On the road again

Happy Tuesday, everyone. We're back at the WWHQ of the Corvallis Knights, catching up on some business after six consecutive home games and six consecutive nights at the ballpark, which puts us behind in our reporting.

The team left for Medford today for three games with the expansion Rogues at Harry and David Field. Remember, there's no radio for the next three games; click here to follow the next three games via live stats from the West Coast League site.

Overall, it was a pretty good homestand. We took 4 of 6 (.667), with series wins over Kitsap and Cowlitz, to move out of the Southern Division basement and into a third-place tie with the Black Bears.

More importantly, more full-time players reported and we're very close to being full-strength. New faces we welcomed were shortstop Peter Van Gansen and pitcher Casey Bloomquist of Cal Poly; outfielder Joe Duffin of UC Santa Barbara; pitcher Alex Nesbitt of Washington; infielder/catcher Chris Rabago and pitcher Elliot Surrey of UC Irvine, pitcher Jared Priestley of Oregon and pitcher Kevin Flemer of St. Mary's High in Berkeley, an Oregon State signee.

We're still waiting on pitcher Dylan Hecht of UC Santa Barbara, and on pitchers Andrew Moore and Max Englebrecht and infielder Gabe Clark of OSU. Hecht should be here soon; the Beavers will report shortly after they're done at the College World Series (no hurry there, fellows).

We've lost Cal Poly catcher/DH Brian Mundell to elbow surgery, and 10-day signees Scott Stone of Central Washington and Jake Otness of Pacific Lutheran have been released.

So, that's where we stand heading into the next stage of the season.

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

Overcast weather, a stiff breeze and Monday night contributed to the sparse crowd of 635 for the homestand finale. It's our smallest of the season (let's keep it that way!) and our smallest regular-season crowd since a gathering of 628 against Kitsap on a rainy Sunday night on July 17, 2011.

Our overall attendance this season is 7,973 in seven dates, an average of 1,139 per opening. However, we've got three excellent promotions for this weekend's series against Klamath Falls and the weather should be better, so we're hoping to blast right on by last year's totals.

* Friday is Linn-Benton Tractor Cowbell Night.

* Saturday is ZOOperstars! Night.

* Sunday is Hope Night presented by 107.9 FM.

See you at the ballpark!

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

Former Knights catcher Bo Altobelli (2010) was on a bus with his Elizabethton Twins teammates that collided with a wrong-way driver on I-295 near Jacksonville, Fla., as it headed north to Tennessee for the team's Appalachian League opener. Bo and his teammates are OK; the other driver was killed.

Here are more details, from Ballpark Digest. We're glad that Bo and his teammates are all fine. He played at Texas Tech.

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

Charlotte (AAA International, White Sox) third baseman Brent Morel (2006-07) stayed red-hit by going 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI on Monday in a 12-inning, 5-4 loss to Syracuse to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. Brent is hitting .351 (13-37) over his last 10 games, with seven RBIs, to raise his average to a season-high .284.

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

Speaking of new Knight Kevin Flemer, his older brother, Asheville pitcher Matt Flemer, was named the South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week for June 10-16. He pitched two-hit ball over 7.2 innings and had six strikeouts against Savannah on June 11, but got a no-decision.

The older Flemer brother pitched at California. Asheville is Colorado's affiliate in the Class A Sally League. Former Oregon star pitcher Tyler Anderson, a 2009 Knight who was the first Corvallis player selected in the first round of the MLB draft, played there last summer and was an all-star.

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

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

Back-to-work Monday

We're back in the office after a very busy weekend, with the Knightys playing three home games and also hosting the Reser Oregon All-Star Series on Saturday and Sunday.

So, we're doing some catching up today, between answering the phone and running errands and then listening to the Beavers play Louisville in a loser-out game at the College World Series.

The good news is, we swept the weekend and now have a four-game winning streak heading into tonight's 6:40 p.m. series finale against Cowlitz. We're 6-5 in the West Coast League and now have undisputed possession of third place after spending much of the early season in last or next-to-last place in the six-team Southern Division.

Oregon freshman RHP Jared Priestley will make his Knights' debut tonight as our starting pitcher in the 6:40 p.m. series finale against Cowlitz at Goss Stadium. Then it's off to Medford for a Tuesday-Thursday series, and then back home for three games against the Klamath Falls Gems.

We finally get a day off on June 24, our first since June 11. By that time, we'll have played 19 games in 20 days, starting on June 4, so a "vacation" day will be most welcome.

Now, on to today's news, which will be abbreviated because we're playing tonight.

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

No radio for our Tuesday-Thursday series at Medford. Mike Parker's still in Omaha and the Rogues' home station, KBOY-AM 580, doesn't have live streaming. So, please click here on those days to follow the game live online.

Broadcasts will resume on Friday, when we host the Klamath Falls Gems in the opener of a three-game series at Goss Stadium.

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

Two alums have been assigned to their first minor-league teams for the upcoming season.

* Pitcher Trevor Frank (2012) will play for the Mahoning Valley (Ohio) Scrappers, Cleveland's affiliate in the short-A New York-Penn League. The former UC Riverside star was drafted earlier this month.

* Catcher Ryan Gorton (2011) of Oregon State will play for Vermont, Oakland's New York-Penn League affiliate. He signed in 2011 but missed the season while rehabbing an injured knee.

We'll keep track of the 11 other Knights who were drafted this year. Soime have already signed but have not been assigned to their minor-league teams yet.

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

Charlotte (AAA International, White Sox) third baseman Brent Morel (2006-07) was 2-for-4 with a run, a double and three RBIs on Sunday in a 6-3 win over Columbus to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

* Honorable mention goes to:

* Colorado Springs (AAA PCL, Rockies) second baseman Drew Garcia (2007) was 2-fir-3 with a run and a double in a 9-7 win over Last Vegas.

* San Jose (A California, Giants) reliever Josh Osich (2008) had one strikeout in a scoreless inning and earned his ninth save in a 10-8 win over Visalia.

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

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

It's a FAIL! Night Friday

Hectic day at the WWHQ, at Goss Stadium and all around Corvallis, where thousands of people are pouring into town for tonight's FAIL! Night game against Kitsap. Never seen so much traffic in town and on campus on a non-football weekend.

So, that's why we're getting a late start on today's Blog.

What, you mean there's something else going on in town this weekend? You mean all these people are here for Oregon State's graduation, and not for the Knights? Bummer.

Oh well. Either way, we close the Kitsap series tonight and then welcome in the Cowlitz Black Bears for a Saturday-Monday series. Then we're off to Medford for a three-game set with the expansion Rogues.

Now, on with the news.

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

Some of our full-time players are starting to arrive. Oregon freshman pitcher Jared Priestley reported on Friday, and we saw UC Irvine freshman pitcher Elliot Surrey before today's game.

So slowly but surely, our team is coming together and we expect to contend for our seventh consecutive South (formerly West) Division championship, and a third West Coast League crown to complement the titles we won in 2008 and 2011.

Unfortunately, we won't have OSU freshman infielder Gabe Clark just yet. The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, refused to grant him a waiver to play, even though spring term ended on Friday and he's not accompanying the Beavers to Omaha and the College World Series.

He must wait until the Beavers finish their business in Omaha. So, instead of getting some much-needed playing time (he had only 31 at-bats this spring) to improve his skills, he's being penalized twice. And the NCAA wonders why people hold it in such low regard ...

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

More good alumni news to report. Pitcher Josh Osich of the San Jose Giants (2008) has been selected to the California League all-star team that will play a Carolina League all-star team in San Jose on Tuesday.

Osich is 2-1 in 27 games, with a 2.14 ERA, seven saves and 41 strikeouts in 33.2 innings heading into Friday's action. Here's more from the California League website.

And pitcher Matt Andriese (2009) of the San Antonio Missions, San Diego's double-A Texas League affiliate, has been selected to the Texas League's South Division all-star team for the 77th Annual Texas League All-Star Game, set for June 25th at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark.

In 12 starts, Andriese is 7-1 with a 2.02 ERA, second-best in the league, and has 51 strikeouts in 62.1 innings. Six of his seven wins have come at home,where he has allowed just two earned runs in 38.1 innings for an 0.47 ERA. Here are the details, from San Antonio's website.

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

Speaking of Andriese, he allowed two runs on seven hits and had five strikeouts in five innings on Thursday for San Antonio in its game against Midland 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:

DAYTON ALEXANDER (2011): Dayton is hitting .258 (8-31) with two RBIs in 13 games with Beloit, Oakland's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

TAYLOR ARD (2009): Taylor is hitting .240 (43-179) with four homers and 24 RBIs in 54 games with Clinton (Iowa), Seattle's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

CARTER BELL (2009): Carter is hitting .211 (20-95) with two homers and 11 RBIs in 28 games with South Bend, Arizona's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

ALEX BURG (2008): Alex is hitting .289 (22-76) with a homer and 11 RBIs in 22 games with Jupiter, Miami's affiliate in the Class A Florida State League.

MATT DUFFY (2010): Matt is hitting .295 (54-181) with three homers and 28 RBIs in 50 games with Augusta (Ga.), San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League.

ROCKY GALE (2007, 2009): Rocky is hitting .258 (16-62) with seven RBIs in 19 games for San Antonio, San Diego's affiliate in the double-A Texas League.

DREW GARCIA (2007): Drew is hitting .235 (4-17) with one homer and three RBIs in five games with Colorado Springs, Colorado's affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League.

DEAN GREEN (2008): Dean is hitting .333 (25-75) with a homer and six RBIs in 18 games with Lakeland, Detroit's affiliate in the Class A Florida State League. He's currently on the DL.

MITCH HANIGER (2010): Mitch is hitting .254 (18-71) with two homers and eight RBIs in 19 games for Brevard County, Milwaukee's affiliate in the Class A Florida State League.

ADAM MELKER (2008, 2009): Adam is hitting .229 (39-170) with seven homers and 16 RBIs in 51 games for Springfield (Mo.), St. Louis's affiliate in the double-A Texas League.

BRENT MOREL (2006, 2007): Brent is hitting .279 (55-197) with four homers and 30 RBIs in 54 games for Charlotte, the Chicago White Sox's affiliate in the triple-A International League.

JIM MURPHY (2007): Jim is hitting .286 (66-231) with 11 homers and 36 RBIs in 62 games for Reading (Pa.), Philadelphia's affiliate in the double-A Eastern League.

ANDREW SUSAC (2009): Andrew is hitting .274 (49-179) with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 57 games for Richmond (Va.), San Francisco's affiliate in the double-A Eastern League.

TYLER ANDERSON (2009): Tyler is 0-1, 3.80 in eight games with Modesto, Colorado's affiliate in the single-A California League. He has 39 strikeouts in 42.2 innings, but is presently on the DL.

MATT ANDRIESE (2009): Matt is 7-1, 2.02 in 12 appearances for San Antonio, San Diego's affiliate in the double-A Texas League. He has 51 strikeouts in 62.1 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. He is presently on the DL.

KYLE KRAUS (2009, 2010): Kyle is 1-1, 4.15 in three games for Salem, Boston's affiliate in the single-A Carolina League. He has eight strikeouts in 13 innings.

SCOTT LYMAN (2010): Scott is 2-3, 4.60 in 13 games for Greensboro (N.C.), Miami's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League, with 57 strikeouts in 60.2 innings.

EDDIE OROZCO (2008, 2009): Eddie is 3-3, 5.03 with two saves in 16 appearances with Kane County (Ill.), the Chicago Cubs' affiliate in the Class A Midwest League, with 17 strikeouts in 19.2 innings.

GREG PEAVEY (2007): Greg is 3-2, 6.81 in 25 appearances with Las Vegas, the New York Mets' affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. He has 25 strikeouts in 38.1 innings.

JOSH OSICH (2008): Josh is 2-1, 2.14 with seven saves in 27 games with San Jose, San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A California League. He has 41 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.

JAMES NYGREN (2009): James is 3-2, 3.72 in 18 appearances with Jupiter, Miami's affiliate in the single-A Florida State League. He has 10 strikeouts in 29 innings.

NICK STRUCK (2009): Nick is 3-4, 6.22 in 12 games with Iowa, the Chicago Cubs' affiliate in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. He has 33 strikeouts in 62.2 innings.

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

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

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

Happy (wet) Thursday

Seems like it never fails. The weather is beautiful in June when we're on the road, but the minute we return it gets cold (like last night) or it starts raining, like this morning.

Oh well, welcome to Oregon, where once again summer won't start until July 4.

We had a cold opening to our West Coast League home season on Wednesday, but considering the weather and all the excitement about the Beavers, a crowd of 990 wasn't bad. In fact, it was the largest opening-night crowd in our history, breaking last year's mark of 913.

So, after two games (the June 4 Science and Art Day was an unofficial nonleague opener) we're at 3,268 fans, or 193 ahead of last year's pace. That's good news, because historically June is a crapshoot and we really don't start drawing until the weather gets warmer I July.

OK, enough about that. On to the news.

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

If you read last night's game recap, you already heard the bad news we're about to report now. Knights learned Wednesday night that slugging Cal Poly freshman DH/catcher Brian Mundell may not play this summer because of an elbow injury. He hit .265 in 55 games, with 11 homers and 42 RBIs this spring.

There's no final word yet but if we lose him, it's a significant loss, that's for sure.

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

Another award for alum Matt Boyd, (2010) a senior left-handed pitcher at Oregon State. He was named a third-team All-American by Perfect Game. It's his third third-team citation; he was also honored by Louisville Slugger and Baseball America.

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

Two more Knights selected in last weekend's MLB draft have signed. Right-handed pitcher Trevor Frank (2012) of UC Riverside and third baseman Grant Fink (2011) of Missouri Western State agreed to terms with the Cleveland Indians.

They probably will be assigned to the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, their short-season A affiliate in the New York-Penn League. It's just outside of Youngstown, Ohio.

So far MLB teams have officially announced that four of our 11 alums selected in the draft have come to terms. Pitcher Max Beatty (2010-12) signed with the Padres and pitcher AJ Burke (2012) signed with Oakland on Tuesday.

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

Brevard County (A Florida State, Marlins) outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010) homered, doubled, walked and drove in a run on Wednesday in a 2-0 win over Jupiter to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* San Jose (A California, Giants) pitcher Josh Osich (2008) got the win and had three strikeouts in two scoreless innings in a 5-3 win over Modesto.

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

That's it for today. See you at tonight's game, 6:40 p.m. against Kitsap at Goss Stadium.

Max Beatty signs with Padres

We have good news and bad news today.

Knights veteran pitcher Max Beatty (2010-12) of Pacific Lutheran has signed with the San Diego Padres, who selected him in the 32nd round of the MLB draft this past Saturday. He'll most likely be assigned to their Eugene franchise in the short-A Northwest League.

That's great news for Max, but bad news for us, as he'd signed on for a fourth season. However, we'll make do, and of course we wish Max the best as he begins his professional career just down the road from Goss Stadium.

Now, on with today's news.

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

It's opening night at Goss Stadium tonight, as we entertain our longtime West Coast League rivals, the Kitsap BlueJackets, at 6:40 p.m. on Big League Chew Opening Night, presented by AmeriTitle. It looks as if the weather will cooperate and we're hoping for a nice crowd.

It's the start of a six-game homestand. We play the BlueJackets again on Thursday and Friday, then host the Cowlitz Black Bears on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Let's hope the weather holds and we can get a great start on our bid to crack the 45,000 barrier and establish another attendance record this summer.

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

Speaking of signings, Knights alum AJ Burke (2012) has signed with the Oakland A's, who selected him in the MLB draft this past Saturday. Their short-season Class A franchise is in Vancouver, BC. He was the Great Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year this spring. Congrats to AJ!

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

Jupiter (A Florida State, Marlins) pitcher James Nygren (2009) pitched 1.1 scoreless innings and got a hold in a 3-1 win over Brevard County on Tuesday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention went to:

* Reading (AA Eastern, Phillies) first baseman Jim Murphy was 2-for-4 with a double in a 7-4 loss to Bowie.

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

Former Knights outfielder Nick Akins (2007) has signed with the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League. He was released by the Washington Wild Things, also of the Frontier League, on June 11.

He has also played for Fargo-Moorhead in the Frontier League this season and is hitting a combined .250 (14-56), with six RBIs, in 22 games.

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

That's it for today. See you at the ballpark.

T-minus one day and counting

Good afternoon, everyone!

Had a very busy morning here at the WWHQ. Now that the Beavers are done playing there for the season, we moved a ton of equipment, merchandise, etc., over to Goss Stadium so we can start prepping the place for the home portion of our season, which begins in earnest at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday against the Kitsap BlueJackets.

If you want to the OSU-KSU game on Monday night, you wouldn't recognize the place. The outfield fence is now covered with banners, and there's signage up all around the yard. Quite a change from the NCAA venue, which gives a while new meaning to the word "vanilla."

Anyhow, we'll be making some more changes over the next few days as the stadium continues to get "Knighted." We think you'll like what you'll see, and that you'll have a lot of fun watching Knights baseball this summer.

Now, on to today's news.

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

George Fox University senior-to-be Tom Zarosinski will be our starting pitcher for tomorrow night's game against Kitsap on Big League Chew Opening Night, presented by AmeriTitle. He is 1-0, 2.07 in 8.2 innings and had eight strikeouts in a 6-2 win at Wenatchee on June 6. The starters for Thursday and Friday's games against the BlueJackets haven't been determined.

It's the start of what we hope will be a big six-game homestand. We've got lots of promotions planned and every night should be a fun evening at the ballpark, so we'll see you there.

Our team is getting stronger daily as new players arrive. So stick with us, we're far better than what we've shown in our first six games.

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

San Antonio (AA Padres, Texas) catcher Rocky Gale (2007, 2009) was 1-for-4 with two runs in a 10-4 win over Corpus Christi on Monday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor league Player of the Day honors.

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

Lots of Knights alums played a major role in OSU's 4-3 win over Kansas State in Game 3 of the Super Regional, one of the most nerve-wracking games I've ever seen in 50-plus years of watching baseball. From the first inning on, every pitch had me on the edge of my seat (or out of it, pacing around down the right-field line over the final three innings), and the tension was incredible.

Anyhow, Ben Wetzler (2011) got the win. Matty Boyd (2010) got the save. Danny Hayes (2010) gave the Beavers a 2-0 lead with a massive second-inning homer. And Jake Rodriguez (2010) helped snuff out a KSU rally in the 8th by blocking the plate and tagging out the potential tying run.

As we said, what a night. Now it's on to Omaha. Go Beavs!

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

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

Another back-to-work Monday

Yes, another back-to-work Monday at the Worldwide Headquarters of the Corvallis Knights, or as we know it here in downtown CorVegas, the WWHQ. Our office is overflowing with equipment and stuff that we can't move over to Goss Stadium until the Beavers have departed for Omaha and the College World Series.

That's right, sports fans. I'm going out on a limb and predicting that Knights alum/starting pitcher Ben Wetzler (2011) and the Beavers will defeat Kansas State tonight in Game 3 of their Super regional and advance to the CWS for the fourth time in the past nine seasons, a remarkable record for a cold-weather, wet-weather program.

And we're busily preparing for our seventh season in Corvallis. Our WCL home opener is set for 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday against the Kitsap BlueJackets on Big League Chew Opening Night, presented by AmeriTitle, so we'll be busy putting up banners, moving equipment, etc., starting on Tuesday morning so the stadium is ready - or awfully close to it - in time for our opening night.

Now, on with the news.

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

More good news to report from the MLB draft. We inadvertently overlooked two more Knights alums who were selected, running our total number of drafted players to 13.

* Missouri Western State third baseman Grant Fink (2011), to Cleveland in the 23rd round as the 681st pick.

* Santa Clara shortstop Justin Viele (2010), to Baltimore in the 37th round as the 1,119th pick.

Sorry for the oversight, fellas, and congratulations. This year 49 former WCL players were drafted; here's a compete list, from the WCL website.

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

Speaking of the MLB draft, nice story on Knights' veteran pitcher Max Beatty (2010-12) of Pacific Lutheran from the Tacoma News Tribune. Alum Scott Schultz of Oregon State, Beatty's teammate on our 2011 WCL championship team, also gets a mention.

And here's another story on Max from MLB.com. Congrats to Max, a great Knight. We're also ready to see those "cancer survivor" stories become "major league pitcher" stories!

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

Great performance by Knights pitcher Devon Barker on Sunday in our 1-0 victory over the host Cowlitz Black Bears. He had a no-hitter until there were two outs in the last of the ninth, but his no-no was spoiled by a clean single through the 6-hole by Kyle Knigge.

Here's more on the story from The Daily News of Kelso-Longview. Congrats to Devon, our closer last year who has been outstanding so far this season, with no runs allowed and 13 strikeouts in 11.2 innings over two appearances.

Devon was also named the WCL Pitcher of the Week on Monday. Here's more from the WCL website.

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

Our OSU pitchers with Knights connections, Matt Boyd (2010) and Andrew Moore (2013), also had great efforts against Kansas State in the regional. Moore went 8-plus innings and won Sunday's game, and Boyd allowed just one run in seven innings of a 6-2, 10-inning loss on Saturday.

And Moore was named a first-team Freshman All-American by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) on Monday. Moore improved to 14-1 after limiting Kansas State to four runs (three earned) and had a career-high nine strikeouts on Sunday in eight innings in a 12-4 Super Regional win over Kansas State.

His 14 wins are tied for first in the nation and he also tied Scott Christman (1993) for most in a single-season at OSU. He earlier was named a freshman All-American by Louisville Slugger and a second-team All-American by the same organization.

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

San Antonio (AA Texas, Padres) catcher Rocky Gale (2007, 2009) was 1-for-4 with an RBI, picked off a runner and threw out another attempting to steal in a 7-4 victory over Corpus Christi on Sunday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

Honorable mention goes to:

* San Jose (A California, Giants) pitcher Josh Osich (2008) had his seventh save and lowered his ERA to 1.19 with a scoreless ninth in a 5-3 win over Lancaster.

* Clinton (A Midwest, Mariners) first baseman Taylor Ard (2009) hit a solo homer, scored twice and walked twice in an 11-9 loss to Wisconsin.

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

News from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

VICTORIA: The HarbourCats' first series was a resounding success, according to this entry in the HarbourCats Baseball Blog. One point we definitely agree with: The pace of games. ESPN's lengthy between-inning commercial breaks helped lengthened this weekend's Super Regional games to more than three hours.

Our game at Cowlitz yesterday was completed in a nifty 1:52. Admittedly there were a lot fewer hits and pitching changes in that game, but we seldom take 2:15 or so between innings or on every pitching change, as was mandated by TV this past weekend. Multiply that by 17 inning chageovers, and several pitching changes, and you've got nearly 30 minutes of essentially wasted time.

WALLA WALLA: Nine current or former Sweets were selected in the MLB draft. Here's more, from the team's website.

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

That's it for today. We might take a day off on Tuesday, as we'll be busy moving stuff to Goss Stadium and we might not have time to write.

Successful Day 1 in the West Coast League

The expanded West Coast League had its ninth Opening Night on Wednesday and everything appears to have gone very well, except for our 3-2, 14-inning loss at Wenatchee, that is.

Crowds were big and the games were competitive. Here's a rundown:

* A sellout crowd of 1,471 in Wenatchee saw the AppleSox prevail on a 14th-inning squeeze bunt. Here's more, from The Wenatchee World newspaper.

* A crowd of 1,282 in Medford saw the host Rogues fall 11-8 to Bellingham in 11 innings at a refurbished Harry & David Field.

* Up in Walla Walla, a crowd of 2,170 at Borleske Stadium saw visiting Bend edge the host Sweets 4-1. More here, from Our Sports Central.

* A sellout crowd of 1,644 at Story Field in Longview saws the host Black Bears rally for a 5-4 win over Kitsap. Details here from The Daily News of Kelso-Longview.

* And at Victoria, the largest crowd of the night (3,026) saw the HarbourCats edge Kelowna 8-6 at a sold-out Royal Athletic Park in the first all-Canadian WCL game (the Falcons had some bus problems and the game was delayed by an hour, but that probably just increased beer and hot dog sales). Even more details on a historic night in the WCL can be found here, in the Victoria Times Colonist.

So, the average attendance at the five openers was 1,919. That's a great start.

The 11th WCL club, Klamath Falls, starts its league season on Sunday. Next year we won't have an odd-team out, as Yakima joins the circuit. With an even number of teams, no one will have a night off.

And unlike this season, it should be simple to devise a balanced schedule where everybody plays everybody an equal number of times. With six teams in each division, everyone just plays six games against its division rivals (3 home, 3 away, 30 games) and four (2 home and 2 away, 24 games) against teams from the other division. That's 54 games, the same as we play now.

I'll have to take it up with the new WCL president, when he/she is appointed. But it sounds so simple, it probably will never be adopted!

Now, on to today's news.

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

Just a reminder, our Saturday (6:35 p.m.) and Sunday (5:05 p.m.) games will be on KLOO-AM 1340 because of a conflict with the Oregon State-Kansas State NCAA Super Regional games. We will also be on KLOO on Monday (12:05 p.m.) if there is a Game 3.

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

The Major League Draft starts tonight with Round 1. We don't expect any former Knights to be selected, but there should be plenty of our alums taken on Friday and Saturday. One of the best ways to follow the draft is MLB's draft tracker, which records every selection in real time.

Look for pitchers Matt Boyd (2010) and Ben Wetzler (2011) of Oregon State and Jimmie Sherfy (2011) of Oregon to go sometime on Friday. Other alums who are probable draftees at some point are David Armendariz (2011) and Jimmy Allen (2011) of Cal Poly; Max Beatty (2010-12) of Pacific Lutheran; Jake Rodriguez (2010) and Danny Hayes (2010) of Oregon State, and David Andriese (2010-11) and Trevor Frank (2012) of UC Riverside.

There may be one or two players we've missed. Anyway, we'll try and keep you posted on Friday. Saturday could be tougher, as we'll be at the Oregon State-Kansas State Super Regional game in the afternoon.

Either way, we'll have a roundup when it's all over and in a couple weeks you'll discover where the next group of Knights alums will begin their professional careers.

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

Updates on some former interns:

* Kylen Trevor (2011) is now the Sales and Marketing Director at Heron Lakes Golf Club in Portland. He also has worked for the Portland Timbers since his summer with us. Kylen primarily worked with Section A, the Block. His younger sister, Jordan, is a section leader for us this summer.

* Erica Hohlt (2011) is now working at Nike. Erica did a little bit of everything and teamed with Leslie Mak to provide standout delivery service of the Papa's Pizzas every second inning.

Congrats to both!

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

Not many alums were in action in the minors on Wednesday. But Richmond (AA Eastern, Giants) catcher Andrew Susac (2009) was 2-for-4 with a run and a double in a 3-2 win over New Britain to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

KELOWNA: Playing for the Falcons is a homecoming for third baseman Tanner Morache, according to this story in the Kelowna Capital News.

KLAMATH FALLS: Pitcher Aaron Quillen, a freshman at Tennessee, is headed home after being hit in the face and right eye by a batted ball last Saturday. He's OK, but won't play for a while, if at all. Here are more details from the Klamath Falls Herald and News.

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

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

Off to Wenatchee for tonight's WCL opener

With opening day behind us, the Knights hit the road on Wednesday morning for tonight's West Coast League opener at Wenatchee. We play the defending-champion AppleSox tonight, Thursday and Friday at Paul Thomas Sr. Field.

It's a tough opener, for sure. But we know starting pitcher Colin Feldtman of the University of Portland will be ready to go. And we'll be bolstered by the addition of several of our full-time players who arrived yesterday but didn't play in the 7-6 victory over the Portland Lobos at Goss Stadium.

From all accounts, Science and Art Day II was a big success. The crowd of 2,278 was larger than last year's by 116 fans, and that's with virtually no participation whatsoever from the Corvallis School District. It was the largest non-Fireworks Night regular-season crowd in our history, so thanks to all who came! Here's more, from our website.

We're also 1,365 fans ahead of last year's attendance after one game. Of course, last year Science and Art Day was Game No. 2 so the numbers will even up some, but with a big crowd on June 12 for Big League Chew Opening Night, presented by AmeriTitle, we'll stay ahead for good and hopefully make a run at our all-time mark of 42,447, set in 2011.

The Wenatchee series will be broadcast on KEJO-AM 1240. Broadcaster Mike Parker's busy with the Beavers, so we're picking up a feed from KPQ radio in Wenatchee. Radio plans for our Saturday-Monday series at Cowlitz are still up in the air; we'll conflict with the Beavers-Kansas State Super Regional at Goss Stadium so our games will be shifted to KLOO-AM 1340 or KTHH-AM 990. Stay tuned for further details.

OK, enough of that. Now, on to the news.

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

More honors for Oregon State freshman pitcher Andrew Moore, a 2013 Knight-to-be as soon as the Beavers are done with their magical season (hopefully after they win the NCAA championship. No hurry, men).

Moore was been named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America team, it was announced on Wednesday. It's the second national award of the year for the South Eugene graduate, who last week named a Louisville Slugger second-team All-American.

Moore is 13-1 with an eight-game winning streak and a 1.22 ERA heading into the Corvallis Super Regional. He has three complete games, three shutouts and 61 strikeouts in 111 innings; opponents are batting .192 against him. Here are more details, from OSUbeavers.com.

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

Medford first baseman Matt Page of Oklahoma Baptist University was named NAIA player of the year by NAIA coaches, and an All-American selection committee. Here's more information from Summer Baseball Insider.

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

Colorado Springs (AAA Pacific Coast, Rockies) infielder Drew Garcia (2007) hit a two-run homer in a 7-0 win over Salt Lake City on Tuesday 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 2-for-3 with a run in a 5-1 win over Pawtucket.

* Jupiter (A Florida State, Marlins) pitcher James Nygren (2009) threw two scoreless innings and had a strikeout in a 2-1 loss to Clearwater.

* Brevard County (A Florida State, Brewers) outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010) hit his first homers since being promoted to the team in late May in a 3-2 win over Fort Myers.

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

Here's a WCL preview from The Daily News newspaper of Kelso-Longview. It's a capsule look at every team except the Black Bears, who are previewed in a story linked below.

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BELLINGHAM: The Bells have added former Sehome High School all-state pitcher John Albert of Hawaii Pacific to their roster. Here's more from The Bellingham Herald newspaper.

BEND: The Elks open the season at Walla Walla tonight. Here's more info from the Bend Bulletin.

COWLITZ: Here's a Black Bears season preview, from The Daily News of Kelso-Longview.

KELOWNA: Here's an interview with Kelowna's Jarryd Klemm, who makes his debut tonight when the Falcons play at Victoria in the first WCL game at Royal Athletic Park.

MEDFORD: The Rogues completed their preseason nonleague schedule on Tuesday by defeating the Medford Mustangs American Legion team 15-5. Here are the details, from Our Sports Central.

VICTORIA: Freshman Anthony Hermelyn of Oklahoma is the HarbourCats Player of the Week for the second straight time. And here's a preview of the team's opening series with Kelowna, from the HarbourCats Baseball Blog.

WENATCHEE: The AppleSox held their first practice on Tuesday, preparing for tonight's game with the Knights. Here's more from The Wenatchee World newspaper.

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

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

It's gameday!

Holy smokes, it's here.

Season No. 7 in Corvallis starts at 11 o'clock this morning when we meet the Portland Lobos, a U-19 select team of high school seniors and college freshman, in a nonleague game at Goss Stadium. It's Science and Art Day and we expect to have a crowd of about 2,300 or so, more than 1,700 of whom will be elementary school students from Philomath, Albany, Lebanon, Monmouth, Scio, and even a smattering from Corvallis.

So, the countdown until our first game is at zero, zip, nada. Hard to believe that at one point the countdown was 140 or so. Time does fly when you're having fun, and keeping you informed about the Knights in the off-season was a blast. It's even more fun during the season!

So, today's blog will be short because we'll be off to the ballpark soon for the first of 32 home games. Go Knights!

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

More honors for Oregon State freshman Andrew Moore, a 2013 Knight. On Monday he was named one of 10 finalists for the Diamond Sports Pitcher of the Year Award, presented by the College Baseball Hall of Fame.

So, more congrats to Andrew. He was one of the most decorated players in Oregon high school baseball history, and he'll be one of the most decorated players in Knights history when he joins us after the Beavers have captured their third NCAA championship in the past eight years later this month in Omaha (hey, have to be positive, right?).

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

Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

MEDFORD: The Rogues stayed undefeated in exhibition play by defeating the Alameda (Calif.) Seals 7-3 in a game played at Grants Pass. Here are the details, from the Medford Mail-Tribune.

WENATCHEE: The AppleSox are ready for Wednesday night's season opener against the Knights at Paul Thomas Sr. Field in Wenatchee. Here's more from the Our Sports Central website.

VICTORIA: The HarbourCats are also ready to go with the first "real" game at Royal Athletic Park since September 5, 2010, the final game of the old Victoria Seals in the now-defunct Golden Baseball League.

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

That's all for today. Don't have time for our Minor League Player of the Day. Time to play ball!