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Hayes, Frank to play in Arizona Fall League
September 6, 2016Happy Tuesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions! Hope you all had a great holiday weekend, and welcomed the rain this morning.
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Alums Danny Hayes (2009) of Oregon State and Trevor Frank (2012) of UC Riverside have been selected to play in the Arizona Fall League, an honor given to the top prospect's in each team's minor-league organization. The AFL starts on Oct. 11; the All-Star Game is Nov. 5, the championship game is Nov. 19.
A first baseman, Hayes played for Charlotte, the Chicago White Sox's affiliate in the triple-A International League in 2016. A right-handed pitcher, Frank played for Lynchburg, Cleveland's affiliate in the advanced-A Carolina League, this past season.
Please click here for more on the Arizona Fall League.
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Some news from elsewhere in the WCL: Greg Goetz has been named head coach of the Bellingham Bells. He currently serves as the Director of Baseball Operations at Seattle University. He joined the Redhawks in 2016 after spending three seasons on staff at St. Andrew's University in Laurinburg, N.C.
Goetz comes to the Bells with previous collegiate summer league head coaching experience after managing the North Sound Emeralds during the 2016 season. Under his direction, the Emeralds posted a 21-6 record. Please click here for more on his hiring, from Our Sports Central.
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* Lake County (A Midwest, Indians) outfielder David Armendariz (2011) was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run in a 4-3 win over Lansing on Sunday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.
Honorable mention goes to:
* Springfield (AA Texas, Cardinals) outfielder Blake Drake (2013) was 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI and three walks in a 10-4 win over Tulsa.
* Colorado Springs (AAA Pacific Coast, Brewers) catcher Andrew Susac (2009) was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in a 12-3 loss to Iowa.
* Arkansas (AA Texas, Angels) pitcher DJ Johnson (2008-09) pitched a scoreless inning in an 8-0 loss to NW Arkansas.
* Fort Wayne (A Midwest, Padres) shortstop Peter Van Gansen (2013) was 3-for-4 with a run in a 13-2 loss to Bowling Green.
The minor league regular-season ended on Sunday, but some alums are involved in their league playoffs and we will keep track of them for as long as they are active this season.
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That is all for today. Have a great week, and we will see you on Friday.
Bishop, Kaplan on Baseball America prospect list.
September 2, 2016Happy Friday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Baseball America magazine released its West Coast League top-10 prospects list on Friday. Corvallis left-handed pitchers Cameron Bishop of UC Irvine and Chase Kaplan of Kansas were No. 2 and No. 10 on the list.
Please click here for more on that story, from the Knights' website. And please click here for the entire WCL prospect list.
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The San Francisco Giants have activated alum/left-handed pitcher Josh Osich (2008) from the 15-day disabled list. He was sidelined with a strained forearm on July 24 and was on rehab assignment to Richmond and Sacramento in the interim.
Detroit sent lefty Matt Boyd (2010) back to triple-A Toledo on Aug. 30. He will be recalled on Tuesday after Toledo completes its season and rosters expand to 40.
Both players pitched for Oregon State.
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Please click here for a nice story on 2016 Knights' catcher/first baseman Zak Taylor of Oregon State, from the Tigard/Tualatin/Sherwood Times newspaper. Zak is a Sherwood High School grad who will be a sophomore at OSU this season.
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Aloha Knights alum Rich Dorman (1999) has been named the new pitching coach at Grand Canyon University. He was selected in the 13th round of the 2000 draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays out of Western Baptist College. Dorman spent nine seasons pitching in minors, and has been a coach in the minors since retiring.
Please click here for more on his hiring.
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* Springfield (AA Texas, Cardinals) outfielder Blake Drake (2013) was 2-for-4 with an RBI in a 9-5 loss to Arkansas on Thursday night to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.
Honorable mention goes to:
* Fort Wayne (A Midwest, Padres) shortstop Peter Van Gansen (2013) was 2-for-5 with a run and a double in a 5-4 win over Great Lakes.
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That is all for today. Have a great weekend, and we will see you on Tuesday.
Diamondbacks send Haniger back to triple-A
August 29, 2016Happy Tuesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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The Arizona Diamondbacks returned alum Mitch Haniger (2010) to triple-A Reno on Aug. 26 when they activated outfielder A.J. Pollock from the disabled list. Haniger hit .237 (9-38) in 10 games, with two doubles, a triple and six RBIs in his first big-league stint.
He remains on Arizona's 40-man roster, however, so there is an excellent chance he will be recalled when the MLB rosters go from 25 to 40 on Sept. 1. Reno's season ends Sept. 5. Mitch was hitting .345 (82-238) in 67 games with the Aces, with 19 doubles, two triples, 19 homers and 59 RBIs heading into Monday's action.
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Four players from the West Coast League earned Perfect Game Summer All-American honors. Pitchers Zach Draper of Yakima Valley and Sam Hellinger of Bellingham were first-team selections. No Knights were chosen. Please click here for more on that story, from Perfect Game.
We handed Draper his only loss of the season in Game 1 of the South Division playoffs.
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Toledo (AAA International, Tigers) DH Dean Green (2008) was 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI in an 8-1 win over Indianapolis on Monday night to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.
Honorable mention goes to:
* Round Rock (AAA Pacific Coast, Tigers) outfielder Alex Burg (2008) was 1-for-3 with an RBI in a 2-1 loss to New Orleans.
* Arkansas (AA Texas, Angels) pitcher D. J. Johnson (2008, 2009) pitched a scoreless inning and got the win to even his record at 4-4 in a 5-1 victory over NW Arkansas.
* Montgomery (AA Southern, Rays) outfielder Cade Gotta (2011) was 2-for-6 with two runs in a doubleheader sweep of Mobile.
* Springfield (AA Texas, Cardinals) outfielder Blake Drake (2013) was 1-for-2 with an RBI in an 8-3 loss to Tulsa.
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That is all for today. Have a great week, and we will see you on Friday.
Nobach, Bishop, Dupre earn Knights' top awards
August 25, 2016Happy Thursday/Friday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Senior-to-be outfielder Kyle Nobach of Oregon State was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2016 Corvallis Knights on Tuesday.
Nobach played spectacular center field and led the Knights in runs scored (43) and triples (6), while hitting .299 with two homers, 26 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. He also earned the Joe Segel Hustle Award, and was the MVP of the West Coast League All-Star Game.
Junior-to-be southpaw Cameron Bishop of UC Irvine was named the top professional prospect. Bishop struck out a team-high 56 batters over 40 innings and had a 1.45 ERA. He was also named the top prospect, as voted on by MLB scouts, at the 2016 All-Star Game.
Rising senior lefty Trenton Dupre of Washington State earned Top Pitcher honors. He was 4-0 with six saves and a 0.52 ERA in 34.1 innings over 16 appearances. He saved two games in the WCL Championship Series, earning him WCL Pitcher of the Week honors, and made the all-star team.
Voting was done by the coaches and team president Dan Segel.
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Left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski (2006), a UC Riverside alum, was traded to the Washington Nationals on Thursday by Oakland. Marc posted a 3.00 ERA in 56 relief appearances for the A's, with 37 strikeouts in 36 innings. His 70.5 percent ground-ball rate in 2016 is the second best in the Major Leagues behind Baltimore closer Zach Britton. Please click here for more on that story, from MLB.com.
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It is our final blog of the week, so here is our weekly update of our alums in the Frontier League, with stats through Wednesday's games:
* Infielder Carter Bell (2009) of the Joliet (Ill.) Slammers is batting .323 (102-316) in 83 games, with 12 homers and 69 RBIs. Carter played at Oregon State.
* Pitcher Scott Schultz (2011) of the Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers is 4-6, 5.51 in 17 games, with 67 strikeouts in 96.1 innings. He also played at OSU.
* Infielder Seth Heck (2013) of the Gateway (Ill.) Grizzlies is hitting .254 (68-268) in 72 games, with a homer and 23 RBIs. He played at Tacoma CC and at Mississippi State.
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Asheville (A South Atlantic, Rockies) catcher Chris Rabago (2012, 2013) was 2-for-3 with three RBIs in a 6-3 win over Hickory on Wednesday night to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.
Honorable mention goes to:
* Round Rock (AAA Pacific Coast, Tigers) DH Alex Burg (2008) was 1-for-3 with an RBI in a 2-1 loss to New Orleans.
* Arkansas (AA Texas, Angels) pitcher D. J. Johnson (2008, 2009) struck out two in two scoreless innings and earned a hold in an 8-4 win over Tulsa.
* Montgomery (AA Southern, Rays) outfielder Cade Gotta (2011) was 2-for-4 with a double in a 6-3 win over Birmingham.
* Lynchburg (A Carolina, Indians) pitcher Trevor Frank (2012) had two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth to finish an 8-3 win over Wilmington.
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That is all for today. Have a great weekend, and we will see you on Tuesday.
Burg, Nogosek move up
August 22, 2016Happy Monday/Tuesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Now that the season is over, news gets much harder to come by. So we're cutting the Blog back to two days a week until next June, when we will crank it back up to four days a week.
We should be announcing some signings within the next month or so. So we will still keep you up to date on all the new from around the Knights Nation, just not quite as often as during the summer.
Thanks to everyone who made this a great summer for college wood-bat baseball, in Corvallis and all across the USA!
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Alums Alex Burg (2008) and Stephen Nogosek (2013) have been promoted by their respective professional organizations.
A Washington State alum with the Rangers, Burg moved to triple-A Round Rock in the Pacific Coast League from Frisco in the double-A Texas League. The Red Sox promoted Nogosek, who played at Oregon, from Lowell of the short-A New York-Penn League to Greenville of the low-A South Atlantic League.
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
* The Victoria HarbourCats have named former major-league outfielder Brian McRae as their new manager for the 2017 season. Please click here for more on that story, from Our Sports Central.
* The playing surface at David Story Field in Longview, Wash., needs to be replaced. Please click here for all the details, from the Daily News of Kelso-Longview.
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Lake County (A Midwest, Indians) outfielder David Armendariz (2011) was 3-for-5 with a triple and an RBI in a 6-1 win over Fort Wayne on Sunday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. Former Cal Poly teammate Peter Van Gansen (2013) was 0-for-4 for Fort Wayne.
Honorable mention goes to:
* El Paso (AAA Pacific Coast, Padres) outfielder Nick Torres (2012) was 1-for-3 with an RBI in a 2-1 win over Salt Lake, raising his average to .314.
* Jupiter (A Florida State, Marlins) first baseman Taylor Ard (2009) was 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI in a 3-1 win over Fort Myers. Teammate Ben Wetzler (2011) pitched two scoreless innings and had one strikeout, lowering his ERA to 1.15.
* Montgomery (AA Southern, Rays) outfielder Cade Gotta (2011) was 2-for-4 with a double in a 2-0 win over Chattanooga.
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That is all for today. Have a great week, and we will see you on Friday.
Knights top Bells, win title; Arizona promotes Haniger to MLB
August 17, 2016Happy Thursday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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As most of you undoubtedly know, we scored four times in our final two at-bats and rallied for a 6-4 victory over Bellingham on Tuesday night in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the West Coast League Championship Series.
It was the fourth WCL championship for the Knights (45-21), who won 14 of their final 16 games in a brilliant stretch sprint to the title. It was also our first Game 3 Championship Series victory in three chances.
First baseman Roman Garcia of San Diego was foremost among a plethora of hometown heroes. His towering two-run homer to left field in the bottom of the seventh gave the Knights a 5-4 lead; relievers Chris Burkholder (Dartmouth) and Trenton Dupre (Washington State) then carried the Knights to the finish line, aided by several tremendous defensive plays.
Here is more on that story, from our website. Congrats to the players, coaches, front office, fans and everyone else associated the Knights for a great season.
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Alum Mitch Haniger (2010) made his major-league debut with Arizona on Tuesday night and was 2-for-4 with a triple, a double and three RBIs in a 7-5 loss to the Mets in Phoenix.
Here is more on that story, from MLB.com. We will have more on Mitch on our website in the next day or so as well.
Congrats to Mitch, a former Cal Poly star who is the third member of our 2010 team, and our ninth alum overall, to play in an MLB game this season. He was a first-team WCL all-star in 2010.
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We drew 1,119 fans on Tuesday for our championship-night win over Bellingham, pushing the season total to a franchise-record 53,803 in 35 openings. That's an average of 1,537 per night, also a franchise record. Our old standard for total attendance was 49,656 for 33 openings in 2015. Our old mark for average was 1,505, also set last year.
The Ballpark Digest website recently had attendance numbers for many of the country's summer-league teams (league games only). Please click here for the details.
The Ballpark Digest website also has the attendance by league. Please click here for those numbers.
Thanks to everyone who made this a great summer for college wood-bat baseball, in Corvallis and all across the USA!
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Springfield (AA Texas, Cardinals) outfielder Blake Drake (2013) was 2-for-4 with a homer, three RBIs and two runs in a 9-6 loss to Frisco on Wednesday night to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.
Honorable mention goes to:
* Montgomery (AA Southern, Rays) outfielder Cade Gotta (2011) was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI in a 6-3 loss to Chattanooga.
* Asheville (A South Atlantic, Rockies) catcher Chris Rabago (2012, 2013) was 2-for-4 with two runs in a 7-6 win over Columbia.
* Mahoning Valley (A New York-Penn, Indians) catcher Logan Ice (2014) was 1-for-4 with a two-run homer in a 10-3 win over Batavia in Game 1 of a doubleheader.
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That is all for today. Have a great day, and we will see you on Friday.
Bells top Knights, force decisive Game 3 in finals.
August 16, 2016Happy Tuesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League South Division champions!
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Bellingham forced a Game 3 of the West Coast League Championship Series by defeating Corvallis 5-2 at Goss Stadium on Monday night before a playoff-record crowd of 1,903 in Game 2 of the finals.
The winner-take-all finale is set for 6:40 p.m. Tuesday at Goss Stadium. Second-team all-WCL lefty Cameron Bishop of UC Irvine will start for the Knights, opposed by California righty Joey Matulovich for the Bells.
The Knights captured WCL Championships in 2008 (Wenatchee), 2011 (Walla Walla) and 2013 (Wenatchee). They lost in the finals in 2007 (Moses Lake), 2009 (Wenatchee), 2012 (Wenatchee) and 2014 (Bellingham).
This is Bellingham's third appearance in the Championship Series. The Bells erased a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Knights in the 2014 finals, when the final two games were held at Joe Martin Field.
Corvallis is 0-2 lifetime in Game 3s, losing at Wenatchee in 2012 and at Bellingham in 2014. Either way, a new WCL champion is guaranteed. The 2015 titlist, Bend, did not make this year's playoffs.
Hope you can make it. If not, follow Mike Parker's broadcast on KEJO-AM 1240 or follow along by computer at the WCL website.
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Tickets for tonight's Game 3 are available online; at our office in downtown Corvallis, or by giving us a call at 541-752-5656. Punch cards will not be honored, as they are good for regular-season games only. The office will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. today. The stadium box office opens at 6 p.m.
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Speaking of tickets, Monday night may have been the Corvallis swan song of ticket manager Colton Surcamp, an OSU grad from Eugene who we profiled earlier this year.
He starts a 10-month internship as a data analytics analyst for the Portland Trail Blazers today and probably will not make it to tonight's Game 3. Best of luck to an outstanding member of our front office staff.
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Center fielder Kyle Nobach of Oregon State earned first-team all-West Coast League honors on Monday in a vote of the coaches. OSU teammates Zak Taylor and Andy Atwood and UC Irvine pitcher Chris Bishop earned second-team honors; 11 other Knights earned honorable mention.
For more on the Knights' all-WCL selections, please click here. For more on the entire all-star team, please click here.
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The San Francisco Giants have promoted alum Josh Osich (2008) to a rehab assignment with triple-A Sacramento in the Pacific Coast League after a similar stint with Richmond in the double-A Eastern League. He went on the 15-day DL on July 24 with a strained forearm.
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Osich is one of 234 West Coast League alums who have appeared in affiliated professional baseball games in 2016, an all-time high. He is also one of 24 alums to appear in a major-league game this season.
Here is more on that story, from the WCL website. For a complete list of Knights in affiliated baseball, please click here.
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Tacoma (AAA Pacific Coast, Mariners) pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009) allowed four hits and one run, had five strikeouts and got the win in a 6.1 inning performance in a 5-1 victory over Memphis on Monday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. He lowered his ERA to 1.99.
Honorable mention goes to:
* South Bend (A Midwest, Cubs) pitcher Casey Bloomquist (2013) allowed one run and five hits over seven innings and got the decision in 3-2 win over Bowling Green. He had two strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 2.72.
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That is all for today. Have a great day, and we will see you on Thursday.
Knights host Bells tonight in Game 2 of finals
August 14, 2016Happy Monday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League South Division champions!
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The Knights can claim their fourth West Coast League championship on Monday night by defeating the Bellingham Bells in Game 2 of the WCL Championship Series. The game starts at 6:40 p.m. at Goss Stadium. If the Bells prevail, a decisive Game 3 will be played on Tuesday, also at Goss at 6:40 p.m.
Corvallis took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-3 series by edging the Bells 4-0 at Joe Martin Stadium on Aug. 13. Pitchers Jacob Wong (Grand Canyon) and Trenton Dupre (Washington State) combined on a four-hit shutout; Wong went the first six for the win, Dupre the final three for the save. Shortstop Andy Atwood (Oregon State) led the offense with two hits, two runs and an RBI.
The Knights captured WCL Championships in 2008 (Wenatchee), 2011 (Walla Walla) and 2013 (Wenatchee). They lost in the finals in 2007 (Moses Lake), 2009 (Wenatchee), 2012 (Wenatchee) and 2014 (Bellingham).
This is Bellingham's second appearance in the Championship Series. The Bells erased a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Knights in the 2014 finals, when the final two games were held at Joe Martin Field.
Either way, a new WCL champion is guaranteed. The 2015 titlist, Bend, did not make this year's playoffs.
Hope you can make it. If not, follow Mike Parker's broadcast on KEJO-AM 1240 or follow along by computer at the WCL website.
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Tickets for Monday night's game are available online; at our office in downtown Corvallis, or by giving us a call at 541-752-5656. Punch cards will not be honored, as they are good for regular-season games only. The office will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday, and on Tuesday if necessary.
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We will be shorthanded for Monday's contest as outfielder Emilio Alcantar of Lewis-Clark State sits out the final game of a three-game suspension he received after being ejected from the Aug. 9 South Division playoff game at Yakima Valley. He served Game 1 on Aug. 10 and Game 2 on Aug. 13.
It was his second ejection of the summer; leading to the automatic suspension; he was also tossed from a July 23 home game against Victoria.
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The Tampa Bay Rays have activated shortstop Matt Duffy (2010), who they received in a recent trade with the San Francisco Giants.
Alum Alum Matt Boyd (2010) shut out Texas on two hits through seven innings on Aug. 13 and got the win in a 2-0 victory to improve to 4-2 on the season. Here is more on that story, from MLB.com.
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Helena (R Pioneer, Brewers) second baseman Caleb Whalen (2012) was 2-for-4 with two runs, a double and an RBI in a 9-4 win over Orem on Sunday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.
Honorable mention goes to:
* Montgomery (AA Southern, Rays) outfielder Cade Gotta (2011) was 1-for-4 with a run, a triple and an RBI in an 8-7 loss to Mobile.
* Toledo (AAA International, Tigers) DH Dean Green (2008) was 1=for-3 with a two-run homer in an 11-3 loss to Norfolk.
* San Antonio (AA Texas, Padres) catcher Rocky Gale (2007, 2009) was 1-for-3 with two RBIs in a 4-0 win over NW Arkansas.
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That is all for today. Have a great day, and we will see you at Goss Stadium tonight!
Knights head to Bellingham on Saturday
August 12, 2016Happy Friday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League South Division champions!
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The West Coast League Championship Series between the Knights and Bellingham Bells starts at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham. Sunday is a travel day. Game 2 and Game 3 (if necessary) will be Monday and Tuesday at Goss Stadium, with a regular 6:40 p.m. start time.
The Knights captured WCL Championships in 2008 (Wenatchee), 2011 (Walla Walla) and 2013 (Wenatchee). They lost in the finals in 2007 (Moses Lake), 2009 (Wenatchee), 2012 (Wenatchee) and 2014 (Bellingham). We had the home-field advantage every time we won, and did not every time we lost with the exception of 2009.
Hope you can make it. If not, follow Mike Parker's broadcast on KEJO-AM 1240 or follow along by computer at the WCL website.
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Remember, tickets for the Championship Series are now on sale. You can purchase your tickets online, at our office in downtown Corvallis, or by giving us a call at 541-752-5656. Punch cards will not be honored, as they are good for regular-season games only. The office will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Monday, and on Tuesday if necessary.
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We will be shorthanded for the first two games of the Championship Series. Outfielder Emilio Alcantar of Lewis-Clark State has been suspended for three games by the WCL after being ejected from the Aug. 9 game at Yakima Valley; he served Game 1 on Aug. 10.
It was his second ejection of the summer; leading to the automatic suspension; he was also tossed from a July 23 home game against Victoria.
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Here is an update of our alums in the Frontier League, with stats through Thursday's games:
* Infielder Carter Bell (2009) of the Joliet (Ill.) Slammers is batting .342 (95-278) in 73 games, with 10 homers and 65. Carter played at Oregon State.
* Pitcher Scott Schultz (2011) of the Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers is 4-4, 5.00 in 15 games, with 60 strikeouts in 86.1 innings. He also played at OSU.
* Infielder Seth Heck (2013) of the Gateway (Ill.) Grizzlies is hitting .258 (61-236) in 64 games, with a homer and 21 RBIs. He played at Tacoma CC and at Mississippi State.
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Clinton (A Midwest, Mariners) first baseman Dalton Kelly (2014) was 3-for-5 with three RBIs, two doubles and a run in a 6-4 win over Burlington on Thursday night to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. Teammate Gus Craig (2013) was 2-for-3 with a solo homer.
Honorable mention goes to:
* Montgomery (AA Southern, Rays) outfielder Cade Gotta (2011) was 2-for-5 with a run and a double in a 12-1 win over Mobile.
* Lynchburg (A Carolina, Indians) closer Trevor Frank (2012) pitched one-third of an inning and earned his 13th save in a 3-2 win over Potomac.
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That is all for today. Have a great weekend; see you here and at Goss Stadium on Monday.
Knights sweep Pippins, advance to WCL finals
August 11, 2016Happy Thursday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League South Division champions!
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We defeated Yakima Valley 7-3 on Wednesday night to sweep the South Division playoff series. We now advance to the West Coast League Championship Series for the eighth time in 10 years.
We also won 4-2 at Yakima on Tuesday in the series opener. We are 12-1 in our last 13 games, and 43-20 overall.
The Championship Series starts at 7:05 p.m. Saturday at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham. Sunday is a travel day. Game 2 and Game 3 (if necessary) will be Monday and Tuesday at Goss Stadium, with a regular 6:40 p.m. start time.
We took 2 of 3 against the Bells in Bellingham on June 7-9, and 2 of 3 in Corvallis on June 27-29.
The Bells crushed host Victoria 12-1 on Wednesday to sweep their North Division playoff series. They also won 3-2 on Tuesday in Bellingham. Victoria (40-14) had the league's best regular-season record.
The Knights captured WCL Championships in 2008 (Wenatchee), 2011 (Walla Walla) and 2013 (Wenatchee). They lost in the finals in 2007 (Moses Lake), 2009 (Wenatchee), 2012 (Wenatchee) and 2014 (Bellingham). We had the home-field advantage every time we won, and did not every time we lost.
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Tickets for the Championship Series are now on sale. You can purchase your tickets online, at our office in downtown Corvallis, or by giving us a call at 541-752-5656. Punch cards will not be honored, as they are good for regular-season games only.
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Corvallis outfielder Emilio Alcantar of Lewis-Clark State has been suspended for three games by the WCL after being ejected from Tuesday's night game at Yakima Valley. It was his second ejection of the summer, leading to the automatic suspension; he was also tossed from a July 23 home game against Victoria.
Alcantar missed Wednesday's game, and must sit out the first two games of the Championship Series as well.
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A special note to faithful Blog reader Carol: Wednesday's crowd of 1,679 increased the season attendance to a team-record 50,788 in 33 dates, an average of 1,539 per game. The old mark of 49,656 was set in 2015, also in 33 openings. The Knights drew 12,729 fans in 29 dates in 2007, their first season in Corvallis.
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El Paso (AAA Pacific Coast, Padres) outfielder Nick Torres (2012) was 2-for-5 with a double in a 10-8 loss to Fresno on Wednesday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. He upped his average to .393.
Honorable mention goes to:
* Toledo (AAA International, Tigers) DH Dean Green (2008) was 1-for-5 with two RBIs in a 7-5 loss to Columbus.
* Reno (AAA Pacific Coast, Diamondbacks) closer Jimmie Sherfy (2011) pitched a scoreless ninth, had two strikeouts and earned his seventh save in 3-1 win over Salt Lake. Reliever Greg Mahle (2012) pitched a scoreless inning for the losers.
* Connecticut (A New York-Penn, Tigers) pitcher Austin Sodders (2014) allowed two hits in three scoreless innings but did not figure in the decision in an 8-4 win over Auburn.
* Burlington (R Appalachian, Royals) catcher Nate Esposito (2012) was 2-for-3 and raised his average to .366 in a 3-1 loss to Princeton.
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
* Head coach AJ Proszek of the Wenatchee AppleSox has resigned. He said he will spend more time in Spokane with his wife and family, while dedicating his summer months to recruiting and managing his pitching staff at the Community Colleges of Spokane.
He coached for four years overall at Wenatchee, the first two as an assistant coach for Ed Knaggs. Please click here for more on that story, from Our Sports Central.
* Bellingham's Shane Hanon, originally a 10-day signee, won the WCL batting title with a .331 average. Read more about his story, from Our Sports Central, by clicking here.
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That is all for today. See you on Friday.
