Another Friday, whoop whoop!

It's Friday again, whoop whoop!

And what better way to celebrate the end of the work week than by updating the countdown and by updating the faithful readers of the blog with the latest Knights news.

First, the countdown. We're down to just 32 days until our June 4 season opener with the Portland Lobos on Science and Art Day at Goss Stadium. It's an 11 a.m. game and we expect more than 1,600 area elementary school students to attend. Should be a fun day!

Also, former Knights reliever Jimmie Sherfy (2011) of Oregon has been named as one of the top draft prospects among relievers by Baseball America magazine. Here's the skinny, from reporter Conor Glassey. As the story says, Jimmy got his career turned around in Corvallis two summers ago and we're thrilled to follow his career, hopefully all the way to the major leagues.

Now, on with today's news.

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

Veteran Jaimie Van Vleet, who started with us as an intern in 2008 during her undergraduate years at Oregon State, has returned to the Knights on a part-time basis as our Director of Tickets. She will also coordinate the Host Family program. She will start on Monday. Welcome back, Jaimie!

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

Here's an update on former Knights superstar intern Leslie Mak, the one-time Oregon State gymnastics standout who interned for us in 2011. She graduated from OSU in 2012 and is now living in Portland and working as a sales rep for the E&J Gallo Winery.

Way to go, Leslie!

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

Concordia sophomore outfielder Blake Drake went 1-for-3 with a run on Friday in a 2-1 win over Menlo College at the NAIA West tournament at Concordia. The Cavaliers will face Menlo again at noon today in the championship game of the double-elimination event.

If Menlo wins that game, a second championship game will follow. The victory advances to the NAIA national tournament.

Drake was the only 2013 Knight in action on Thursday.

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

San Jose (A California, Giants) pitcher Josh Osich (2008) needed just 10 pitches in 1.2 scoreless, hitless innings, got the win and lowered his ERA to 1.29 in a 4-2 victory over Bakersfield that earned him Corvallis Knights Minor league Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Jupiter (A Florida State, Marlins) pitcher James Nygren (2009) got a hold after pitching two scoreless innings in a 10-6 win over Charlotte.

* Wisconsin (A Midwest, Brewers) outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010) was a combined 2-for-5 with a homer, a double, two RBIs and two runs in a doubleheader split with Lansing.

* Greensboro (A South Atlantic, Marlins) pitcher Scott Lyman (2010)allowed an unearned run, struck out six in five innings and got the win in an 8-1 victory over West Virginia.

* The Padres have promoted catcher Rocky Gale (2007, 2009) to triple-A Tucson of the PCL from double-A San Antonio of the Texas League.

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

It's Friday, so here are the latest updated stats from your Corvallis Knights alums in affiliated minor-league baseball:

TAYLOR ARD (2009): Taylor is hitting .206 (13-63), with a homer and seven RBIs, in 19 games with Clinton (Iowa), Seattle's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

MATT DUFFY (2010): Matt is hitting .304 (28-92) with a homer and 14 RBIs in 26 games with Augusta (Ga.), San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League.

ROCKY GALE (2007, 2009): Rocky is hitting .143 (2-7) with an RBI in two games for Tucson, San Diego's affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League.

DREW GARCIA (2007): Drew is hitting .189 (10-53) with six RBIs in 17 games for Charlotte, the Chicago White Sox's affiliate in the triple-A International League.

MITCH HANIGER (2010): Mitch is hitting .296 (24-81) with three homers and 15 RBIs in 23 games for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Milwaukee's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

ADAM MELKER (2008, 2009): Adam is hitting .222 (18-81) with two homers and five RBIs in 24 games for Springfield (Mo.), St. Louis's affiliate in the double-A Texas League.

BRENT MOREL (2006, 2007): Brent is hitting .215 (14-65) with a homer and nine RBIs in 19 games for Charlotte, the Chicago White Sox's affiliate in the triple-A International League.

JIM MURPHY (2007): Jim is hitting .313 (30-96) with four homers and 16 RBIs in 25 games for Reading (Pa.), Philadelphia's affiliate in the double-A Eastern League.

ANDREW SUSAC (2009): Andrew is hitting .297 (22-74) with four homers and 12 RBIs in 23 games for Richmond (Va.), San Francisco's affiliate in the double-A Eastern League.

TYLER ANDERSON (2009): Tyler is 0-1, 3.74 in six games with Modesto, Colorado's affiliate in the single-A California League. He has 30 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.

MATT ANDRIESE (2009): Matt is 3-0, 2.42 in five appearances for San Antonio, San Diego's affiliate in the double-A Texas League. He has 29 strikeouts in 26 innings.

SAM GAVIGLIO (2009): Sam is 3-1, 3.67 in five games with Palm Beach, St. Louis's affiliate in the single-A Florida State League. He has 21 strikeouts in 27 innings.

KYLE KRAUS (2009, 2010): Kyle is 1-0, 1.93 with one save in six games for Greenville (S.C.), Boston's affiliate in the single-A South Atlantic League. He has 10 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.

SCOTT LYMAN (2010): Scott is 1-2, 5.33 in six games for Greensboro (N.C.), Miami's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League, with 23 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.

EDDIE OROZCO (2008, 2009): Eddie is 1-2, 6.14 with one save in seven appearances with Kane County (Ill.), the Chicago Cubs' affiliate in the Class A Midwest League, with three strikeouts in 7.1 innings.

GREG PEAVEY (2007): Greg is 1-2, 5.79 in 12 appearances with Las Vegas, the New York Mets' affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. He has 11 strikeouts in 18.2 innings.

JOSH OSICH (2008): Josh is 1-0, 1.29 with four saves in 10 games with San Jose, San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A California League. He has 14 strikeouts in 14 innings.

JAMES NYGREN (2009): James is 1-1, 7.71 in six appearances with Jupiter, Miami's affiliate in the single-A Florida State League. He has three strikeouts in 11.2 innings.

NICK STRUCK (2009): Nick is 0-2, 6.50 in four games with Iowa, the Chicago Cubs' affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. He has five strikeouts in 18 innings.

We'll add other alums to the list as they are assigned to their respective teams.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BEND: The Elks have signed Abilene Christian incoming pitcher Scott Kinzler and Feather River Community College pitcher Jace Puckett to their 2013 staff. More details are available by clicking here and reading the second item on the home page menu.

MEDFORD: Construction at Harry & David Field in Medford is progressing, according to these photos from Ballparkbiz.com.

Big day for future Knight Blake Drake of Concordia

We were very excited several weeks ago when we signed sophomore center fielder Blake Drake of Concordia University. On Wednesday, he (again) validated that excitement.

Drake was 5-for-8 with a steal in a 4-3, 15-inning win over Oregon Tech in the opening game of the NAIA West tournament at Concordia. He then went 1-for-2 with a run in a 2-1 win over the University of British Columbia.

Drake is now hitting .369 (75-203), with 24 RBIs, 20 steals in 24 attempts, and a .426 on-base percentage. He has struck out just 13 times in 223 plate appearances.

Concordia plays Menlo College of California at noon today in its next game.

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

Knights' alum Matt Boyd (2010), a senior left-handed pitcher at Oregon State, was added to the Golden Spikes Award watch list Thursday by USA Baseball. It is given annually to the nation's top collegiate player. The watch list contains 60 players and will be trimmed to 30 semifinalists on May 28. Three finalists will be announced June 4 and the winner will be selected and presented on July 19.

Boyd is 8-2 with a 1.96 ERA entering this weekend's series with California. The lefty is third in the Pac-12 Conference with a .192 average against, third with 70 strikeouts, and eighth in ERA. Here's more from the OSU website.

Boyd will start Friday's game; 2013 Knight Andrew Moore (8-1, 1.54) will start Saturday's game and 2011 Knights alum Ben Wetzler (4-1, 1.47) will start Sunday's finale.

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

Another alum update: The Evansville Otters of the independent Frontier League have received pitcher Eric Massingham (2006-07) of Cal Poly from the Rockland Boulders of the Can-Am League for two players to be named later. Mass has played for the Otters off and on for several years since being released by the Philadelphia Phillies.

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

Wednesday was a big day for Knights alums in minor league baseball.

Richmond (AA Eastern, Giants) catcher Andrew Susac (2009) homered, doubled, scored once and had three RBIs in an 11-6 win over Bowie to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Reading (AA Eastern, Phillies) first baseman Jim Murphy (2007) hit his fourth homer of the year in a 2-1 loss to Portland.

* Springfield (AA Texas, Cardinals) outfielder Adam Melker (2008-09) doubled, tripled and scored once in a 9-3 win or NW Arkansas.

* Augusta (A South Atlantic, Giants) shortstop Matt Duffy was 1-for-1 with a double, a run and three walks in a 5-3 loss to Hagerstown.

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

Congrats also to Lori Ilg's second- and third-grade class at Ash Creek Elementary School in Monmouth, which is rapidly becoming a Knights' favorite. They just reserved a spot at Science and Art Day at Goss Stadium, set for 11 a.m. June 4 when we open the season with a nonconference game against the Portland Lobos.

They're the third class from that school to say they're attending, and it must be a special school because Ash Creek students are nicknamed Knights! So far we've taken reservations for about 1,550 school kids from the Mid-Valley area to attend; we've got more room, so if you're interested call us at 541-752-5656 and we'll set you up!

By the way, that game is just 33 days away! So get your season tickets and 10-game punch cards now.

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

The WCL became a 12-team league on Wednesday when it was announced that Yakima has been added as an expansion franchise for the 2014 season. Here's more on that story, from the Yakima Herald-Republic newspaper, and even more from The Wenatchee World newspaper.

Yakima's historically been a great baseball city, with the American Legion Beetles program, the Yakima Valley CC program, and a long history with the Northwest League. The blog attended the old Pac-10 Northern Division Tournament in Yakima several times, and most of the games were well-attended.

Nothing was announced yesterday but we probably can assume Yakima will play in the Northern Division with Victoria, Kelowna, Bellingham, Wenatchee and Walla Walla. That balances the divisions with six teams each.

Welcome to the league!

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

We already told you about outfielder Blake Drake's stellar performance at yesterday's Concordia games. Here's a roundup of Wednesday games involving 2013 Knights, and some alums (all players 2013 unless noted).

* Oregon's Jared Priestley threw a scoreless inning in a 3-2 loss at Seattle. Infielder Nate Roberts (2011-12) was 1-for-4 with an RBI for Seattle.

* Tons of Knights in action for Cal Poly in a 5-3 loss to Pepperdine. Jimmy Allen was 1-for-4; Nick Torres (2012) was 1-for-4 with a run and a double; Brian Mundell was 2-for-3 with a run, a triple and an RBI; David Armendariz (2011) was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI; Peter Van Gansen was 0-for-4 with an RBI; Casey Bloomquist allowed three runs in two innings, with one strikeout, and got the loss, and Chase Johnson (2011) pitched 2.2 scoreless innings of relief, with two strikeouts.

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

News from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

COWLITZ: Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging is sponsoring the Black Bears' June 5 opener against Kitsap. The first 1,000 fans entering the park will receive a free 2013 Magnetic Schedule, courtesy of Ellen Rose and the staff at Mt. St. Helens Motel in Castle Rock. For more details, click here.

VICTORIA: The HarbourCats will partner with the British Columbia Premier Baseball League to host a Victoria Mariners home game against the Victoria Eagles at Royal Athletic Park on May 28. For more details, click here.

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

That's all for today. See you tomorrow on a TGIF!

Alex Burg signs with the Miami Marlins

Happy Wednesday, everyone. The week is halfway done, the sun is out in CorVegas and it's supposed to be in the 80s for this weekend's Oregon State-California series at Goss Stadium. We're livin' right.

Good news to report this morning. Former Knights' catcher Alex Burg, the MVP of our 2008 West Coast League championship team, has signed with the Miami Marlins. Here are the details from the website of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, the independent American Association club he signed with after being released by the San Francisco Giants.

Alex, from Washington State via Clemson, played three years in the San Francisco organization and spent part of the 2011-12 winter season with the Brooke Knight-coached Perth Heat in the Australia Baseball League. He was released in the off-season after a solid year with the San Jose Giants. He hit .268 in 204 games, with 27 homers and 103 RBIs for his minor-league career with the Giants.

Congrats to Alex, and good luck!

And, congrats also to Trisha Wilfong's class at Ash Creek Elementary School in Monmouth. They just reserved a spot at Science and Art Day at Goss Stadium, set for 11 a.m. June 4 when we open the season with a nonconference game against the Portland Lobos. So far we've taken reservations for about 1,500 school kids from the Mid-Valley area to attend; we've got more room, so if you're interested call us at 541-752-5656 and we'll set you up!

By the way, that game is just 34 days away! So get your season tickets and 10-game punch cards now.

Another date to remember is Wednesday, May 22, when the Knights will host KEJO-AM 1240's popular Joe Beaver Show from noon until 2 p.m. at the WWHQ for the third year in a row, hosted by Mike Parker, who returns this year as the voice of the Knights, and Jon Warren.

We'll have door prizes, discounts on merchandise, etc. So make sure to stop by our office in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis. Don't miss it!

Now, on with the rest of the news.

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

Alum Max Beatty (2010-12) of Pacific Lutheran has been named the Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. He shut out Pacific 1-0 on Saturday. And, 2013 signee Tom Zarosinski of George Fox received honorable mention for his shutout of Corban, also on Saturday.

For more details, please click here. For more on Beatty from the PLU website, click here! And congrats to both players!

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

The West Coast League is expanding. Yakima, Wash., was awarded the league's 12th franchise on Wednesday, and will begin playing in 2014. Here's more on the story; welcome to the league!

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

Future Knights pitcher Andrew Moore (2013), who is tearing up the Pac-12 in his first season with Oregon State (8-1, 1 save, 1.54 ERA) is profiled in this story by reporter Andrew Kilstrom in the Oregon State Daily Barometer. We can't wait for Andrew, and OSU teammates Gabe Clark and Max Engelbrekt, to join us when their season is over.

If you want more Moore, check out this story from earlier this year on our website. And we're sure there will be even more about Moore in his hometown Eugene Register-Guard when the Beavers head to PK Park for their series with Oregon later this month.

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

Not many college games involving 2013 Knights on Tuesday. Here's a (short) roundup:

* UC Irvine's Chris Rabago was 2-for-4 with a run in an 8-1 loss to UCLA. Pitcher Evan Brock (2010) allowed one run in 2/3 of an inning and got the loss.

* San Jose State catcher Dane Lund was 0-for-1 in a 4-2 loss to San Francisco.

That's it. Like we said, a short roundup.

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

Pretty slim night Tuesday in minor league baseball. But Springfield (AA Texas, Cardinals) outfielder Adam Melker (2008-09) went 2-for-4 with a walk in a 4-2 loss to NW Arkansas to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

MEDFORD: We reported yesterday that former Knights star Dylan Jones (2009-10) would be an assistant coach for the Rogues. Here's more on that story from the Medford Mail-Tribune newspaper, and some other roster news.

WALLA WALLA: Here is the latest installment of "10 Things to Know About Sweets Baseball," a weekly feature on the team's website.

WENATCHEE: The AppleSox have signed returning left-handed pitcher Trevor Lubking of Pacific Lutheran, Central Washington outfielder Ethan Sterkel and Whitworth right-handed pitcher Dan Scheibe for the 2013 season. Here are more details, from the AppleSox website.

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

That's enough, and that's all for today. See you on Thursday!

Knights sign Max Engelbrekt

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

We've got some good news to report this morning. The Knights have signed Max Engelbrekt, a freshman lefty from Seattle who starred at Bishop Blanchet High School there before coming to Oregon State.

Here are all the details, from our website.

Engelbrekt is 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA in 16 games, with four saves and 15 strikeouts in 20.2 innings, all in relief. Opponents are hitting just .222 against the 6-foot-3, 197-pounder, a four-year letterman and all-metro choice at Blanchet.

He joins OSU teammates Andrew Moore, a freshman right-handed pitcher from Eugene, and Gabe Clark, a freshman infielder from Riverside, Calif., on the 2013 Knights.

Welcome to the team, Max. Now, on with the rest of the news.

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

Speaking of pitchers named Max, more news on Pacific Lutheran redshirt junior Max Beatty, a three-year Knights vet (2010-12).

Northwest Sports Tonight (Comcast channel 49) and King 5 News in Seattle will air a feature segment on Max at 9:30 tonight. Make sure to check it out!

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

Former Knights' standout Dylan Jones (2009-10) has been named an assistant coach by the expansion Medford Rogues. He'll work under another former Knights star, Josh Hogan (2007-09), now in his first year as their coach after leading the Klamath Falls Gems in 2012.

Here's more on that story from Our Sports Central. Congrats to Dylan, who was an all-WCL player for us, our 2010 MVP, and a participant in our recent "Harlem Shake" video. He's the guy in the Oregon State uniform rocking the bat and the umbrella; he played there in 2010-11 and is a volunteer assistant this spring.

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

Some bad news from St. Louis. The Cardinals have optioned lefty reliever Marc Rzepczynski, a 2006 Aloha Knight, to the triple-A Memphis Redbirds of the Pacific Coast League.

A situational reliever and five-year MLB veteran, Zep has struggled this season and is 0-0, 7.88 in nine appearances, with eight strikeouts in eight innings. He's allowed 13 hits and opponents are hitting .366 against him.

Here's more on the story from MLB.com.

Here's hoping Zep, who played at UC Riverside and led Knights in wins (6-0), ERA (2.25) and strikeouts (58) in 2006, gets things straightened out in Memphis and returns to the majors ASAP.

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

Here's an update from Kevin Burke, our 2012 play-by-play broadcaster who this summer is interning with the Pensacola (Fla.) Blue Wahoos, Cincinnati's affiliate in the double-A Southern League.

He's in charge of the team website, does play-by-play for the fourth, fifth and sixth innings of all home games and selected road games, and hosts an hour-long countdown show before most games.

"I'm traveling a little bit with the team," He said. "We have a commuter series with Mobile that I travel to and I'll also be going to a series in Jacksonville and Mississippi with the team and driving myself for weekend sets at Montgomery and Birmingham.

"It's been a great experience so far. Now the key is to keep it up for the next 121 games. Long season ahead."

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

Augusta (A South Atlantic, Giants) shortstop Matt Duffy (2010) hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to give his team a 4-2 win over Lexington on Monday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. It was the first homer of the year for Duffy, a former Long Beach State Dirtbag.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Charlotte (AAA International, White Sox) third baseman Brent Morel was a combined 2-for-7 with a double and two RBIs in a doubleheader loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

* Springfield (AA Texas, Cardinals) outfielder Adam Melker (2008-09) was 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run in a 12-2 win over Arkansas.

* Palm Beach (A Florida State, Cardinals) pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009) allowed one run and two hits and had six strikeouts in five innings of a 2-1 loss to Daytona. He got a no-decision.

* The Miami Marlins have returned pitcher James Nygren (2009) to the Jupiter Hammerheads (A Florida State) after a short stint with New Orleans (AAA International).

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

It's Tuesday, so here is our weekly update of the 2013 college stats for our NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and junior-college players. We'll do this every Tuesday throughout the college season; stats for our NCAA Division I players are updated on Mondays. All stats are through Monday's games.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON: Junior infielder Scott Stone is hitting .338 (23-68) in 28 games, with one homer and 12 RBIs.

CONCORDIA: Sophomore outfielder Blake Drake is hitting .358 (69-193) in 47 games, with 24 RBIs.

DIXIE STATE: Sophomore infielder Kevin Kline is hitting .380 (49-129) in 39 games, with six homers and 37 RBIs.

GEORGE FOX: Junior pitcher Tom Zarosinski is 4-4, 3.18 in 12 games, with 66 strikeouts in 76.1 innings. Sophomore pitcher Sean Eberhardt is 3-0, 3.14 in 13 games, with 10 strikeouts in 14.1 innings.

GRAND CANYON: Sophomore pitcher Jorge Perez is 6-4, 3.22 in 12 games, with 48 strikeouts in 78.1 innings. Freshman pitcher Andrew Naderer is 8-2, 2.35 in 12 games, with 57 strikeouts in 68.2 innings.

MT. HOOD CC: Sophomore pitcher Eric Huson is 4-0, 2.03 in seven games, with 28 strikeouts in 48.2 innings.

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY: Sophomore pitcher Kyle Treadway is 1-7, 4.15 in 10 games, with 21 strikeouts in 47.2 innings.

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: Sophomore pitcher Chris Bishop is 2-3, 4.89 in 16 games, with three saves and 37 strikeouts in 42.1 innings. Sophomore pitcher Jake Otness is 1-2, 7.43 in 15 games, with 23 strikeouts in 26.2 innings.

TACOMA CC: Sophomore pitcher Brandon Choate, a Washington signee, is 1-2, 3.24 in 11 games, with four saves and 23 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. Sophomore Chad Michaud is hitting .339 (20-59) in 17 games, with a homer and 20 RBIs as a catcher and is 0-0, 0.00 in three games as a pitcher, with a save and five strikeouts in three innings. Knights' pitching coach Connor Lambert has the same job with TCC during the school year.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

COWLITZ: The Black Bears have signed utility player Kyle Leady of Lower Columbia College; Bellevue pitchers Dustin Doucette, Alex Hatch and infielder Sheldon Stober, and infielder Cody Childs and outfielder Shea Coates of Mount Hood CC for the 2013 season. Here's more from The Daily News of Kelso-Longview.

KLAMATH FALLS: The Gems have signed infielder Zack McCoy and outfielder Chet Thompson of the University of Portland for the 2013 season. Click here for complete details.

VICTORIA: Here's the latest news from the HarbourCats Baseball Blog. Also, UC Santa Barbara DH/pitcher Robby Nesovic has been named the HarbourCats Player of the Week; here are more details from the team's website.

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

That's plenty of news for a Tuesday. See you on Wednesday.

OSU's Knights collection goes 3-for-3 vs. USC

Monday already? Bummer.

But what a weekend. Fabulous spring weather, got some yard work done, and the Corvallis Knights connection helped Oregon State sweep USC to remain in first place in the Pacific-12 Conference. Maybe you already saw it on our Facebook page, but here's a quick recap:

*Senior lefty Matt Boyd (2010) and junior righty Brandon Jackson (2012) handled the pitching in Friday's 10-4 victory.

Freshman Andrew Moore (2013) went 7.2 shutout frames in a 3-0 win on Saturday. That game was finished by Wenatchee AppleSox alum Tony Bryant (hey, we sometimes have to share the wealth).

* And on Sunday, 2011 alums Ben Weztler (8 innings) and Scott Schultz (1 inning) handcuffed the Trojans in a 6-1 victory that gave the Beavers their first-ever three-game sweep of USC.

We ran into former Knights manager Matt Dorey (2007) at Sunday's game. He's now a national cross-checker for the Chicago Cubs, who have their own Corvallis Connection with OSU's Darwin Barney at second base, ex-Corvallis High star Kevin Gregg in the bullpen and former Knight Eddie Orozco (2008-09) on their single-A Midwest League affiliate, the Kane Co. (Ill.) Cougars.

And finally, we're down to just 36 days until our June 4 season opener against the Portland Lobos on Science and Art Day at Goss Stadium. That's just five weeks from tomorrow; you already know the drill for tickets and punch cards.

Now, on to today's Knights-related news.

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

Alums Max Beatty (2010-12) of Pacific Lutheran and Rob Dittrick (2012) of Pacific University hooked up in a pitcher's dual on Saturday at Forest Grove. Both pitched 5-hitters, but PLU and Beatty prevailed 1-0. Max had 12 strikeouts, Rob 3; here's a roundup from Knights' president Dan Segel, who was at the game. Please check out the link to the video at the end of the story.

BTW, Rob's parents, Tim and Pat, stopped by the WWHQ this morning to send their regards and to drop off a generous (and very popular with the hired help!) goody bag of Hawaiian treats (they're from Mililani, Hawaii). It's always great to see the parents of our players!

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

Richmond (AA Easter, Giants) catcher Andrew Susac (2009) hit a solo homer, his third of the season, and singled (2009) in a 4-2 win over New Britain on Sunday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* San Jose (advanced A California, Giants) reliever Josh Osich (2008) pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout to earn his fourth save in a 5-3 winn over Modesto.

* Wisconsin (A Midwest, Brewers) outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010) was 3-for-4 with a run in a 6-3 loss to South bend.

* Lakeland (advanced A Florida State, Tigers) infielder Dean Green (2008) has been placed on the 7-day DL.

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

It's a Monday, so here are updated stats for our 2013 Division I players:

CAL POLY: Freshman catcher/DH Brian Mundell is hitting .274 (37-135) with eight homers and 29 RBIs in 37 games. Freshman infielder Peter Van Gansen is hitting .281 (34-121) with no homers and nine RBIs in 41 games. Freshman pitcher Casey Bloomquist is 3-0, 4.38 in five games, with 24 strikeouts in 24.2 innings.

COLUMBIA: Sophomore outfielder Gus Craig is hitting .310 (9-29) in 28 games, with no homers and two RBIs.

DARTMOUTH: Freshman outfielder Nick Ruppert is hitting .345 (19-55) in 16 games, with eight RBIs. He is presently sidelined until early-to-mid May with a broken hand.

OREGON: Freshmen pitcher Jared Priestley is 0-0, 3.18 in four games, with five strikeouts in 5.2 innings.

OREGON STATE: Freshman pitcher Andrew Moore is 8-1, 1.54 in 11 appearances, with a save and 42 strikeouts in 70 innings. Freshman infielder Gabe Clark is hitting .161 (5-31) in 15 games, with four RBIs.

PORTLAND: Sophomore infielder Cody Lenahan is hitting .278 (44-158) in 41 games, with no homers and 16 RBIs. Sophomore infielder Michael Lucarelli is hitting .184 (18-98) in 37 games, with no homers and nine RBIs. Junior pitcher Colin Feldtman is 2-2, 2.83 in 28.2 innings over 15 appearances, with two saves and 17 strikeouts. Sophomore pitcher Kody Watts is 1-2, 5.26 in 11 games, with 15 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.

SAN DIEGO: Sophomore outfielder Grant Melker is hitting .167 (1-6) in 21 games, with four runs, no homers and no RBIs.

SAN JOSE STATE: Junior catcher Dane Lund is hitting .235 (12-51) with no homers and three RBIs in 21 games.

UC IRVINE: Utility man Chris Rabago is hitting .278 (42-151) in 40 games, with a homer and 16 RBIs. Freshman pitcher Elliot Surrey is 1-0, 5.06 in nine games, with nine strikeouts in 10.2 innings.

UC SANTA BARBARA: Freshman outfielder Joseph DeRoche-Duffin is hitting .143 (1-7) in eight games, with no homers or RBIs. Freshman pitcher Dylan Hecht is 0-2, 2.13 in 21 games, with 34 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.

WASHINGTON: Freshman pitcher Alex Nesbitt is 0-0, 0.00 in two appearances, with a strikeout in 2.1 innings.

WASHINGTON STATE: Junior pitcher Kellen Camus is 3-2, 3.67 in 19 games, with three saves and 28 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. Freshman pitcher Jacob Schroeder is 0-0, 18.00 in three games, with no strikeouts in three innings.

Remember, stats for our Division II, Division III, NAIA and JC players will be updated tomorrow.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BEND: The Baltimore Orioles have released former Washington State/Elks standout Tommy Richards, the son of Elks owner Jim Richards. Tommy, a Knights-killer throughout his career with the Elks, hit .221 in 34 games with the Orioles in the rookie Gulf Coast League in 2012 after being selected in the 24th round of the 2012 draft.

MEDFORD: The Rogues have released the design of the commemorative tee-shirt the first 500 fans through the gates on Opening Night, June 5, will receive from the Rogues and Airport Chevrolet. Medford hosts the Bellingham Bells at refurbished Harry and David Field that night.

VICTORIA: Here's an update on the club's Cal State Fullerton connection, from the HarbourCats Baseball Blog.

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

That's all for today, See you on Tuesday!

Knights to play major role in OSU-USC series

It's a TGIF, everyone, and a sunny one at that! That's worth celebrating.

Big weekend for the Beavers here in CorVegas, as they host USC in a big Pac-12 series. Former/future Knights Matt Boyd (2010), Andrew Moore (2013) and Ben Wetzler (2011) are the scheduled starters, with closer Scott Schultz (2011) ready to lock things down if necessary, so the Knights have a vested interest in the games.

We also have a vested interest (and so should you, if you're reading this) in our 2013 season, which starts in just 39 days when we host the Portland Lobos on June 4 at Arts and Science Day at Goss Stadium. That's coming up quickly, so get your season tickets and 10-game punch cards now!

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

A handful of 2013 Knights were in action for their college teams on Thursday. Here's a roundup:

* George Fox reliever Sean Eberhardt pitched 1.2 innings of scoreless relief, with one strikeout, for a hold in an 8-6 win over Corban. Alex Keenan (2012) got one out for the save.

* Grand Canyon's Jorge Perez (2012-13) allowed one run and seven hits over eight innings in an 8-4 win over Azusa Pacific. He had two strikeouts and no walks.

* Dixie State first baseman Kevin Kline was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI in a 6-3 loss to Cal Lutheran.

* Mt. Hood pitcher Eric Huson allowed two runs and seven hits over seven innings and got the win in a 9-4 NWAACC victory over Chemeketa.

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

Modesto (A California, Rockies) pitcher Tyler Anderson (2009) allowed one run and seven hits and had six strikeouts in five innings and got a no-decision in a 6-2 loss to San Jose to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

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

It's Friday, so here are the latest updated stats from your Corvallis Knights alums in affiliated minor-league baseball:

TAYLOR ARD (2009): Taylor is hitting .182 (8-44), with a homer and six RBIs, in 13 games with Clinton (Iowa), Seattle's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

MATT DUFFY (2010): Matt is hitting .296 (21-71) with 10 RBIs in 20 games with Augusta (Ga.), San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League.

ROCKY GALE (2007, 2009): Rocky is hitting .200 (5-25) with three RBIs in eight games for San Antonio, San Diego's affiliate in the double-A Texas League.

DREW GARCIA (2007): Drew is hitting .188 (9-48) with six RBIs in 15 games for Charlotte, the Chicago White Sox's affiliate in the triple-A International League.

MITCH HANIGER (2010): Mitch is hitting .286 (16-56) with two homers and 10 RBIs in 16 games for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Milwaukee's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

ADAM MELKER (2008, 2009): Adam is hitting .175 (10-57) with two homers and three RBIs in 18 games for Springfield (Mo.), St. Louis's affiliate in the double-A Texas League.

BRENT MOREL (2006, 2007): Brent is hitting .261 (12-46) with a homer and seven RBIs in 13 games for Charlotte, the Chicago White Sox's affiliate in the triple-A International League.

JIM MURPHY (2007): Jim is hitting .360 (27-75) with three homers and 16 RBIs in 19 games for Reading (Pa.), Philadelphia's affiliate in the double-A Eastern League.

ANDREW SUSAC (2009): Andrew is hitting .264 (14-53) with two homers and eight RBIs in 18 games for Richmond (Va.), San Francisco's affiliate in the double-A Eastern League.

TYLER ANDERSON (2009): Tyler is 0-1, 2.93 in five games with Modesto, Colorado's affiliate in the single-A California League. He has 24 strikeouts in 27.2 innings.

MATT ANDRIESE (2009): Matt is 3-0, 0.86 in four appearances for San Antonio, San Diego's affiliate in the double-A Texas League. He has 21 strikeouts in 21 innings.

SAM GAVIGLIO (2009): Sam is 3-1, 4.09 in four games with Palm Beach, St. Louis's affiliate in the single-A Florida State League. He has 15 strikeouts in 22 innings.

KYLE KRAUS (2009, 2010): Kyle is 1-0, 2.16 with one save in five games for Greenville (S.C.), Boston's affiliate in the single-A South Atlantic League. He has nine strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

SCOTT LYMAN (2010): Scott is 0-1, 3.44 in four games for Greensboro (N.C.), Miami's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League, with 16 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.

EDDIE OROZCO (2008, 2009): Eddie is 1-1, 7.20 with one save in five appearances with Kane County (Ill.), the Chicago Cubs' affiliate in the Class A Midwest League, with three strikeouts in five innings.

GREG PEAVEY (2007): Greg is 1-2, 4.30 in nine appearances with Las Vegas, the New York Mets' affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. He has seven strikeouts in 14.2 innings.

JOSH OSICH (2008): Josh is 0-0, 1.74 with two saves in seven games with San Jose, San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A California League. He has 12 strikeouts in 10.1 innings.

JAMES NYGREN (2009): James is 0-0, 7.71 in one appearance with New Orleans, Miami's affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. He has two strikeouts in 2.1 innings.

NICK STRUCK (2009): Nick is 0-2, 4.80 in three games with Iowa, the Chicago Cubs' affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. He has four strikeouts in 15 innings.

We'll add other Knights' alums to the list as they are assigned to their respective teams.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BELLINGHAM: The Bells have signed pitcher Nate Cole from Cisco College and infielder Eric Angerer from Chico State University for the upcoming season. For full details, check out this story from Our Sports Central.

BEND: The Elks have signed Lewis-Clark State pitcher David Murillo and University of California pitcher Michael Jordan for the upcoming season as replacements for previously-signed pitchers who instead will be shut down for the summer. For more info, click here and read the first item on the menu.

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

That's all for today. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday!

Knights lose Gallegos, Johnson

Happy Thursday, everybody. It's TGIF Eve, and that's always nice!

Looks like another super day in Corvallis, the Miami Beach of the Pacific Northwest. Can't beat sunshine and mid-70s in April and it looks as if we'll have nice weather for this weekend's Oregon State-USC series at Goss Stadium, and Knights Matt Boyd (2010), Andrew Moore (2013) and Ben Wetzler (2011) are OSU's scheduled starting pitchers.

Unfortunately we do have some bad news to report his morning. Corban sophomore infielder Marc Gallegos, an all-West Coast League selection for us last summer, will miss the 2013 summer season with a left shoulder injury. He hit .309 in 52 total games for us in 2012, with 19 RBIs, 36 runs and a franchise-record 26 steals.

Marc was hitting .393 in 27 games at Corban, with a homer, 20 RBIs and 12 steals, when he was hurt on March 27 while diving back into first base on a pickoff play in a game against Pacific University.

Marc hit .346, with 26 RBIs and 33 steals, at Corban in 2012. He was an NAIA West first-team all-star selection, and an NAIA West Gold Glove selection.

The Knights also have lost Oregon redshirt freshman pitcher Sam Johnson, who will undergo surgery to remove bone spurs. He pitched two innings in two games this spring after missing all of the 2012 college season after undergoing arm surgery.

Rated as Oregon's No. 1 prospect by Perfect Game and No. 2 by Baseball Northwest in 2011, Sam led Westview High School to the 2011 6A state championship.

So, tough losses for us, but we'll get through it.

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

Alum Max Beatty (2010-12) of Pacific Lutheran and 2013 Knights pitcher Tom Zarosinski of George Fox were nomination for Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week honors for April 15-21, but were not selected.

Beatty pitched seven innings of four-hit, shutout ball and got the victory in a 14-1 win over Lewis & Clark on April 20; he had nine strikeouts. Zarosinski had six strikeouts and gave up one run and seven hits in nine innings and got a no-decision in an eventual 2-1, 13-inning loss at Linfield.

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

Several Knights in action for their respective college teams on Wednesday. Here's a roundup (all players 2013 unless otherwise noted):

* Outfielders Grant Melker of San Diego and Joseph DeRoche-Duffin of UC Santa Barbara played but did not bat in UCSB's 12-4 win.

* Columbia outfielder Gus Craig was a combined 0-for-6 as the Lions dropped a doubleheader against Fordham.

* Washington pitcher Alex Nesbitt pitched two scoreless, hitless innings and got a hold as the Huskies rallied for an 11-8 win at Gonzaga.

All of our players will be in action this weekend.

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

San Antonio (AA Texas, Padres) pitcher Matt Andriese (2009) allowed just three hits and had seven strikeouts in six shutout innings, improved to 3-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.86 in a 5-3 win over Frisco to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Charlotte (AAA Pacific Coast, White Sox) third baseman Brent Morel (2006-07) was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in his first game off the disabled list and shortstop Drew Garcia (2007) was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in a 6-5 victory over Norfolk.

* Richmond (AA Eastern, Giants) catcher Andrew Susac (2009) doubled and scored as a pinch-hitter in a 6-2 loss to Altoona.

* Reading (AA Eastern, Phillies) first baseman Jim Murphy (2007) was 2-for-4 with an RBI and raised his average to .360 in a 6-5 win over Harrisburg.

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

It's a Thursday, so that means another edition of the Knights Top 10.

There's a lot of individual fail in baseball and even the best players only get a hit a little more than 30 percent of the time. So, not all of our Top 10s are going to reflect success.

So it is with today's Top 10, our single-season strikeout leaders (WCL games only).

1. 34, Austin Barr (2012)

1. 34, Corey Davis (2011)

1. 34, Logan Lotti (2008)

4. 32, Daniel Dillard (2010)

4. 32, Billy Clontz (2009)

6. 31, Caleb Whalen (2012)

6. 31, Dylan Jones (2009)

8. 29, Clayton Shaw (2007)

8. 29, David Andriese (2011)

10. 27, Connor Hofmann (2011)

10. 27, Nick Akins (2007)

We'll be back next week, with another Knights Top 10.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

VICTORIA: Here's more on the HarbourCats' search for hist families, from the Island Sports News.

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

That's all for today. See you tomorrow on a TGIF.

Schultz added to stopper watch list

Halfway through what's turning out to be a spectacular week in CorVegas. Another beautiful, sunny morning at the WWHQ; it almost seems like summer, where it never (or hardly ever) rains in Corvallis.

Let's get started with some good news about an alum, Oregon State junior reliever Scott Schultz (2011). He's been added to the midseason Stopper of the Year watch list.

The Gig Harbor, Wash., native is 2-1 with a 1.15 ERA and eight saves in 16 appearances. His eight saves are fourth in the Pac-12; five have come in conference games, second-best in the league.

In his most recent appearance, Schultz pitched 7.1 innings of two-hit shutout relief in a 4-3, 14-inning win at Seattle University on Monday. He struck out three.

He's the second member of our 2011 West Coast League championships team to make the watch list; it also includes Oregon junior closer Jimmie Sherfy, an original selection.

So, congrats and good luck to Scott.

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

Alums Nate Esposito (2012) and Carlos Rodriguez (2012) of Oregon State will play for the East Texas Pump Jacks, the defending champions in the Texas Collegiate League, this summer, according to this story in the Kilgore News Herald newspaper.

Nate was honorable mention all-WCL in 2012 and hit .244 in 27 games, with no homers and 12 RBIs. Carlos was 4-1, 2.48 in 10 appearances, with 24 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched.

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

Lots of future and former Knights in action on Wednesday for their respective college teams. Here's a roundup (all players on our 2013 team unless noted):

* Oregon defeated Portland 11-7 at UP. Connor Hofmann (2011-12) was 2-for-5 with a run; Jared Priestley gave up two earned runs and had two strikeouts in two innings, and Jimmie Sherfy (2011) had one strikeout in a scoreless ninth for the Ducks. Cody Lenahan was 2-for-4 with a run and a double; Kramer Scott (2011) was 1-for-5; Caleb Whalen (2012) was 2-for-5 with a double and a run and Kody Watts pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, with a strikeout, for the Pilots.

* Cal Poly crushed Cal 7-1 at Berkeley as Casey Bloomquist allowed one run in 6.2 innings, with three strikeouts, for his third straight win. Jimmy Allen (2011) was 1-for-2 with a run; Nick Torres (2012) and Brian Mundell were 1-for-5 with a run; David Armendariz (2011) was 2-for-4 with a run and a homer and Peter Van Gansen was 0-for-4 for the Mustangs.

* Chris Rabago (2012-13) was 0-for-3 and Evan Brock (2010) gave up three runs in 1/3 of an inning in UC Irvine's 18-2 loss to San Diego State.

* San Diego outfielder Grant Melker was 1-for-1 and scored in a 3-2, 11-inning win over UC Riverside. David Andriese (2010-11) was 2-for-5 and Trevor Frank (2012) had two strikeouts in two scoreless innings for UCR.

* Concordia's Blake Drake was 0-for-3 in a 3-1 loss to Pacific University.

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

Wisconsin (A Midwest, Brewers) outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010) was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, a double and a walk in a 9-1 win over Quad Cities on Tuesday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Iowa (AAA Pacific Coast, Cubs) pitcher Nick Struck (2009) allowed two runs in six hits in six innings of a quality start but was the loser in a 4-1 defeat at Memphis.

* Reading (AA Eastern, Phillies) first baseman Jim Murphy (2007) singled, doubled, tripled and scored twice in a 7-5 win at Harrisburg. He didn't have an RBI because the first three hitters in the lineup were a combined 2-for-14 but he did raise his average to .352.

* San Jose (A California, Giants) pitcher Josh Osich (2008) had four strikeouts and a no-decision in two innings of relief in a 6-5 loss to Modesto.

* Augusta (A South Atlantic, Giants) shortstop Matt Duffy (2010) was 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 3-1 win over Hagerstown.

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

The Charlotte Knights (AAA International, White Sox) have activated infielder Brent Morel (2006-07) from the 7-day disabled list. He last played on April 15.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BELLINGHAM: Bobble Head Night will return on June 28 as the Bells and Smith Kia present Dinger, the team's mascot, posing as his superhero alias: Captain Bellinghamster. For more details, please click here.

WALLA WALLA: Here is the latest installment of "10 Things to Know About Sweets Baseball," a regular feature on the team's website.

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

That's all for today, See you on Thursday.

Max Beatty hits the big-time

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Another beautiful, sunny day in CorVegas, which is rapidly becoming the Miami of the Northwest. We definitely can handle a week of sunny, 70-degree weather, even if it does mean allergy season will start earlier this spring.

Let's start out with some good news. We've linked a story on alum Max Beatty from the Pacific Lutheran University alumni magazine, Scene, on our website and it makes for very good reading.

We expect Max will be another in a long list of Knights alums to be selected in the Major League Baseball draft come June. And if he decides not to turn pro, he still has another season of eligibility at PLU, a long-time partner school whose head coach, Geoff Loomis, played and coached for the Knights when the franchise was located in the Portland area.

Also, our 2012 play-by-play broadcaster, Kevin Burke, sends along his regards to Knights players and fans everywhere. He's the No. 2 broadcaster for the Pensacola (Fla.) Blue Wahoos, Cincinnati's affiliate in the double-A Southern League. He's in Jackson, Tenn., for tonight's Game 3 of a four-game series with the Jackson Generals.

We're sure there's an Applebee's there so he'll feel right at home. (FYI, we're not giving them a free plug but Applebee's are a common post-game stop for WCL teams. There's one in every WCL city and they're one of the few restaurants open late).

Finally, the countdown to opening day hit 42 this morning. That's right, it's exactly six weeks until our June 4 season opener against the Portland Lobos on Science and Art Day at Goss Stadium. Nearly 1,500 area elementary students, teachers and parents have already made reservations for the big day, but we still have room for more so if your school/class is interested, give us a call at 541-752-5656 for more information.

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

Alums Ben Wetzler of Oregon State and Jimmie Sherfy of Oregon, key members of our 2011 championship team's bullpen, were nominated for the Pacific-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week award but were not selected.

Wetzler shut out Washington 8-0 on Sunday in the finale of a three-game series in Seattle. Sherfy saved Oregon's two wins last week, one over Portland and one over UCLA.

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

Only one game involving former/future Knights on Monday, but it was a Knightsapalooza in Oregon State's 4-3, 14-inning win over Seattle in Bellevue.

For OSU, Danny Hayes (2009) hit a two-run homer and scored the winning run, which was driven in by Jake Rodriguez (2009) who was also 2-for-6. Nate Esposito (2012) was 0-for-1, Brandon Jackson (2012) walked the only two hitters he faced and Scott Schultz (2011) got the win and saved the day with 7.1 innings of scoreless, two-hit relief, with three strikeouts.

Shortstop Nate Roberts (2011-12) was 2-for-6 for the RedHawks.

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

The parent Miami Marlins have promoted alum James Nygren (2009) of Oregon State to the New Orleans Zephyrs of the Pacific Coast League. He made his triple-A debut on April 20 vs. Round Rock and gave up two runs in 2.1 innings in an 8-7 loss.

Nygren started the season at Jupiter in the advanced-A Florida State League. There he was 0-1, 10.13 in four games, with three strikeouts in eight innings.

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

Lakeland (A Florida State, Tigers) first baseman Dean Green (2008) was 2-for-3 with a run and a double in a 3-1 victory over Clearwater on Monday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor league Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Richmond (AA Eastern, Giants) catcher Andrew Susac (2009) was 1-for-2 with a run, a double and two walks in a 10-6 win over Altoona.

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

It's Tuesday, so here is our weekly update of the 2013 college stats for our NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and junior-college players. We'll do this every Tuesday throughout the college season; stats for our NCAA Division I players are updated on Mondays. All stats are through Monday's games.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON: Junior infielder Scott Stone is hitting .413 (19-46) in 22 games, with one homer and 10 RBIs.

CONCORDIA: Sophomore outfielder Blake Drake is hitting .349 (60-172) in 42 games, with 19 RBIs.

CORBAN: Sophomore infielder Marc Gallegos is hitting .393 (46-117) in 27 games, with a homer and 20 RBIs. He's still sidelined with a shoulder injury.

DIXIE STATE: Sophomore infielder Kevin Kline is hitting .385 (45-117) in 36 games, with six homers and 34 RBIs.

GEORGE FOX: Junior pitcher Tom Zarosinski is 3-4, 3.56 in 11 games, with 56 strikeouts in 68.1 innings. Sophomore pitcher Sean Eberhardt is 3-0, 3.55 in 12 games, with nine strikeouts in 12.2 innings.

GRAND CANYON: Sophomore pitcher Jorge Perez is 5-4, 3.45 in 11 games, with 46 strikeouts in 70.1 innings. Freshman pitcher Andrew Naderer is 7-2, 2.63 in 11 games, with 52 strikeouts in 61.2 innings.

MT. HOOD CC: Sophomore pitcher Eric Huson is 3-0, 1.94 in six games, with 24 strikeouts in 41.2 innings.

PACIFIC UNIVERSITY: Sophomore pitcher Kyle Treadway is 1-7, 3.69 in nine games, with 20 strikeouts in 46.1 innings.

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: Sophomore pitcher Chris Bishop is 2-3, 4.95 in 15 games, with three saves and 36 strikeouts in 40 innings. Sophomore pitcher Jake Otness is 1-1, 7.56 in 14 games, with 20 strikeouts in 25 innings.

TACOMA CC: Sophomore pitcher Brandon Choate, a Washington signee, is 1-2, 3.52 in nine games, with three saves and 21 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. Sophomore Chad Michaud is hitting .348 (16-46) in 13 games, with a homer and 16 RBIs as a catcher and is 0-0, 0.00 in three games as a pitcher, with a save and five strikeouts in three innings. Knights' pitching coach Connor Lambert has the same job with TCC during the school year.

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

No news to report from elsewhere in the West Coast League today, so we'll close. See you on Wednesday.

It's Monday already

Good morning everyone, and a happy Monday to you from beautiful downtown CorVegas, where the sun is shining brilliantly, a harbinger of the week to come, or so the weatherman tell us.

We are down to only 43 more days until our June 4 season opener with the Portland Lobos on Science and Art Day at Goss Stadium. That's just over six weeks, and it will go quickly, so renew those season tickets and get your 10-game punch cards right now!

And we just took a reservation from the first grade class at Ash Creek Elementary School in Monmouth for Science and Art Day!! There's still room left for your school too so if you're interested give us a call at 541-752-5656.

Now, on with the news!

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

Reading (AA Eastern, Phillies) first baseman Jim Murphy, our 2007 MVP, was 2-for-4 with an RBI in a 4-3 loss to Richmond to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors for Sunday.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Augusta (A Giants, South Atlantic) shortstop Matt Duffy (2019) was a combined 2-for-6 with an RBI and a triple in a doubleheader split with Kannapolis.

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

It's a Monday, so here are updated stats for our 2013 Division I players:

CAL POLY: Freshman catcher/DH Brian Mundell is hitting .283 (34-120) with eight homers and 26 RBIs in 33 games. Freshman infielder Peter Van Gansen is hitting .294 (32-109) with no homers and eight RBIs in 37 games. Freshman pitcher Casey Bloomquist is 2-0, 5.50 in four games, with 21 strikeouts in 18 innings.

COLUMBIA: Sophomore outfielder Gus Craig is hitting .333 (7-21) in 23 games, with no homers and two RBIs.

DARTMOUTH: Freshman outfielder Nick Ruppert is hitting .345 (19-55) in 16 games, with eight RBIs. He is presently sidelined until early-to-mid May with a broken hand.

OREGON: Freshmen pitcher Jared Priestley is 0-0, 0.00 in three games, with three strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Freshman pitcher Sam Johnson is 0-0, 4.50 in two games, with two strikeouts in two innings.

OREGON STATE: Freshman pitcher Andrew Moore is 7-1, 1.73 in 10 appearances, with a save and 46 strikeouts in 62.1 innings. Freshman infielder Gabe Clark is hitting .161 (5-31) in 15 games, with four RBIs.

PORTLAND: Sophomore infielder Cody Lenahan is hitting .271 (39-144) in 39 games, with no homers and 16 RBIs. Sophomore infielder Michael Lucarelli is hitting .194 (18-93) in 34 games, with no homers and nine RBIs. Junior pitcher Colin Feldtman is 2-2, 2.83 in 28.2 innings over 15 appearances, with two saves and 17 strikeouts. Sophomore pitcher Kody Watts is 1-2, 7.11 in eight games, with 11 strikeouts in 19 innings.

SAN DIEGO: Sophomore outfielder Grant Melker is hitting .000 (0-5) in 18 games, with three runs, no homers and no RBIs.

SAN JOSE STATE: Junior catcher Dane Lund is hitting .250 (11-44) with no homers and three RBIs in 19 games.

UC IRVINE: Utility man Chris Rabago is hitting .275 (38-138) in 36 games, with a homer and 14 RBIs. Freshman pitcher Elliot Surrey is 1-0, 5.06 in eight games, with nine strikeouts in 10.2 innings.

UC SANTA BARBARA: Freshman outfielder Joseph DeRoche-Duffin is hitting .143 (1-7) in seven games, with no homers or RBIs. Freshman pitcher Dylan Hecht is 0-2, 2.35 in 19 games, with 30 strikeouts in 23 innings.

WASHINGTON: Freshman pitcher Alex Nesbitt is 0-0, 0.00 in one appearance, with a strikeout in .1 innings.

WASHINGTON STATE: Junior pitcher Kellen Camus is 3-2, 3.67 in 19 games, with three saves and 28 strikeouts in 23.1 innings. Freshman pitcher Jacob Schroeder is 0-0, 18.00 in three games, with no strikeouts in three innings.

Remember, stats for our Division II, Division III, NAIA and JC players will be updated tomorrow.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

MEDFORD: The Rogues have announced their summer schedule of Rogues Training Camps at Harry & David Field. Please click here for more information.

VICTORIA: The stats of the HarbourCats Canadian players are updated in this edition of the HarbourCats Baseball Blog.

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

That's it for today. See you on Tuesday.