Lund, Surrey, Rabago earn top honors

As we promised, the Knights announced the recipients of the top team honors for 2013 on Tuesday night. And the winners were:

* Catcher/outfielder Dane Lund, formerly of San Jose State, was our MVP.

* Lefty Elliot Surrey, a rising sophomore at UC Irvine, won the Knights Top Pitcher award.

* And catcher/shortstop Chris Rabago, a junior-to-be at UC Irvine, earned the Joe Segel Hustle Award, for the second year in a row.

Click here for full details on the awards. Congrats to all three very deserving honorees!

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Four Knights alums will play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League in October and November.

* Catcher Andrew Susac (2009) of Giants will play for the Scottsdale Scorpions. He spent 2013 at double-A Richmond in the Eastern League.

* Left-handed pitcher Tyler Anderson (2009) of the Rockies will play for the Salt River Raptors. He played primarily at Modesto in the Class A California League in 2013.

* Right-handed pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009) of the Cardinals will also play for the Rafters. He spent most of 2013 on the DL but also pitched for Palm Beach in the Class A Florida State League.

* Outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010) of the Brewers will play for the Surprise Saguaros. He spent 2013 at Wisconsin in the Midwest League and at Brevard County in the Florida State League.

Each major league organizations sends its top six prospects to the Phoenix area to play in the six-team (Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt City Rafters, Phoenix Desert Dogs, Peoria Javelinas, Surprise Saguaros) league. Most are double-A and triple-A players; clubs can send one Class A prospect.

The season starts on Oct. 8 and runs through Nov. 15. Games are played in the spring training stadiums used by the Giants, Mariners, Padres, Cubs, Athletics, Royals, Rangers, Diamondbacks and Rockies.

So, congrats to Andrew, Tyler, Sam and Mitch for being so highly thought of in their respective organizations.

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Reading (AA Eastern, Phillies) first baseman Jim Murphy (2007) was 3-for-4 with a homer, a run and three RBIs in a 9-8 win over Richmond on Tuesday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Colorado Springs (AAA Pacific Coast, Rockies) second baseman Drew Garcia (2007) was 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs in a 13-12 win over Las Vegas.

* Great Falls (R Pioneer, White Sox) first baseman Danny Hayes was 2-for-4 with two runs, an RBI and a double in an 8-4 loss to Idaho Falls.

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

Top honors to be announced

Every day in the offseason we wonder of we'll have enough Knights news to fill the blog.

And every day, it seems as if we do. Somewhere, someplace, somehow, someone with Knights connections is doing something newsworthy and we're happy to tell you all about it.

Our team awards have been determined by our coaches and top administrators (no, the blog doesn't have a vote. We said TOP administrators). So look to our website for the news on the winners, as they will be announced shortly.

All are very deserving, and played major roles in helping us capture our third West Coast League championship overall, and our second in the past three seasons.

Now (as the post-season clutter in our office slowly gets organized), on with today's news.

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It's been eight days since we defeated Wenatchee 1-0 to sweep the West Coast League's Championship Series, and claim our third title.

But the Blog just this morning saw the Wenatchee World newspaper's account of the final game. After reading the paper's story on the game, we're again reminded why AppleSox coach Ed Knaggs is one of our favorite guys in the WCL.

Here's what he said about Knights' ace Jorge Perez, who pitched a two-hit shutout in the final game:

"(Perez is) probably the best right-hander we have faced - best stuff we've seen. A lot of our guys were overmatched. He was tough and he got better as he went. The fastball had some really good life to it."

And, while acknowledging it's always tough to lose, he complimented the Knights for winning the title.

"No matter what, if you aren't winning your last game, it's disappointing to sit and watch the other team dog pile on the mound. That's not what you hope for.

"They deserved it, I thought they were the best team in the league. The AppleSox have had their share of dog piles in front of that team and they bested us this time."

As we said, class guy, in a classy program.

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We wrote on Monday about Miami Marlins farmhand/alum Scott Lyman (2010) of the Jupiter Hammerheads earning Pitcher of the Week honors in the Florida State League. Here's more on that story from MILB.com:

"After going 4-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 20 starts for Class A Greensboro, Lyman has thrived since joining the Hammerheads on July 31. The 23-year-old right-hander tossed six scoreless innings at St. Lucie on Aug. 16, then topped it with seven shutout frames at Charlotte on Friday.

"Though Lyman's ERA has improved in the FSL and he has yet to allow a home run, Lyman's strikeout rate has dropped dramatically: after fanning 102 in 105 innings with Greensboro, he's struck out 13 (and walked 15) in 26 1/3 Florida State League frames."

Again, congrats to Scott, a UC Davis alum whose time was us was limited by injury. He was a teammate with alums James Nygren (2009) and Alex Burg on the Hammerheads.

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Lakeland (A Florida State, Tigers) first baseman Dean Green (2008) was a combined 2-for-8 with two runs and a three-run homer on Monday in a doubleheader sweep of Brevard County to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. Dean has been promoted to Lakeland, where he started his season before being put on the DL with an injury, from West Michigan of the Midwest League.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Clinton (A Midwest, Mariners) first baseman Taylor Ard (2009) was 2-for-5 with two runs and a homer in a 6-5 loss to Beloit.

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Some news from the world of independent baseball:

* The Saint Paul Saints (American Association) have activated pitcher Mike Koons (2007) from the DL. He is 2-2, 4.34 in 13 appearances, with 21 strikeouts in 47.2 innings.

* Outfielder Logan Lotti (2008) hit .356 (74-208) in 61 games for Alpine in the Pecos League, with 12 homers, 49 RBIs and 70 runs.

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News from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

KLAMATH FALLS: Former Oregon letterman Mitch Karraker will return to manage the Gems in 2014. Click here for full details on the story, from Our Sports Central..

WALLA WALLA: Here's the season wrapup of the Sweets, from the team's website. We missed playing at Borleske Stadium this past summer, as we didn't visit Walla Walla, something that hopefully will be corrected by a new balanced schedule in 2014.

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That's all for today. See you on Wednesday.

More honors for Drake, Perez

Welcome back, everyone. The Knights daily Blog returns to action after several days off following the end of a long season, and after a busy morning of cleanup and trying to make some headway on a very cluttered world-wide headquarters.

The problem is, too much stuff, not enough office.

We've got some good news to start the week with. Knights outfielder Blake Drake of Concordia University in Portland, and pitcher Jorge Perez of Grand Canyon University have been named summer All-Americans by Perfect Game USA, a website that covers summer collegiate baseball.

Drake was a second-team choice as an outfielder. A standout defensively in center field, he was third on club in steals (20) and hit .288, with three homers, 14 doubles, 29 RBIs and 40 runs.

Perez was a third-team choice as a relief pitcher, his role before starting two games in the playoffs. He was 1-1, 1.30, with six saves in the regular season, and then went 2-0, 1.17 in the playoffs, with a title-clinching, 2-hit shutout of Wenatchee in the WCL Championship Series.

Congrats to Jorge and Blake for a great season. Here's the story from Perfect Game detailing the 2013 summer All-American team.

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Alum Scott Lyman (2010) of UC Davis was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Week for Aug. 19-25. He blanked Charlotte on two hits through seven innings on Aug. 23, and had five strikeouts.

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The new Yakima franchise is gearing up for its 2014 debut as the WCL's 12th team. Click here to check out their website.

"We are excited to get started in the market," said PBV (Pacific Baseball Ventures, the club's operators) vice-president Zachary Fraser. "We want feedback and input from the very fans that are proud to call the Yakima Valley their home.

"This will help us develop a brand that is something that the whole community can truly rally around."

Here's a story from the Yakima Herald newspaper about how Yakima can use nearby Walla Walla as a blueprint, since PBV operates both franchises. And here's more, comparing Yakima to the other markets in the WCL.

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Great Falls (R Pioneer, White Sox) first baseman Danny Hayes (2010) was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs in a 12-5 win over Idaho Falls on Sunday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Brevard County (A Florida State, Brewers) outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010) was 1-for-4 with a run and two RBIs in a 6-5 loss to Dunedin.

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That's all for today.

WCL Champions!

What a way to end the season.

As you all know by now, the Knights won our third West Coast League championship last night with a tense 1-0 victory over the Wenatchee AppleSox at Goss Stadium. We now have captured titles in 2008, 2011 and 2013.

What a night it was. Knights' pitcher Jorge Perez, of Grand Canyon University was spectacular, as he allowed just two hits while outdueling Wenatchee's Trevor Lubking, who was almost as good.

Here's video of the final inning, from 9 inning know it all.

So now, season No. 7 in Corvallis is in the books. It seems like it just started, but after 63 games in 76 days since our June 4 opener, we're ready for a little break. We'll clean out Goss Stadium today, take everything back to the office, chill for a bit, and then start planing for the 2014 season.

All-league awards will be released later this month. We'll announce our first signings sometime in September, as we start to build the nucleus of what we hope will be another championship contender next summer. We expect several players from the 2013 team will return.

In the meantime, we'll enjoy our championship. Big thanks to the players, coaches, staff and fans who made it all possible!

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Perez was named the West Coast League Player of the Week on Tuesday for his performance in the playoffs. A right-hander from Grand Canyon University, Perez shut out Wenatchee 1-0 on Monday night in the title-clinching game of the WCL Championship Series. He allowed two hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out seven.

Perez also won our opening game of the playoffs, at Medford on Aug. 13. In that game he allowed three runs in 6.1 innings and had four strikeouts. He was 2-0 in the playoffs overall, with a 1.17 ERA and 11 strikeouts and just one walk in 15.1 innings.

Congrats to Jorge, a great pitcher and a better guy.

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The Knights were ranked No. 3 in Perfect Game's final top 50 summer college baseball rankings, compiled by Alan Simpson. It's the highest ranking in team history.

We finished 46-17 overall and closed out the summer on a 14-game overall winning streak and a 21-game home winning streak. We were 30-4 at Goss Stadium, and 33-5 in our final 38 games.

Walla Walla (41) was the only other WCL team I the top 50. For the complete rankings, please click here.

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Monday's game took just one hour and 28 minutes to complete and was the fastest nine-inning game in team history. Perez and Lubking each allowed just two hits and three baserunners, and did not walk anyone.

They combined to retire the side in order in 12 of 17 innings and neither team had more than one baserunner in any inning.

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Monday night's crowd of 1,224 enabled us to set an all-time attendance record for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. We drew 43,529 fans in 33 dates, an average of 1,319 fans per opening. The old record of 42,447 was set in 2011.

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Reading (AA Eastern, Phillies) first baseman Jim Murphy (2007) was 4-for-4 with a run and two RBIs in a 4-2 win over Altoona in the first game of a doubleheader on Monday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Salem (A Carolina, Red Sox) pitcher Kyle Kraus (2009, 2010) gave up one run, had two strikeouts and earned a save with four innings of relief in a 9-2 win over Carolina.

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That's it for today. Off to Goss to start the cleanup.

One win away from a championship!

We're one win away from our third West Coast League title.

Of course, if you're reading this you probably already know that. We took a 1-0 lead over Wenatchee in the best-of-3 WCL Championship Series on Saturday night with a tense 3-1 victory at Paul Thomas Sr. Stadium in Washington.

Game 2 is at 6:40 tonight at Goss Stadium. Tickets are moving briskly and we hope to have a nice crowd, so don't get left out! Reserved seats are $11, GA seats are $5, and punch cards will be honored.

Now, on with today's news.

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Left-hander Andrew Naderer pitched a four-hitter through 8.1 innings to get the win on Saturday night, and Devon Barker got the final out for the save.

Kavin Kayes had three hits for the Knights to raise his playoff average to .750 (9-12) in three games. Mike Lucarelli (.600, 3-5) and Peter Van Gansen (.333, 5-15, 7 RBIs) are also having outstanding playoffs for the Knights.

Infielder Connor Spencer is Wenatchee's playoffs offensive leader, as he's hitting .600 (6-10) with a homer and two RBIs in three games. Infielder Stockton Taylor is hitting .462 (6-13), with an RBI.

Lefty Trevor Lubking is Wenatchee's projected starter, opposed by righty Jorge Perez for the Knights.

Wenatchee and Corvallis are the two most successful franchises in WCL history, with a combined five championships since the current two-division format was adopted in 2007. Wenatchee won title in 2009, 2010 and 2012; Corvallis was champion in 2008 and 2011. The AppleSox defeated the Knights in 2009 and 2012; the Knights defeated Wenatchee in 2008.

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We will set an all-time attendance record tonight against the AppleSox. We've drawn 42,305 fans through 32 games, an average of 1,322 per opening. Our all-time record is 42,447, set in 2011, so we're just 142 fans short of that.

With season tickets and tickets already sold we'll easily surpass that mark. But we'd love to smash that record, so the more the merrier at the stadium tonight.

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Good story here from The Oregonian on alum Jimmie Sherfy (2011). He's been promoted from Hillsboro in the short-A Northwest League to South Bend in the low-A Midwest League after a great month with the Hops.

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The owners of the WCL's newest franchise, Yakima, have launched a "name the team" contest. Click here to cast your ballot. Yakima joins the league for the 2014 season.

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Vermont (A New York-Penn, A's) catcher Ryan Gorton (2011) was 2-for-4 with an RBI on Sunday in a 6-4 loss to Brooklyn to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Charlotte (AAA International, White Sox) third baseman Brent Morel (2007) was 3-for-7 with a run in a doubleheader loss to Durham.

* Modesto (A California, Rockies) pitcher Tyler Anderson (2009) had seven strikeouts, gave up one run and five hits in seven innings and got the win in a 6-1 victory over Bakersfield.

* Boise (A Northwest, Cubs) pitcher Eddie Orozco (2008-09) threw 1.1 scoreless innings and had three strikeouts in a 10-2 loss to Tri-City.

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That's all for today. See you at the ballpark tonight!

Friday at last! Finals opener at Wenatchee on Saturday!

It's off the Wenatchee for the Corvallais Knights, as we search for our third West Coast League championship. The bus leaves at 2 p.m. Friday; the team will stay in Wenatchee on Friday night and then return to Corvallis immediately after the game.

Sunday is an off day and the series resumes 2 at 6:40 p.m. Monday at Goss Stadium with Game 2.

Here's a primer on the series:

WHAT: 2013 West Coast League Championship Series

WHO: Corvallis Knights (44-17) vs. Wenatchee AppleSox (33-25)

FORMAT: Best-of-3

WHEN: Saturday at Wenatchee, 7:05 p.m.; Monday at Corvallis, 6:40 p.m.; Tuesday at Corvallis, 6:40 p.m. (if necessary)

RADIO: All games on KEJO-AM 1240

LIVE STATS: Available at wccbl.com, or at corvallisknights.com

HOW ADVANCED: Corvallis won the South Division regular season and swept runner-up Medford 2-0 in the divisional playoffs. Wenatchee was second in the North Division and swept champion Walla Walla 2-0 in the divisional playoffs.

SERIES: Wenatchee leads the all-time regular-season series 26-25 and the playoff series 4-3

REGULAR SEASON: Corvallis won 4-2. Wenatchee won 2 of 3 on June 5-7 in Wenatchee; Corvallis swept Wenatchee on July 8-10 in Corvallis

LOCAL CONNECTIONS: Oregon State infielders Kavin Keyes and Gabe Clark play for the Knights. OSU outfielder Joey Jansen plays for Wenatchee.

OF NOTE: It's the fourth time Corvallis and Wenatchee, the two winningest teams in WCL history, have met in the finals. Corvallis won in 2008 (2-0); Wenatchee won in 2009 (2-0) and 2012 (2-1).

So there you have it. Go Knights!

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Some alumni news:

* The Toronto Blue Jays have promoted alum Matt Boyd (2010) to Dunedin of the advanced-A Florida State League. He started the summer at Lansing (Mich.) in the low-A Midwest League.

* St. Louis has assigned alum Sam Gaviglio (2009) to the Gulf Coast League Cardinals on a rehab assignment. He pitched for the Palm Beach Cardinals in the Florida State League before suffering an arm injury and missing much of the summer.

* Arizona has promoted reliever Jimmie Sherfy (2011) to South Bend in the low-A Midwest League from Hillsboro in the short-A Northwest League.

* The Los Angeles Angels have assigned pitcher Tommy Hanson (2005) to Salt Lake City in the Pacific Coast League.

* The Cuns have moved pitcher Nick Struck (2009) down to double-A Tennessee from triple-A Iowa.

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Great Falls (R Pioneer, White Sox) first baseman Danny Hayes (2010) was 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs on Thursday night in an 8-7 loss to Ogden to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Richmond (AA Eastern, Giants) pitcher Josh Osich went 1.1 scoreless innings and got the win in a 9-6 victory over Akron.

* Brevard County (A Florida State, Brewers) outfielder (2010) was 2-for-4 with a run in a 5-3 winn over Tampa.

* West Michigan (A Midwest, Tigers) first baseman Dean Green (2008) was 1-for-4 with a homer in a 2-1 loss to Lansing.

* Salem-Keizer (A Northwest, Giants) pitcher Chris Johnson went 5.2 innings, allowed two runs and had four strikeouts in a 6-5 win over Hillsboro. He left with a 3-2 lead but got a no-decision.

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It's time to update the stats from your Corvallis Knights alums in affiliated minor-league baseball:

DAYTON ALEXANDER (2011): Dayton is hitting .229 (27-118) with two homers and six RBIs in 43 games with Beloit, Oakland's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

BO ALTOBELLI (2010): Bo is hitting .250 (5-20) with no homers or RBIs in six games with Cedar Rapids, Minnesota's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

TAYLOR ARD (2009): Taylor is hitting .240 (86-359) with six homers and 46 RBIs in 102 games with Clinton (Iowa), Seattle's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

CARTER BELL (2009): Carter is hitting .233 (48-206) with three homers and 17 RBIs in 60 games with South Bend, Arizona's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

ALEX BURG (2008): Alex is hitting .333 (9-27) with two homers and six RBIs in nine games with New Orleans, Miami's affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League.

MATT DUFFY (2010): Matt is hitting .305 (25-82) with four homers and seven RBIs in 20 games for San Jose, San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A California League.

GRANT FINK (2011): Grant is hitting .252 (32-127) with one homer and 18 RBIs in 36 games for the Indians, Cleveland's affiliate in the Arizona Rookie League.

ROCKY GALE (2007, 2009): Rocky is hitting .242 (43-178) with a homer and 18 RBIs for San Antonio, San Diego's affiliate in the double-A Texas League.

DREW GARCIA (2007): Drew is hitting .250 (22-88) with one homer and five RBIs in 32 games with Colorado Springs, Colorado's affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League.

RYAN GORTON (2011): Ryan is hitting .198 (16-81) with one homer and three RBIs in 28 games for Vermont, Oakland's affiliate in the Class A New York-Penn League.

DEAN GREEN (2008): Dean is hitting .282 (22-78) with five homers and 15 RBIs in 20 games for West Michigan, Detroit's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

MITCH HANIGER (2010): Mitch is hitting .248 (68-248) with six homers and 32 RBIs in 73 games for Brevard County, Milwaukee's affiliate in the Class A Florida State League.

DANNY HAYES (2010): Danny is hitting .250 (37-148) with three homers and 34 RBIs in 38 games for Great Falls, the White Sox affiliate in the Class A Pioneer League.

ADAM MELKER (2008, 2009): Adam is hitting .261 (73-280) with eight homers and 28 RBIs in 95 games for Springfield (Mo.), St. Louis's affiliate in the double-A Texas League.

BRENT MOREL (2007): Brent is hitting .259 (86-259) with five homers and 48 RBIs in 89 games with Charlotte, the Chicago White Sox's affiliate in the triple-A International league.

JIM MURPHY (2007): Jim is hitting .273 (117-429) with 19 homers and 70 RBIs in 119 games for Reading (Pa.), Philadelphia's affiliate in the double-A Eastern League.

JAKE RODRIGUEZ (2010): Jake is hitting .219 (14-64) with a homer and nine RBIs in 21 games for Tri-City, Houston's affiliate in the Class A New York-Penn League.

ANDREW SUSAC (2009): Andrew is hitting .252 (66-262) with 12 homers and 46 RBIs in 83 games for Richmond (Va.), San Francisco's affiliate in the double-A Eastern League.

JUSTIN VIELE (2010): Justin is hitting .263 (35-133) with one homer and 13 RBIs in 40 games with the Orioles of the Arizona Rookie League.

TYLER ANDERSON (2009): Tyler is 1-2, 4.12 in 10 games with Modesto, Colorado's affiliate in the single-A California League. He has 49 strikeouts in 54.2 innings.

MATT ANDRIESE (2009): Matt is 1-5, 4.53 in nine games for Tucson, San Diego's affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. He has 34 strikeouts in 49.2 innings.

MAX BEATTY (2010-12): Max is 1-1, 2.79 in 13 games with the Arizona Rookie League Padres, with one save and 19 strikeouts in 19.1 innings.

MATT BOYD (2010): Matt has been promoted to Dunedin in the Class A Florida State League. He was 0-1, 0.64 in five games for Lansing, Toronto's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League, with 12 strikeouts in 14 innings.

A.J. BURKE (2012): A.J. is 0-3, 7.98 in 11 games with the Arizona Rookie League Athletics, with 13 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.

TREVOR FRANK (2012): Trevor is 1-3, 2.96 in 15 games for Mahoning Valley, Cleveland's affiliate in the Class A New York-Penn League. He has one save and 31 strikeouts in 27.1 innings.

SAM GAVIGLIO (2009): Sam is 0-0, 0.00 in one game with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals while on rehab from Palm Beach, St. Louis's affiliate in the single-A Florida State League. He has three strikeouts in three innings.

CHASE JOHNSON (2011): Chase is 3-1, 1.44 in seven games with Salem-Keizer, San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A Northwest League, with 28 strikeouts in 31.1 innings.

CHRIS JOHNSON (2011): Chris is 5-3, 2.31 in 12 games with Salem-Keizer, San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A Northwest League, with 68 strikeouts in 70 innings.

KYLE KRAUS (2009, 2010): Kyle is 4-2, 4.20 in 12 games with Salem, Boston's affiliate in the single-A Carolina League. He has 26 strikeouts in 45 innings.

SCOTT LYMAN (2010): Scott is 1-2,6.08 in three games with Jupiter, Miami's affiliate in the Class A Florida State League, with six strikeouts in 13.1 innings.

JAMES NYGREN (2009): James is 7-3, 3.04 in 33 appearances with Jupiter, Miami's affiliate in the Class A Florida State League. He has 25 strikeouts in 53.1 innings.

EDDIE OROZCO (2008, 2009): Eddie is 0-1, 7.56 in seven games with Boise, the Chicago Cubs' affiliate in the Class A Northwest League, with 12 strikeouts in 8.1 innings.

JOSH OSICH (2008): Josh is 2-2, 6.05 in 12 appearances with Richmond, San Francisco's affiliate in the double-A Eastern League. He has two saves and 19 strikeouts in 19 innings.

GREG PEAVEY (2007): Greg is 2-1, 2.14 in four games with Binghamton, the New York Mets' affiliate in the double-A Eastern League. He has 16 strikeouts in 21 innings.

JIMMIE SHERFY (2011): Jimmie is 0-0, 0.00 in one game with South Bend, Arizona's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League. He has two strikeouts in one inning.

NICK STRUCK (2009): Nick is 0-1, 5.91 in two games with Tennessee, the Chicago Cubs' affiliate in the double-A Southern League. He has six strikeouts in 10.2 innings.

That's all for today. Gave a great weekend and we will see you on Monday at Game 2 of the WCL Championship Series against Wenatchee, 6:40 p.m. at Goss Stadium!

Knights vs. Wenatchee, Act 4

It's now official.

The Knights will play Wenatchee (again) in the 2013 West Coast League Championship Series. It will be the fourth time in the WCL's nine-year history that the Knights and AppleSox have squared off in the best-of-3 finals.

The Knights won 2-0 in 2008. Wenatchee won 2-0 in 2009, and 2-1 in 2012. So if we prevail this year, it's all even-Steven.

We'll head up to Wenatchee on Friday afternoon, as Game 1 is set for 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Paul Thomas Sr. Field. We'll return to Corvallis after the game.

Sunday is a travel day. Game 2 is set for 6:40 p.m. Monday at Goss Stadium. Game 3, if necessary, is set for 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, also at Goss.

Broadcaster Mike Parker will have the call on all three games on KEJO-AM 1240. We'll also have the customary updates on Facebook and Twitter.

We swept Medford and the AppleSox swept Walla Walla in the divisional round to advance to the finals. We took the regular-season series; the AppleSox won two of three in Wenatchee June 5-7, and we swept them in Corvallis July 8-10.

Here's the story on Wenatchee's series-clinching victory, from The Wenatchee World newspaper. Here's the story from the Walla Walla Union Bulletin newspaper.

It should be a good series. So come on out to Goss; tickets are on sale online, at the WWHQ in downtown Corvallis, and at the stadium on Monday, starting at 6 p.m.

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Our pitching rotation for the series is finalized. Lefty Andrew Naderer of Grand Canyon University (3-1, 2.48) will start Game 1. Righty Jorge Perez (1-1, 1.30) of GCU will start Game 2. Lefty Elliot Surrey (5-1, 1.26), the 2013 WCL ERA champion, will start Game 3 (if necessary).

Davis Engel, a Central Washington sophomore righty who was 4-4, 4,80 this summer, will start Game 1 for Wenatchee.

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The umpiring crew for the finals has been determined, according to West Coast League Supervisor of Umpires Tom Hiler. Steve Hilgendorf is crew chief, along with Russ Waterman and Colin Price.

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Wednesday night's crowd of 1,167 raised the season total to 42,305, the second-highest in our history and just 105 fans short of the all-time high of 42,447, set in 2011. We'll set a record on Monday when we host Wenatchee in Game 2 of the Championship Series.

Speaking of attendance, Baseball Digest has released its annual summer baseball attendance report; click here for the complete list.

Here's a list of teams ranked by season total, not by average. And click here for a league-by-league attendance report.

And remember, these numbers are for league games only, which hurts us this season because three of our top four crowds were for non-league games.

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Clinton (A Midwest, Mariners) first baseman Taylor Ard (2009) doubled twice, singled, scored twice and drove in three runs in a 9-7 win over Quad Cities on Wednesday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention went to:

* Charlotte (AAA International, White Sox) third baseman Brent Morel (2007) was 1-for-3 with a double and a run in a 4-2 win over Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

* Great Falls (R Pioneer, White Sox) first baseman Danny Hayes (2010) homered, singled, scored and drove in three runs in a 16-11 win over Ogden.

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That's all for today, see you on Friday. And don't forget to buy your tickets!

Playoff Game 2 tonight; Knights lead 1-0

We had a great start to the South Division playoff series last night with an 8-6 victory at Medford. We now lead the best-of-3 series 1-0 and have the next two games at Goss Stadium.

We need just one win to advance to the West Coast League's Championship Series for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.

Last night we were sparked by four RBIs from shortstop Peter Van Gansen, the reigning WCP co-Player of the Week. Peter hit a two-run homer in the third to open our scoring; his two-run double in the ninth provided the eventual winning runs.

Third baseman Cody Lenahan homered; center fielder Blake Drake had two hits and two RBIs and Colin Feldman got the final out with the tying runs on base to preserve the win for starter Jorge Perez.

Jerad Casper and Matt Taylor drove in two runs each for the Rogues, who hit three doubles and scored three times in a ninth-inning comeback that fell just short.

Here's a link to the game story from the hometown Medford Mail-Tribune newspaper.

WCL ERA leader Elliot Surrey (5-1, 1.26) of UC Irvine is the projected starter for Corvallis. He blanked Medford 4-0 on July 26 in his lone game against the Rogues. Medford's probable is lefty Jon Forsythe (4-1, 1.43), the loser in Surrey's shutout.

The winner of the South Division playoff series advances to face either Wenatchee or Walla Walla in the finals. Host Wenatchee won 8-4 on Tuesday night to take a 1-0 lead in their North Division playoff series, which now switches to Walla Walla for Game 2 and Game 3, if necessary.

Here's a link to a story on that game from the Walla Walla Union Bulletin newspaper. A crowd of 1,096 watched that one at Paul Thomas Jr. Field in Wenatchee.

So, now you're all caught up.

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Tickets have been moving steadily for tonight's game but there are plenty left. We'd love a big crowd to cheer us on and to help us get into the finals.

We finished seventh in the WCL in attendance for league games at 31,475, an average of 1,211 for 26 openings. Click here for the complete league stats (WCL games only).

However, three of our four largest crowds were for nonleague games against the Portland Lobos (2,453; 2,278) and the Mid-Valley Rockets (1,830). So our overall regular-season attendance numbers are significantly better: A total of 41,138 and an average of 1,327, both regular-season franchise records.

We can break our all-time record (42,447), set in 2011, with a good crowd tonight, or if we advance to the WCL finals and get at least one more home game.

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Salem-Keizer (A Northwest, Giants) pitcher Chase Johnson (2011) allowed two hits and had seven strikeouts in five shutout innings and got the win in a 3-0 victory over Hillsboro on Tuesday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention went to:

* Indians (R Arizona Rookie League, Indians) third baseman Grant Fink (2011) was 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI in a 14-3 win over the Padres.

* Great Falls (R Pioneer, White Sox) first baseman Danny Hayes (2010) was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI in a 10-4 loss to Ogden.

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That's all for today. See you at the stadium tonight!

Off to Medford

We'll be short today, because we're leaving for Medford and Game 1 of the WCL playoffs this morning and we don't want to be left behind!

You can listen to the game on KEJO-AM 1240, or follow it on Twitter, and we'll have updates on Facebook as well. I like our chances, with Jorge Perez starting for us.

Don't forget that Game 2 is at Goss Stadium at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday. We've got tons of prizes to give away and hopefully we can also win the playoff series and advance to the WCL Championship for the sixth time in the past seven years.

The Knights downtown offices will be open today and tomorrow to take care of all your ticket needs. They're also available online, and at the stadium on game day starting at 6 p.m.

So, see you at the ballpark!

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Hillsboro (A Northwest, Diamondbacks) closer Jimmie Sherfy 92011) pitched a scoreless ninth and had two strikeouts for his fifth save in a 2-0 win over Tri-City on Monday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Orioles (R Gulf Coast League, Orioles) shortstop Justin Viele (2010) was 2-for-3 with a run in a 6-5 win over the Twins.

* West Michigan (A Midwest, Tigers) first baseman Dean Green (2008) was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs in a 10-4 win over South Bend.

* Great Falls (R Pioneer, White Sox) first baseman Danny Hayes (2010) was 1-for-4 with a triple, a run and two RBIs in a 5-1 win over Missoula.

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That's all for today. We're off to Medford!

On to Medford!

The regular season is finally over, we're the South Division champions again, and we're off to Medford on Tuesday to start the South Division playoff series.

We'll bus down to Medford on Tuesday, and return right after the game. Righty Jorge Perez (1-1, 1.30) of Grand Canyon University is our scheduled starter.

Here's the schedule:

* GAME 1: Tuesday, 6:35 p.m., at Harry & David Field in Medford.

* GAME 2: Wednesday, 6:40 p.m., at Goss Stadium in Corvallis.

* GAME 3: Thursday, 6:40 p.m., at Goss Stadium in Corvallis (if necessary).

Wenatchee and Walla Walla will play the North Division playoff series at the same time, starting on Tuesday in Wenatchee. The winners of each best-of-3 series will advance to the WCL Championship Series.

That best-of-3 showdown starts Saturday, Aug, 17, at Walla Walla Walla or Wenatchee. Aug. 18 is a travel day; Game 2 and Game 3 (if necessary) will be at Medford or Corvallis on Aug. 19-20.

Tickets for our Wednesday night home game are now on sale. Punch cards are good for the playoffs. See you at the ballpark!

Now, on to the news.

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Knights shortstop Peter Van Gansen was named West Coast League co-Player of Week on Monday for games played on August 5-11. Click here for full details.

Van Gansen hit .500 (9-18) with a six RBIs, seven runs and two steals, with a .571 on-base percentage. He also had a club-record seven hits in a row in games against the Bend Elks.

A rising sophomore at Cal Poly, Van Gansen hit .310 in (44-142) in 40 games, with no homers, 24 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.

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Click here for a wrapup story on the 2013 regular season, from our website.

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Here's a story on former Knights' star David Armendariz (2011) from The Tribune newspaper of San Luis Obispo. Nice to see that David's having a strong summer in the Cape Cod League.

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Indians (R Arizona Rookie League, Indians) third baseman Grant Fink (2011) was 3-for-4 with a double, triple, two RBIs and two runs on Sunday in a 10-3 win over the Reds to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* Springfield (AA Texas, Cardinals) outfielder Adam Melker (2008-09) was 3-for-5 with two runs in an 11-5 loss to Midland.

* Salem (A Carolina, Red Sox) pitcher Kyle Kraus (2009-10) threw two scoreless innings and had two strikeouts in a 6-1 win over Wilmington.

* San Jose (A California, Giants) shortstop Matt Duffy (2010) homered, singled, scored twice and drove in a run in a 3-2 win over Bakersfield.

* South Bend (A Midwest, Diamondbacks) third baseman Carter Bell (2009) was 2-for-2 with two runs and two doubles in a 12-1 win over West Michigan.

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That's all for today. See you sometime on Tuesday.