Knights' Wednesday update

We are up and at 'em early today down here at the WWHQ, where interns Erica Hohlt and Mariah Ellis are getting some real-world business experience and helping us with the Knights-operated Oregon High School Baseball Coaches Association Reser's All-Star Series, set for June 18-19 at Goss Stadium.

It's an opportunity to see the top 6A/5A graduating seniors, some of whom will be future Beavers, Ducks, Pilots and perhaps even a Knight or two.

So we encourge your attendance.

It wouldn't be a Knights Blog without the obligagtory countdown. It's only 93 days until our June 3 opener at Walla Walla, and only 97 until our home opener, June 7 against the Klamath Falls Gems at Goss Stadium.

--------------------------------

Meanwhile, on with the Blog:

Pretty slow day for our past and future Knights on the diamond on Tuesday but we do have a few updates to report.

PORTLAND: Catcher Beau Fraser (2011) was 1-for-4 and scored a run in a 5-3 win at Oregon. Pitcher Kyle Kraus (2009, 2010) got the win with 6.1 innings of six-hit ball, with two strikeouts.

OREGON: Outfielder Connor Hofmann (2011) was 0-for-3 with a run scored in the loss to the Pilots.

CAL POLY: Infielder Jimmy Allen (2011) was 0-for-2 with a run scored and outfielder David Armendariz (2011) was 0-for-5 with a run scored in an 11-4 win over Fresno State. Former Knights Mitch Haniger (2010) was 1-for-4 with a run and D.J. Gentile (2009) was 0-for-4 with two RBIs for the Mustangs.

UC RIVERSIDE: Outfielder David Andriese (2010, 2011) was 1-for-3 with a run in an 11-8 win over San Diego. Reliever Dylan Stuart retired two hitters via strikeout in the ninth to end a five-run Torrero rally. Former Knight Dustin Emmons (2009, 2010) allowed one run in four innings of relief.

And oh by the way, let's all wish a happy 20th birthday to David Andriese!

----------------------------------------

Some news from around the West Coast League:

KELOWNA: The Falcons have signed infielders Andrew Firth and Keaton Briscoe, outfielder Blake Carruthurs and pitcher David Otterman of the University of British Columbia for the 2011 season. Firth is a sophomore corner infielder from London, Ontario, who was one of UBC's best offensive threats in 2010, when he hit .351 with 46 hits, seven doubles, three homers and 24 RBIs.

Briscoe is a sophomore middle infielder from North Vancouver, British Columbia, who hit .342 in 184 at-bats, with 63 hits, nine doubles, three homers and 35 RBIs and a .446 on-base percentage.

A sophomore from Calgary, Carruthers hit .335 with 59 hits, nine doubles, two triples, seven homers and 35 RBIs, with a .528 slugging percentage. He also had 11 stolen bases and a .443 on-base percentage.

A sophomore lefty from Coquitlam, British Columbia, Otterman was 1-0 with a 2.21 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 20.1 innings over 20 appearances. Opponents hit .203 against him.

WALLA WALLA: Here is the second installment of the "10 Things to Like About the Sweets" promotion.

Hello, March.

Maybe it's different in your neck of the woods, but March is coming in like a lamb down here at the WWHQ. A little rain, but the temperature is downright balmy when compared to the Arctic blasts we had in Corvallis late last week.

Lots of honors, near-honors, and updates on current and former Knights today after a busy weekend of baseball. And with the start of March, we're only 94 days away from our June 3 opener at Walla Walla, and a mere 98 away from Opening Night V, set for June 7 against the Klamath Falls Gems at Goss Stadium.

Let's all hope the Knights come in like lions come June.

Now, to the rest of the blog.

--------------------------------------

Former Knights pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009), now a junior at Oregon State, was named the Pacific-10 Conference Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday for his 2-0, two-hit shutout of No. 14 Connecticut at the Kleberg Bank Classic in Corpus Christi on Feb. 25.

Gaviglio retired the first 12 batters he faced and forced UConn to go 1-2-3 in every inning but the fifth and ninth. No runner got past first, and Gaviglio faced 29 batters, just two over the minimum.

He's 1-0, 0.00 in 15.1 innings over two starts this year, with 15 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .143 against him.

-------------------------------------------

Former Knights Scott Lyman (2010) of UC Davis and Matt Andriese (2009) of UC Riverside were both nominated for Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week honors, but did not win.

Lyman pitched a two-hitter over seven innings against Sacramento State on Feb. 21 and had four strikeouts, but wasn't involved in the decision. He also fanned five in 4.2 innings against San Francisco on Feb. 27, but again wasn't involved in the decision.

Andriese pitched eight shutout innings against Sacramento State on Feb. 25 and allowed just three hits, with eight strikeouts. However, he wasn't involved in the decision, as the game as scoreless when he left.

Coincidentally, ex-Knight Dustin Emmons (2009, 2010) pitched a scoreless ninth and got the win when the Highlanders scored twice in the top of the 10th, and current Knight Mitch Patito (2010, 2011) got the save with a scoreless bottom half.

Outfielder David Andriese (2010, 2011) of UC Riverside, Matt's younger brother, was nominated for BWC Player of the Week honors but did not win. He hit .500 (7-14) in three games against Sac State, with two runs scored and three RBIs.

-----------------------------------------

Here's a rundown of how our Division II, Division III, NAIA and JC players are faring this spring:

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: Pitcher Max Beatty, a 2010 returnee, is 2-0, with eight strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA, in 14 innings over two starts. Infielder Corey Moore is hitting .282 (11-39), with a homer and nine RBIs.

The Lutes have not played since Feb. 20; last weekend's series against St. Martin's was rained out.

COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN IDAHO: CSI had three of four games against the Prairie Baseball Academy postponed last week. Pitcher Tyler Duffin is 0-1, 12.00 in six innings over four appearances.

MT. HOOD: MHCC doesn't open the season until Saturday, at home against Edmonds (Wash.) CC. Knights on the roster are pitchers Nate Dolman and Matt Pechmann.

REDLANDS: Pitcher Kyle Hart is 2-1, 3.16 in four starts, with 33 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.

RIVERSIDE CC: Pitcher Kyle McNutt threw .2 scoreless innings against Sacramento City College on Feb. 25.

CONCORDIA: Infielder Sean Myrom is hitting .341 (14-41) in 11 games, with three homers and nine RBIs.

WESTERN OREGON: Infielder Griffin Boyd is hitting .234 (11-47), with no homers and seven RBIs, in 12 games.

FEATHER RIVER: Outfielder Dayton Alexander is hitting .325 (13-40), with two homers and two RBIs, in 10 games.

HAWAII PACIFIC: Pitcher Taylor Hill is 0-1, 1.35 with six strikeouts in 6.2 innings over four games.

Hello, March.

Maybe it's different in your neck of the woods, but March is coming in like a lamb down here at the WWHQ. A little rain, but the temperature is downright balmy when compared to the Arctic blasts we had in Corvallis late last week.

Lots of honors, near-honors, and updates on current and former Knights today after a busy weekend of baseball. And with the start of March, we're only 94 days away from our June 3 opener at Walla Walla, and a mere 98 away from Opening Night V, set for June 7 against the Klamath Falls Gems at Goss Stadium.

Let's all hope the Knights come in like lions come June.

Now, to the rest of the blog.

--------------------------------------

Former Knights pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009), now a junior at Oregon State, was named the Pacific-10 Conference Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday for his 2-0, two-hit shutout of No. 14 Connecticut at the Kleberg Bank Classic on Feb. 25.

Gaviglio retired the first 12 batters he faced and forced UConn to go 1-2-3 in every inning but the fifth and ninth. No runner got past first, and Gaviglio faced 29 batters, just two over the minimum.

He's 1-0, 0.00 in 15.1 innings over two starts this year, with 15 strikeouts. Opponents are batting .143 against him.

-------------------------------------------

Former Knights Scott Lyman (2010) of UC Davis and Matt Andriese of UC Riverside were both nominated for Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week honors, but did not win.

Lyman ND

Adios, February

Say goodbye to February, and welcome back to the Knights' daily blog.

We're pleased to tell you that there are only 95 days left until our June 3 opener at Walla Walla, and only 99 more days until our June 7 home opener against the Klamath Falls Gems at Goss Stadium.

This blog will include a complete rundown of how our Division I players are doing this season (Division II, Division III, NAIA and JC roundup on Tuesday). But pitcher Eric Young of Delaware defeated Arizona State and pitcher Chris Mendoza of Santa Clara had a big weekend too, as detailed in the news portion of our homepage.

Some notes of note involving the Knights:

---------------------

Chicago White Sox third baseman Brent Morel, a 2006-07 Knight and our first Corvallis player to make the majors, signed a one-year deal with the ChiSox over the weekend.

Morel and Mark Tehan are waging what MLB.com writer Scott Merkin calls "a friendly battle" for the starting job.

--------------------------------

Former Knights No. 2 broadcaster Jason Schwartz (2010) will handle the play-by-play for the Pac-10's streaming YouTube video of the first two rounds of the Pacific-10 Conference women's basketball tournament in Los Angeles.

So he'll do one, maybe two, Oregon State games in addition to his regular gig as the USC women's team's broadcaster.

--------------------------------

Lots of Knights connections in Oregon State's 10-7, 10-inning win at UT San Antonio today.

Danny Hayes (2010) had a 3-run homer in the top of the ninth to send the Beavs up 7-5. Carter Bell (2009) had a three-run double for a 10-7 lead in the 10th. James Nygren (2009) blew the save in the 9th but pitched a scoreless 10th for the win.

-----------------------------

Now, on with the blog:

----------------------------------

Here's now our Division I Knights are doing:

CAL POLY: Outfielder David Armendariz is hitting .182, with a homer and two RBIs. Infielder Jimmy Allen is 0-for-3, and pitcher Chase Johnson is 0-1, 21.60 in one brief appearance.

DELAWARE: Young is 1-0, 3.00 in nine innings over two games, with three strikeouts.

HAWAII: Outfielder Michael Blake is hitting .150 (3-20) with three RBIs in seven games.

OREGON STATE: Pitcher Ben Wetzler is 0-1, 7.36 over 7.1 innings in two starts. Reliever Scott Schultz is 0-0, 1.80 in seven innings over two appearances.

OREGON: Outfielder Connor Hofmann is hitting .286, with three RBIs, in five games.

SEATTLE: Infielder Nate Roberts is hitting .125 (1-8) with an RBI in two games. Pitcher Cam Christian is 0-1, 19.29 in 2.1 innings in two games.

UC IRVINE: Pitcher Nick Hoover is 0-0, 2.70 in 11 innings over two games. Pitcher Sebastian Santos is 0-0, 0.00 in one inning in his lone appearance.

PORTLAND: Catcher Beau Fraser is hitting .333 for the Pilots, with a homer and five RBIs in four games. Pitcher Chris Johnson is 0-1, 13.50 over four innings in one start.

WRIGHT STATE: Catcher Corey Davis is hitting .277, with two RBIs, in seven games.

WASHINGTON STATE: Outfielder Nate Blackham has a hit in his only at-bat.

SANTA CLARA: Mendoza is 1-1, 3.29 over 11 iinings in two appearances.

UC RIVERSIDE: Outfielder Davie Andriese hit .500 (7-14) with three RBIs in a three-game sweep at Sacramento State and is hitting .462 with a homer and five RBIs in seven games. Pitcher Dylan Stuart is 0-0, 0.00 in 1.2 innings and reliever Mitch Patito is 0-1, 2.45 with three saves.

------------------------------

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

WENATCHEE: Left-handed pitcher Tyler Abbott and right-handed pitcher Phillip Ferragamo from Uc Irvine have signed with the Wenatchee AppleSox. They are freshmen.

Ferragamo (6-8, 260) is from Canyon High School in Orange, Calif., and is 0-0 in two appearances this spring.

Abbott is from Royal High in Simi Valley, Calif., and was selected by the Florida Marlins in the 44th round of the 2010 MLB draft. He was named a Los Angeles Daily News first-team all-area all-star after going 8-3 with a 1.70 ERA as a senior at Royal. He has yet to make his collegiate debut.

Friday finale

OK, no more weather updates.

It is what it is, and we all know it will be beautiful in 98 days on June 3, when the Knights open the season at Walla Walla, and downright splendid in 102 days when we open Season V in Corvallis against Klamath Falls on June 7 at Goss Stadium.

In the meantime, a few updates:

-------------------------

Big day Friday for ex-Knights pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009) of Oregon State.

The junior righthander defeated No. 14 Connecticut 2-0 at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi, Texas, in the opening game of the Kleberg Bank Classic. He allowed two hits and had 10 strikeouts, with just one walk.

Gaviglio retired the side in the first, second, third, fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings. He allowed a two-out single in the ninth, but then got a force out to end the game. He threw 115 pitches and faced 29 batters, just two over the minimum.

Gaviglio is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two starts. He has allowed just eight hits in 15.2 innings and has 15 strikeouts and two walks. Opponents are hitting .143 against him.

--------------------------------

Knight-to-be Taylor Hill of Hawaii Pacific had four strikeouts and allowed three unearned runs in three innings of a 10-2 loss to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday. He pitched .2 scoreless innings in a 6-2 loss on Tuesday.

------------------------------

And former Knights outfielder Daniel Dillard (2010), now at Western Oregon, is the guest of honor on this edition of Wolves Weekly. He was the GNAC Player of the Week last week.

--------------------------------

This, from around the West Coast League:

KELOWNA: The Falcons have signed outfielder Dillon Bryant and pitcher Ethan Miller of San Diego State for the 2011 season.

Miller is a 6-fopot-4, 215-pound righthanded reliever who ws 0-2, 5.75 in 10 appearances in an injury-shortened 2010 season at SDSU.

Bryant is a freshman who is competing for the left field job this spring.

Thursday's winter wonderland

Wow, we went to bed in Corvallis on Wednesday night and woke up this morning in Buffalo, or Laramie, or Fargo, or Minneapolis, or some other snowy city. Thank you, La Nina!

Anyhow, lost amid the snowstorm is the fact that the countdown is now in double-digits. We're down to 99 days left before our June 3 season opener at Walla Walla, and only 103 days remaining before our June 7 home opener against the Klamath Falls Gems.

So the snow will melt, eventually the sun will come out, it will warm up and we'll begin the season in pursuit of our fifth consecutive West Coast League West Division title.

In the meantime, a few notebook items to get us through the day:

------------------------------------

No question that Atlanta Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson is one of the poster boys of the Knights organization, even if he played with the franchise before it moved to Corvallis for the 2007 season.

We still claim him, and he and our other ex-Knights in the big leagues - Chicago White Sox third baseman Brent Morel, Houston pitcher Bud Norris, Toronto pitcher Marc Rzeyczynski, Cubs' infielder Bobby Scales and Giants catcher Chris Stewart - are ample proof that you can see some big-leaguers in the making every time you step into Goss Stadium for a WCL game.

Anyhow, here's a story from MLB.Com on Hanson, who is in his third year with the Braves.

--------------------------

Knights' pitcher Nick Hoover (2009-11) of UC Irvine pitched a scoreless inning in relief on Tuesday in the Anteaters' 7-3, 10-inning win at San Diego State.

Knights outfielder David Andriese (2010, 2011) had a homer and two singles in four at-bats on Tuesday for UC Riverside in a 6-3 loss to USC. Former Knights pitcher Dustin Emmons took the loss.

----------------------------

Here's some news from around the WCL:

KLAMATH FALLS: The Gems have hired their radio crew for the 2011 season. Bobby Thompson and Mike Garrard will will broadcast all the Gems' games, home and road, for the next three years on Country Legends 960 AM radio in Klamath Falls.

Thompson has been the play-by-play voice for the Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls basketball team since 1990. Garrard has been part of the OIT broadcasting team since 2006, walking in the footsteps of his father, Oregon State Representative Bill Garrard.

We'll meet the new crew at Goss Stadium on June 7-9, and at Kiger Stadium in Klamath Falls on Aug. 2-4 , our last extended road trip of the summer.

WALLA WALLA: Interesting item on the Sweets' website, detailing 10 things you need to know about Sweets baseball.

100 days and counting

When you wake up in the morning and there's snow on the ground it's hard to think that summer is approaching, since it looks more like Hockey Night in Corvallis than time for West Coast League baseball.

But today marks a significant milestone in the countdown to our season opener. It's just 100 days until June 3, when the 2011 Corvallis Knights debut at Walla Walla, and only 104 days until Opening Night V on June 7, when we host the expansion Klamath Falls Gems at Goss Stadium.

Sounds like a long time, but it will go fast. In the meantime, we'll keep you appraised of any news about our 2011 Knights-to-be, and about happenings throughout the WCL.

---------------------------------

Editor Joe Raia of the Corvallis TidBits community newspaper stopped by the WWHQ this morning to gather some information on our upcoming season for a story he's doing on the Knights.

It should appear in Sunday's edition, so check it out at Corvallis TidBits later this week.

Those of you who subscribe to the Knights e-newsletter should have received 2011 edition No. 4 earlier today. If you're not receiving our mailing, and would like to, simply write me at [email protected] and we'll set you up.

-------------------------

Here's an article from Chicago Breaking Sports on former Aloha Knights infielder Bobby Scales of the Chicago Cubs, who this will battle ex-Oregon State star Darwin Barney, among others, for a backup position on the 25-man roster.

Scales played at Michigan and played for the Knights way back in 1997.

--------------------------

Around the WCL:

BELLINGHAM: The Bells are under new ownership and the new guys in charge have released a new plan to increase their season-ticket base. Here are the details, from the Bellingham Herald newspaper.

Tuesday 2/22 update

Spring draws closer by the day and our preseason countdown keeps approaching double-digits. Now there are only 101 days remaining until our June 3 opener at Walla Walla, and only 105 days left before our June 7 home opener at Goss Stadium against the expansion Klamath Falls Gems, who'll be making their first appearance in Corvallis.

In the meantime, we've still got virtually an entire season of Oregon State baseball to enjoy. The Beavers and Knights have an outstanding working agreement and we'd encourage you to get out to the ballpark this spring; OSU's home opener is set for 5:30 p.m. March 4, against the University of Hartford.

Four 2011 Knights (pitchers Ben Wetzler, Tom Zarosinsi and Scott Schultz, and infielder Brandon Defazio) are on the 2011 Beavers. So are former Knights Josh Osich, Taylor Starr, Sam Gaviglio, James Nygren, Matt Boyd, Andrew Susac, Carter Bell, Jake Rodriguez, Danny Hayes, Jordan Poyer and Dylan Jones.

So get in the Goss Stadium habit, starting on March 4.

-----------------------------------------

Monday we updated the stats of our 2011 Division I players. Today we'll give you a progress report on our NCAA Division II and Division III, NAIA, and junior-college Knights-to-be.

HAWAII PACIFIC: Pitcher Taylor Hill, a 10-day signee, is 0-0, 3.86 in 2.1 innings in his lone appearance. HPU had the weekend off and resumes play today against Northwest Nazarene.

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: Pitcher Max Beatty, a 2010 returnee, is 2-0, with eight strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA, in 14 innings over two starts. He was also named the Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 15.

Infielder Corey Moore is hitting .282 (11-39), with a homer and nine RBIs. The Lutes open their home season against St. Martin's on Friday.

COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN IDAHO: CSI was idle last weekend. Pitcher Tyler Duffin is 0-1, 12.00 in six innings over four appearances.

REDLANDS: Pitcher Kyle Hart is 1-1, 3.38, in 18.2 innings in three starts. He has 22 strikeouts and only six walks.

RIVERSIDE (CALIF.) COMMUNITY COLLEGE: The Tigers' season stats aren't updated. Outfielder Nic Cuckovich was 1-for-10 (.100) and pitcher Kyle McNutt allowed four runs in 1.2 inngs and was charged with a loss as the Tigers won 2 of 3 against Western Arizona this past weekend.

WESTERN OREGON: Infielder Griffin Boyd, a 2010 Knight and a 10-day signee this year, is hitting .234 (11-49), with seven RBIs in 12 games.

FEATHER RIVER (CALIF.) COLLEGE: Outfielder Dayton Alexander, a Washington signee, is hitting .345 (10-29), with two homers and two RBIs in seven games.

CONCORDIA: Infielder Sean Myrom, another 10-day signee, is hitting .343 (12-35), with two homers and seven RBIs, in nine games. The Cavaliers play at Portland on Thursday.

-------------------------

Former Knights' shortstop Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State was nominated for Big West Conference Player of the Week honors but did not win. He hit .417 (5-12) with three RBIs as the Dirtbags lost 2 of 3 to Cal State Fullerton.

----------------------------

Former Knights' outfielder Daniel Dillard (2010), a Western Oregon senior, was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week. He hit .500 (9-18) and had a homer, a double, five RBIs and six steals in three wins.

----------------------------------

Former Knights' infielder Taylor Hunter (2009) of George Fox University was named the Northwest Conference Player of the Week. He hit .642 (9-14) with three three-hit games as the Bruins went 3-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference/Northwest Conference Challenge at Wilsonville High School.

A shortstop, Hunter had a .714 slugging percentage, a .625 on-base percentage, and a game-winning RBI single against Concordia.

That's all for now. We'll be back tomnorrow, same wood-bat time, same wood-bat channel.

Monday, Monday

Maybe the Mamas and the Papas couldn't trust Mondays.

But down here at the WWHQ of the Corvallis Knights, today gives us an opportunity to update the greatest fans in the world on a weekend full of news for future Knights.

(Also, only 102 more days until our June 3 season-opener at Walla Walla, and a mere 106 before "Opening Night V: The Return of the Knights," against Klamath Falls on June 7 at Goss Stadium.

So, without further delay, let's get after it.

--------------------------

Three Knights are ranked in Baseball America magazine's list of the Top 10 freshmen in the Big West Conference.

Righthanded pitcher Chase Johnson of Cal Poly is ranked No. 5; Mustangs infielder Jimmy Allen is ranked No. 7. UC Riverside lefty pitcher Dylan Stuart is ranked No. 8.

-----------------------------------

Last weekend marked the start of the Division I college baseball season and our 2011 Knights were very busy. Here's a rundown on how they fared right out of the chute (for brevity's sake, we list the players by school):

OREGON STATE: Pitcher Ben Wetzler allowed four hits and an unearned run in 4.1 innings in a start against Gonzaga, with eight strikeouts. Pitcher Scott Schultz earned a win against the Zags and allowed one run and two hits in 3.2 innings.

OREGON:Outfielder Connor Hoffman hit .200 with two RBIs as the Ducks lost 2 of 3 at Hawaii.

UC IRVINE: Pitcher Nick Hoover was 0-1, 6.75 in 1.1 innings, with two strikeouts, as the Anteaters swept Nevada.

UC RIVERSIDE: Outfielder David Andriese hit .250, with an RBI, in three games against Loyola Marymount. Pitcher Mitch Patito was 0-1, 5.40 in two games and Dylan Stuart was 0-0, 0.00 in 1.2 innings.

CAL POLY: Outfielder Davis Armendariz hit .100 (1-10) in three games and infielder Jimmy Allen was 0-for-2 in a tournament at USC. Pitcher Chase Johnson was 0-1, 21.50 in 1.1 innings in his lone start.

DELAWARE: Pitcher Eric Young was 0-0, 4.50 in four innings in his lone start, against UNC Greensboro.

HAWAII: Outfielder Michael Blake hit .200 (2-10) in three games against Oregon (2-10), with two RBIs. He also scored a game-winning run.

SANTA CLARA: Pitcher Chris Mendoza pitched five scoreless innings against defending national-champ South Carolina and then gave up three runs in the sixth and lost. He was 0-1, 5.40 against the Gamecocks.

WASHINGTON STATE: Neither outfielder Nate Blackham nor infielder J.K. Dykes played in the series against Cal State Bakersfield.

WRIGHT STATE: Catcher Corey Davis hit .214 (3-14) with two RBIs as Wright State dropped a series at Ole Miss.

PORTLAND: Catcher Beau Fraser had a three-run homer to win Saturday's game and hit .357 (5-14) with four RBIs as the Pilots swept Middle Tennessee State.

SEATTLE: Pitcher Cam Christian was 0-1, 22.50 in two innings in one appearance at Cal State Northridge. Infielder Nate Roberts did not play.

We'll update our Division II/Division III/NAIA/JC players on Tuesday, and our former players later this week.

-------------------------

And there's this item from the mothership, the West Coast League website, provides plenty of details on the preseason honors and awards earned by some of the league's top players.

Most of the ones involving the Knights we've already reported, but we missed this one. Ex-infielder Davis Duren (2008) of Oklahoma State is a Baseball America magazine preseason Big 12 Conference all-star, is rated as the league's top defensive second baseman, and is ranked as the 12th-best senior in the conference.

Also, former Knights outfielder Brent Warren, now at Azusa Pacific after two years at OSU, is rated as the 10th-best draft available NAIA prospect by the magazine.

Anyhow, lots of good information and more proof that there are a ton of excellent players scattered throughout the WCL.

Fast start for 2011 Knight Myrom

Slow day (for a change) down at the WWHQ. But hey, it's only February and there are still 105 days until our June 3 opener at Walla Walla, and 109 days until Home Opener V: The Return of the Knights, June 7 against Klamath Falls at Goss Stadium, so it can't be Grand Central Station every day.

However, we always have a few updates about past and current players, and maybe a tidbit or two from around the West Coast League, so here goes.

-----------------------------------

Infielder Sean Myrom, a 10-day signee from Concordia, is hitting .364 (2-6) through five games. Former Knight Tommy Whalen (2009) is hitting .400 (1-6). Concordia plays Pacific Lutheran and 2011 Knights pitcher Max Beatty and infielder Corey Moore this afternoon at Wilsonville High.

--------------------------------

PLU lost twice at La Verne (Calif.) last weekend. Moore is hitting .261 (1-8), and Beatty is 1-0, 0.00 with eight shutout innings in his only appearance. Former Knights pitcher Nathan Eisenhauer (2010), is 0-1, 3.60.

----------------------------------------

Pitcher Tyler Duffin of the College of Southern Idaho was roughed up for three runs in 2/3 of an inning on Feb. 10 in a 10-7 loss at Phoenix College. He's 1-2, 12.00 in four appearances.

--------------------------------------------

Hawaii Pacific went 2-1 against Patten University last weekend in its debut series. Pitcher Taylor Hill, a 10-day signee, was 0-1, 3.86 in 2 1/3 innings.

--------------------------------------

Redlands pitcher Kyle Hart is 0-1, 3.55 in two starts, with 14 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. Redlands plays a three-game set with La Verne this weekend, starting today.

Most of the Division I schools open today, or this weekend, so we'll have more updates in weeks to come of all our players.

-------------------------------

We've hired our merchandise interns for the summer. They are Oregon State students Jenny Baker, Andrea Rodriguez, Alysha Farmer and Charlie Rose Hormann. They're all students in the College of Design and Human Environment.

So buy lots of stuff when you see them this summer at our merchandise table, which this year will be set up in the plaza outside the main gate at Goss Stadiim.

--------------------------

The Walla Walla Sweets have signed utility player Nick Gentili and infielder James Campbell of Pomona-Pitzer for the upcoming season.

A sophomore, Gentili was a second-team Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) all-star in 2010, when he hit .384, with five homers and 44 RBIs in 42 games. He attended St. Francis High in Glendale, Calif.

Campbell is a junior from McCallie High School in Lookout Mountain, Tenn. He's hitting .385 this season.