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Madrigal returning to Team USA
March 21, 2017Happy Tuesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Alum Nick Madrigal (2015), a sophomore shortstop at Oregon State, will play for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team this summer. The Elk Grove, Calif., native is a veteran of Team USA, previously competing for the program's 14U (2011), 15U (2012) and 18U (2014) clubs.
Madrigal earned first-team all-WCL honors after hitting .303 and breaking the league's season stolen bases mark with 40 steals. The Pacific-12 Conference Freshman of the Year in 2016, he is off to a great start in 2017 and leads OSU in hitting (.426), runs scored (21) homers (3) and steals (8).
For more details on his selection to Team USA, please click here.
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Linfield lefty and future 2017 Knight Cason Cunningham was nominated for Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week honors, but was not selected. He is a sophomore from Sheldon High School in Eugene.
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San Diego assigned catcher Rocky Gale (2007, 2009) to its minor-league camp. A seven-year veteran in the organization who was drafted in the 24th round out of the University of Portland in 2010, he made the Padres briefly in 2015. He played at El Paso in the triple-A Pacific Coast League and at San Antonio in the double-A Texas League in 2016 and hit a combined .243 in 107 games, with five homers and 34 RBIs.
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San Diego assigned alum Peter Van Gansen (2013) to their minor-league camp. Now a second baseman, the Cal Poly product played at Fort Wayne (A Midwest) in 2016 and hit .237 in 125 games, with a homer and 31 RBIs. He was a 12th-round draft choice in 2015, and a key member of our 2013 West Coast League championship team.
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Colorado assigned right-handed pitcher D.J. Johnson (2008-09) to its minor-league camp. DJ signed with Colorado in the offseason after spending 2016 in the Los Angeles Angels' organization, where he was 4-4, 4.02 in 47 games, with six saves and 67 strikeouts in 69.1 innings with Arkansas in the double-A Texas League. He originally signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent after playing at Mt. Hood CC.
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Miami assigned infielder Taylor Ard (2009) to its minor-league camp. Taylor played at Jupiter (A Florida State) in 2016 and hit .235 in 130 games, with 14 homers and 73 RBIs. He played at Mt. Hood CC and at Washington State.
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Remember, 2017 season tickets are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase a season-ticket package, please click here.
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That's all for today. Have a great rest of the week, and we will see you again on Friday.
Cunningham, Howell named Pitchers of the Week
March 18, 2017Happy Saturday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Linfield sophomore lefty pitcher Cason Cunningham, a 2017 Knight-to-be from Sheldon High in Eugene, was named the Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week for March 6-12 for pitching his second career complete game, a 7-2 win over Puget Sound on March 12. He stuck out 15 of the 33 batters he faced to earn the win while only allowing five hits, two walks and two earned runs. He is 2-0 with a 1.21 ERA, second-lowest in the conference.
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Dixie State redshirt junior pitcher Tanner Howell a 2016 Knight who will return this summer, was named the PacWest Conference Pitcher of the Week for March 6-12 for saving two of DSU's three wins over Concordia.
He tossed a pair of scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out two. He needed only seven pitches for the second save, setting down Concordia in order on a foul out, a line out and a ground out. Howell has allowed just two earned runs in 8.2 innings pitched this season.
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The Cleveland Indians assigned alum David Armendariz (2011) to their minor-league camp on Wednesday. A 23rd-round draft choice in 2014, the former Cal Poly/Cal Poly Pomona star hit .243 in 85 games at Class A Lynchburg (Carolina) and Lake County (Midwest) in 2016, with seven homers and 38 RBIs.
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Victoria has fortified its infield and pitching staff for the upcoming West Coast League season, with the addition of four players from Baylor. They are infielders Davis Wendzel and Tucker Johnson, and right-handed pitchers Luke Boyd and Ian McEachern. Please click here for full details, from Our Sports Central.
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Remember, 2017 season tickets are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase a season-ticket package, please click here.
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That is all for today. Have a great rest of the weekend, and we will see you again on Tuesday.
Kreuter named BWC Player of the Week
March 14, 2017Happy Tuesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Alum Cole Kreuter (2015-16) of UC Irvine was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week for leading the Anteaters to a series win over No. 1 TCU. A middle infielder, Cole hit .375 (6-for-16) with five runs scored and five RBIs to lead the Anteaters to a 3-1 week. He added a double and home run for a .625 slugging percentage.
Also, UC Riverside pitcher Hazahel Quijada (2016) was nominated for BWC Pitcher of the Week honors, but was not selected. For more on both players, please click here.
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The San Diego Padres have assigned alum Nick Torres (2012) to their minor-league camp. He appeared in two spring training games and was 1-for-2 (.500) with two RBIs. A Cal Poly product, he started 2016 at double-A San Antonio, made the Texas League midseason All-Star game, and was promoted to triple-A El Paso, where he hit .308 (40-130) in 36 games, with six homers and 18 RBIs.
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The Los Angeles Angels sent lefty pitcher Greg Mahle, our 2012 MVP, to Salt Lake in the triple-A Pacific Coast League. Mahle made his MLB debut with the Angels last season and was 1-0, 5.40 in 24 games, with 14 strikeouts in 18.1 innings. He spent the rest of the season with Salt Lake. He had an 11.57 ERA in five appearances this spring, with two strikeouts in 2.1 innings. Greg has a new look this season, as he has dropped 35 pounds from 2016; please click here for full details, from MLB.com.
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The Arizona Diamondbacks sent right-handed pitcher Jimmie Sherfy (2011) to their minor-league camp. The played for double-A Mobile (Southern) and triple-A Reno (PCL) in 2016 and was ranked as the No. 13 prospect in the Arizona system by MLB.com before the season. He saved two games in three appearances and had three strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA in three innings with the Diamondbacks this spring.
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San Francisco assigned right-handed pitcher Chase Johnson (2011) to minor-league camp. He played at double-A Richmond (Eastern) in 2016 and should advance to triple-A Sacramento this year. He was ranked as the No. 25 prospect in the San Francisco system by MLB.com before the season. He allowed no runs in two innings over two appearances and had two strikeouts with the Giants this spring.
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Two players headed to California universities upon graduation are the latest additions to the 2017 Yakima Valley Pippins. Outfielder Tora Otsuka, son of former Major League reliever Aki Otsuka (San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers), and pitcher Chase Farrell are expected to contribute greatly this summer. Otsuka will head to the University of San Diego this fall; Farrell will play at UCLA. Please click here for full details, from Our Sports Central.
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Remember, season tickets for the 2017 season are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase 2017 season tickets, please click here.
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Things are pretty slow on the Knights front right now, so that is all for today. Have a great week, and we will see you again on Friday.
Gaviglio playing for Team Italy in World Baseball Classic
March 10, 2017Happy Friday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Alum Sam Gaviglio (2009) is pitching for Team Italy in the ongoing World Baseball Classic. The Italians are in Pool D with Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Mexico and are playing in Jalisco, Mexico. Gaviglio did not pitch in a 10-9 win over Mexico on Thursday night. They play Puerto Rico at noon on Saturday and Mexico at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
The top two finishers in Pool C (Dominican Republic, United States, Canada, Columbia) and Pool D advance to Pool F in San Diego for games on March 14-19. The winners and runner-up advance to the semifinals and finals at Dodger Stadium on March 20-22.
An Oregon State products, Gaviglio is in the Seattle organization and was a combined 8-7 in 28 games with double-A Jackson (Southern) and triple-A Tacoma (PCL) in 2016, with 123 strikeouts in 165 innings. Originally drafted by St. Louis in 2011, he was traded to the Mariners in 2015 and is 34-36 in 110 lifetime games, with 485 strikeouts in 592 innings.
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Alum Tyler Anderson, Gaviglio's teammate on the 2009 Knights, has signed a one-year contract with Colorado. The former Oregon left-handed pitcher, the first Corvallis Knight to be selected in the first round of the MLB draft (2011), made it to the majors last summer after five years in the Colorado organization and went 5-6, 3.54 in 19 games (all starts), with 99 strikeouts in 114.1 in innings.
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We noted on Tuesday that our story on the five Knights on MLB.com's list of the top 30 prospects in each organization would be online soon. It is now up on the website; please click here to read all about our alums on the rise.
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The Yakima Valley Pippins have released the logo for this year's West Coast League All-Star Game, set for July 18. Please click here for full details, from Our Sports Central.
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Remember, season tickets for the 2017 season are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase 2017 season tickets, please click here.
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Things are pretty slow on the Knights front right now, so that is all for today. Have a great weekend, and we will see you again on Tuesday.
Five Knights on MLB's top-30 prospect list
March 7, 2017Happy Tuesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Five Corvallis Knights alums made MLB.com's annual list of the top 30 prospects in their respective major league organizations.
The Knights on the rise are:
* Outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010), an ex-Cal Poly star who is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the Seattle Mariners' minor-league system.
* Right-handed pitcher Jimmy Sherfy (2011), a University of Oregon product ranked No. 13 in the Arizona organization.
* Catcher Logan Ice (2014), an ex-Oregon Stater who is ranked as the 22nd-best prospect in the Cleveland organization.
* Pitcher Stephen Nogosek (2013), the No. 24 prospect in Boston's minor-league system. He also played at Oregon.
* Right-handed pitcher Chase Johnson (2011), a teammate of Haniger's at Cal Poly who is ranked No. 25 in the San Francisco organization.
Look for more on this story on our website in the near future.
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The Kansas City Royals assigned catcher Nate Esposito (2011) to their minor-league camp. He played at Burlington in the rookie Appalachian League last year and hit .317 in 29 games, with two homers and 17 RBIs. He played college baseball at Oregon State and Concordia.
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Remember, season tickets for the 2017 season are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase 2017 season tickets, please click here.
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Things are pretty slow on the Knights front right now, so that is all for today. Have a great weekend, and we will see you again on Friday.
Miami sends Ben Holmes back to minor-league camp
March 2, 2017Happy Friday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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The Miami Marlins assigned alum Ben Holmes (formerly Ben Wetzler) to their minor-league camp on Feb. 28. The ex-Oregon State lefty was a combined 7-2, 1.18 in 35 games with Jupiter (high-A Florida State League) and Greensboro (low-A South Atlantic League) in 2016, with four saves and 79 strikeouts in 91.1 innings.
Look for Benny to be at double-A Jacksonville in the Southern League this season. He was second-team all-West Coast League for our 2011 championship club and was ranked as the WCL's No. 3 pro prospect by Perfect Game and the No. 4 prospect by Baseball America.
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In other alumni news out of major league camps, Detroit pitcher Matt Boyd (2010) signed his 2017 contract on Wednesday. A two-year MLB vet, the former OSU star hopes to make Detroit's starting rotation this season after spending part of the last two years in the majors with Detroit and Toronto.
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Remember, season tickets for the 2017 season are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase 2017 season tickets, please click here.
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The Walla Walla Sweets announce the return of Emory University sophomore RHP
Billy Dimlow for the 2017 season. Dimlow appeared in 12 games for the Sweets last summer, including one start, and pitched to a 4.15 ERA across 21.2 innings. He struck out 20 and walked only five. For more on that story, please click here.
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Things are pretty slow on the Knights front right now, so that is all for today. Have a great weekend, and we will see you again on Tuesday.
Gotta, Burg sent to minor-league camp
February 27, 2017Happy Monday-Tuesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Two alums who played big roles for us on West Coast League championship teams have been assigned to minor-league camp by the major-league parent team.
Outfielder Cade Gotta (2011) was sent down by the Tampa Bay Rays. He started at single-A in 2016 and then was promoted to double-A Montgomery in the Southern League, where he finished the season. He played at San Diego Christian.
Utility Alex Burg (2008) was sent down by the Texas Rangers. He played at Round Rock in triple-A and at Frisco in double-A last season. He is a Washington State product who was the MVP of our 2008 WCL champions.
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Remember, season tickets for the 2017 season are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase 2017 season tickets, please click here.
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The Bellingham Bells have signed Oregon State freshman pitcher Jake Mulholland for the 2017 season. For more on that story, please click here.
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The Victoria HarbourCats have signed outfielder Hunter Vansau from Mississippi State; left-handed pitcher Jack Owen, a freshman commit to Auburn, and pitchers Sam Crocker of Florida Tech and Jacob Castillo from Mt. San Antonio College for the 2017 season. Please click here for complete details.
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Things are pretty slow on the Knights front right now, so that is all for today. Have a great week, and we will see you again on Friday.
Jake Wong named WAC Pitcher of the Week
February 20, 2017Happy Monday-Tuesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Alum Jake Wong of Grand Canyon threw six scoreless innings and had seven strikeouts on Friday to lead GCU to a 6-1 win over No. 22 Oklahoma State in their season opener.
He allowed a career-low one hit, and his seven strikeouts were a career-high. Please click here for full details on the game.
Wong was named the Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the week for his performance. Please click here for full details on his award.
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Alum Clay Fisher (2015) of UC Santa Barbara was nominated for Big West Conference Player of the Week honors, but was not selected. Clay hit .285 (2-7) with two runs and a double in a series against Loyola Marymount.
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Former intern Korrin Smith Torres, now married to alum Nick Torres (2012) has started a video blog called "The Baseball Gypsy" that will be updated throughout the season. Please click here for the first installment. The couple met while Nick was playing for the Knights; he is in the Padres' organization and should play for triple-A El Paso in the PCL this season.
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Remember, season tickets for the 2017 season are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase 2017 season tickets, please click here.
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Former Kitsap broadcaster Mick Tidrow has been hired by the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters of the Northwoods League for the 2017 season. For more on that story, please click here.
In other Northwoods League news, catcher Nick Kahle (2016), a freshman at Washington, has signed with La Crosse for the 2017 season. For more on that story, please click here.
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Things are pretty slow on the Knights front right now, so that is all for today. Have a great week, and we will see you again on Friday.
Walker named to Stopper of the Year watch list
February 18, 2017Happy Saturday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Alum Ryan Walker (2015), a junior right-handed pitcher at Washington State, has been named to the 60-man watch list for the 13th annual National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award. It goes to the top relief pitcher In NCAA Division I baseball.
Walker was 4-2, 3.89 in 10 total appearances in 2015, with a save and 35 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. He saved the WCL All-Star game for the South Division with an inning of scoreless relief, and was named the WCL's No. 7 pro prospect by Baseball America and the No. 11 pro prospect by Perfect Game.
Walker earned all-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2016 after posting the league's sixth-lowest ERA (2.66) and batting average against (.212) in conference games. WSU won 11 Pac-12 games in 2016; Walker won four of those, and saved four others.
Walker led the Cougars with a 6-3 record, with saves, a 2.40 ERA, a .210 batting average against and 50 strikeouts in 63.2 innings in 18 games. His six relief wins tied for the second-most relief wins in school single-season history.
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Alum Cody Hawken (2016) of the University of Portland will play for the Northwoods League's Battle Creek (Mich.) Bulldogs this summer following his sophomore season with the Pilots. He hit .247 (36-146) in 50 total games for us in 2016, with two homers and 19 RBIs. His brother, UP pitcher Jake Hawken, will join him in Michigan.
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Remember, season tickets for the 2017 season are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase 2017 season tickets, please click here.
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The Victoria HarbourCats have signed outfielder and utility player, Po-Hao Huang for the 2017 season. Huang played in North America in the summer of 2016, competing in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League for the Elmira Pilots. In 28 games, he hit .260 with a home run, 17 RBIs, five doubles and two triples.
For more on that story, please click here.
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Batterymates from the University of Utah will head to Yakima this summer to play for the Pippins. Left-handed pitcher Joshua Tedeschi and catcher Zack Moeller, both sophomores for the defending Pac-12 champion Utes this spring, are hailed by Pippins manager Marcus McKimmy because of their poise and leadership attributes. Please click here for more on that story.
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Things are pretty slow on the Knights front right now, so that is all for today. Have a great weekend, and we will see you again next week.
Madrigal, Harrison on Golden Spikes Watch List
February 15, 2017Happy Wednesday, everyone, from the home of your 2016 West Coast League champions!
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Alums Nick Madrigal (20150 and KJ Harrison (2015) of Oregon State are on the initial watch list for the 2017 Golden Spikes Award, USA Baseball announced on Wednesday.
Harrison and Madrigal, both infielders, help comprise the list of 55 players from across the country. The Golden Spikes Award is given annually to the nation's top amateur player.
Madrigal hit .333 with a home run and five triples in 2016 and was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. He was named a preseason All-American by multiple organizations.
Harrison is a two-time first-team, Pac-12 all-star and was the 2015 Freshman of the Year. He hit .265 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs as a sophomore. He is also a preseason All-American.
A midseason watch list will be released April 12; semifinalists will be named on May 31. Finalists will then be announced June 14 with the trophy presentation scheduled for June 29.
Fan voting will continue to be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2017, starting on May 31 with the naming of the Golden Spikes Award semifinalists. Fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com.
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Remember, season tickets for the 2017 season are now on sale. To check out your many options and to purchase 2017 season tickets, please click here.
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The Walla Walla Sweets have finalized their coaching staff for the 2017 season. The four-man staff features two returning coaches and athletic trainer and one new member. Manager Frank Mutz, who is in the second season of a three-year deal, returns to the dugout in 2017 after a successful campaign last summer. For more on that story, please click here.
The Sweets have also signed freshman Tommy Henderson and sophomore Ripken Reyes of the University of California for the 2017 season. Click here for full details.
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The Bellingham Bells have added infielder Jack Johnson and right-handed pitcher Adam Davenport of Washington to their 2017 roster. Please click here for more on that story.
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Things are pretty slow on the Knights front right now, so that is all for today. Have a great week, and we will see you again over the weekend.
