JOHN ESHLEMAN (2008): Now with Augusta (A, Giants) in the South Atlantic League, the San Jacinto JC infielder is hitting .211 (12-57), with no homers and three RBIs.

ROCKY GALE (2007, 2009): Recently promoted to triple-A Tucson, the former Portland catcher is hitting .167 (3-18), with no homers and one RBI.

DREW GARCIA (2007): Now with Charlotte (AAA, White Sox) in the International League, the former UC Riverside infielder is hitting .169 (14-83), with no homers and nine RBIs.

SAM GAVIGLIO (2009): Now with Quad City (A, Cardinals) in the Midwest League, is 3-4, 4.91, with 36 strikeouts in 55 innings.

DEAN GREEN (2008): Now with West Michigan (A, Tigers) in the Midwest League, the former Oklahoma State/Barry infielder is hitting .307 (66-215), with nine homers and 36 RBIs.

D.J. JOHNSON (2008-09): Now with South Bend (A, Diamondbacks) in the Midwest League, the former Mt. Hood/Western Oregon pitcher is 2-4, 2.96, with four saves and 30 strikeouts in 24.1 innings.

SCOTT LYMAN (2010): The ex-UC Davis star has been assigned to the Jamestown (N.Y.) Jammers of the Class A short-season New York/Penn League. They have not started their season.

ADAM MELKER (2008-09): Now with Springfield (AA, Cardinals) in the Texas League, the former Cal Poly outfielder is hitting .231 (28-121), with one homer and seven RBIs.

JIM MURPHY (2007): Now with Clearwater (A, Phillies) in the Florida State League, the former Washington State infielder is hitting .271 (51-188), with six homers and 41 RBIs.

JAMES NYGREN (2009): Now with Greensboro (A, Marlins) in the Florida State League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 2-1, 5.40, with nine saves and 13 strikeouts in 26.2 innings.

JOSH OSICH (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 0-0, 1.04, with a save and 10 strikeouts in 9.2 innings.

GREG PEAVEY (2008): Now with Binghamton (AA, New York Mets) in the Eastern League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 3-2, 5.59, with 29 strikeouts in 46.2 innings.

NICK STRUCK (2010): Now with Tennessee (AA, Cubs) in the Southern League, the former Mt. Hood pitcher is 5-6, 4.41, with 56 strikeouts in 65.1 innings.

ANDREW SUSAC (2009): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State catcher is hitting .252 (34-135), with three homers and 17 RBIs.

NOT YET ASSIGNED: P Dustin Emmons (2009), UC Riverside (Mets); OF Dayton Alexander (2011), Feather River CC (Athletics); INF Cody Bartlett (2007), Washington State (Blue Jays); P Michael Blake (2010), Mt. Hood/Hawaii (Diamondbacks).

We had 13 more players with Knights connections drafted earlier this week. So we'll include them in our roundup one they are assigned a team and begin playing.

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That's all for today. We'll complete the week on Friday.

Early game today

We've got an 11 a.m. game today against the Klamath Falls Gems, our first Science and Arts day. We expect more than 1,400 local elementary school students to attend today's game.

So we're a little busy, and we won't have our daily blog, as usual. Make sure to check back on Thursday, when things return to normal - or for what passes for normal during the season.

See you then.

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Some quick notes:

* Pitcher Chris Johnson of Portland, our 2011 Most Outstanding Pitcher, was selected by San Francisco in the 17th round of the MLB draft on Wednesday. Chris is also signed for this season, but we expect he'll turn pro, so we won't see him this summer.

* Zach Green, an infielder from Jesuit High in Sacramento who was a 2012 Knights signee, has already agreed to terms with the Phillies. He was their third-round pick on Tuesday.

* Kentucky infielder Thomas McCarthy (2010) went to the Chicago White Sox in the 18th round. He's a Corvallis native and graduated from Crescent Valley Highh School.

* Texas Tech C Bo Altobelli (2010) went to the Minnesota Twins in the 21st rounbd.

* UC Riverside RHP Eddie Orozco (2008-09) went to the Chicago Cubs in the 22nd round.

* Camas, Wash., High senior Austin Barr (2012) went to the New York Mets in the 29th round.

* Catcher Ryan Gorton (2011) of Oregon State goes to Oakland in the 31st round.

* Pitcher Mark Trentacosta (2011-12) of UC Irvine went to St. Louis in the 34th round.

So, best of luck to all if they decide to play pro baseball!

It's opening day; Haniger drafted

It's finally here.

The Knights begin the home portion of our sixth season in Corvallis at 6:40 p.m. today, when we host the Klamath Falls Gems at Goss Stadium.

It's Big League Chew Opening Night presented by Fidelity National Title. The first 250 fans get a pouch of Big League Chew, Knights' trading cards and a magnet schedule compliments of the Corvallis Holiday Inn Express, where all our opponents stay while visiting Corvallis.

The stadium gates open at 6 pm. First pitch is 6:40 p.m. A.J. Burke of Western Oregon is our probable starting pitcher, opposed by Brandon Williams of Mt. Hood CC.

The weather forecast has improved greatly over the past 12 hours and it should be nice and dry tonight. And it looks even better for Wednesday, when we host the Gems again at 11 a.m. in our first Science and Art Day. We expect more than 1,500 area elementary students to attend the game and participate in our interactive science, art and history exhibits.

We hit the road again on Friday for three games in Wenatchee and two in Cowlitz. After Wednesday, our next home game is June 13 against the Walla Walla Sweets.

So, see you at the ballpark!

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We've got good news on the alumni front as well. Cal Poly junior center fielder Mitch Haniger, a 2010 West Coast League all-star with the Knights, was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday with the 38th pick of the Major League Baseball draft.

He was a compensation round pock. It's the second year in a row an ex-Knight was selected on the first day of the draft, which goes through Wednesday; former Oregon pitcher Tyler Anderson was taken in the first round by Colorado in 2011.

So congrats to Mitch, who was the 2012 Big West Conference Player of the Year.

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Nice story in today's Corvallis Gazette-Times about our home opener. It's not linked yet but check their site later in the day.

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Some odds and ends:

* Knights' 2012 signee Carson Kelly of Westview High School was selected by St. Louis in the second round of the 2012 MLB draft as the 86th overall pick. He's signed with Oregon.

* Signee Zach Green of Jesuit High in Sacramento goes to the Phillies in round 3, pick No. 125. He signed with Oregon State.

* Washington State 1B Taylor Ard (2009) goes to Seattle in the 7th round, pick No. 221.

* Portland RHP Kyle Kraus (2009-10) goes to the Boston Red Sox in the 7th round, pick No. 241.

* Oregon State pitcher Matt Boyd (2010) went to Cincinnati in the 13th round, as the 412th pick.

* And 2012 Knight Tyler Campbell of Lake Oswego High is the Three Rivers League Player of the Year.

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Texas pitcher Trevor Tekyl won't play for the Knights this summer as expected. He has decided to remain in Texas and work on his strength and conditioning. So, none of the three Texas players we signed will play for us; infielder Alex Silver and pitcher Justin Peters each were scheduled to have knee surgery after the regular season.

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Clearwater Threshers' first baseman Jim Murphy, our 2007 MVP, went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs in a 15-2 win over Palm Beach on Monday to earn today's Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honor. Clearwater is Philadelphia's affiliate in the Class A (advanced) Florida State League.

Home opener one day away!

It's moving day at the WWHQ.

The boxes of baseballs, clothing, coupons, banners and other stuff that have cluttered our downtown offices will be moved over to Goss Stadium today and tomorrow as we prepared for Tuesday's home opener against the Klamath Falls Gems.

The weather looks as if it will cooperate. A shower or two may move through on Tuesday, but there still should be some sunny periods throughout the day. We will play; Goss has a synthetic infield and we've never had a home game rained out in our five previous years in Corvallis.

We took 2 of 3 at Walla Walla to get the season off to a good start. And our roster now doesn't look anything like it will in mid-July, once our players from Oregon State, Oregon, Cal Poly, UC Riverside, UC Irvine and several other schools join the club.

So we will see you on Tuesday night. Seats are available online, at the office in the Madison Plaza, or at the stadium box office, starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Remember, we will play, rain or shine. And don't forget, it's Science and Art Day on Wednesday and the game starts at 11 a.m.

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Apparently there were some streakers at our Friday night game at Walla Walla, but we missed them. Here's the story from Our Sports Central. Don't get any ideas, Knights fans!

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More honors for Cal Poly junior outfielder Mitch Haniger, a 2010 Knight who earlier was named the Big West Conference's Player of the Year.

Haniger was named a third-team All-American by College Sports Madness and a second-team All-American by Louisville Slugger Collegiate Baseball.

Congrats to Mitch, who should go very high in the MLB draft on Tuesday.

Speaking of the draft, it starts tonight with the first round and the supplemental first round. Knights' signee Carson Kelly of Westview High is back in New York City for the festivities, as he's a possible first-round selection.

The draft continues on Tuesday and Wednesday. We expect many former Knights, and many former West Coast League players, will be selected.

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Former Knights catcher Andrew Susac (2009) earned Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day for going 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI for the San Jose Giants on Sunday in a 10-6 loss to Stockton. San Jose is San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A (advanced) California League.

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That's all for now. Time to move some boxes!

We're in Walla Walla, ready to start the season

It's time to play ball.

The first version of this season's Corvallis Knights - a roster filled with 10-day signees who will spend the first two series battling for full-time roster spots - has arrived in Walla Walla after an uneventful day of traveling from Portland, where we assembled at 10 a.m. right in front of the Rose Garden.

It's a beautiful day in Eastern Washington, sunny and about 80 degrees. So we're sure to have a crowd of 2,000-plus a venerable Borleske Stadium, where the Sweets have done a great job of turning a high school football stadium into an intimate ballpark.

Corvallis native Aaron Corwin, a junior at Texas Tech who has returned to the club after a one-year hiatus, is our scheduled starter. He'll be opposed by Tyler Roberts of Campbellsville (KY) University in a battle of right-handers.

Both teams are using makeshift rosters until their full squads arrive later this month with the end of school or when their respective teams are eliminated from the NCAA tournament. The Sweets today signed Columbia Basin College sophomore pitcher Artie Reyes, the younger brother of former Oregon State star Jorge Reyes.

And speaking of the Beavers, their 2-1 win over Belmont at the Baton Rouge NCAA Regional means Saturday's 7 p.m. Knights-Sweets game will be broadcast on KTHH-AM 990, since the Beavers will be on KEJO. So adjust your tuners accordingly.

That's it for now. Play ball!