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Knights Daily Update
More high rankings for partner schools
January 27, 2014Happy Monday, everyone.
We trust you enjoyed the sunshine and had a great weekend.
And we're now only 128 days away from our June 4 nonleague opener against a soon-to-be-named opponent on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium. Hot Stove Night III, our premier offseason attraction, is getting closer too.
West Coast League president Dennis Koho and OSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie are the special guest speakers for HSN III, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium. Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak, and all four will be available for questions.
Seating is limited and reservations are still coming in, so you better hurry. Admission is free for Olufson Designs Diamond Club members, for host families and sponsors, and just $5 for others. If you purchase a season ticket or 10-game punch card ($50) at the gate, you also get in free of charge. Reserve your seat by e-mailing [email protected].
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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We had this on our home page and on Facebook this past Friday, and it should appear in the Corvallis Gazette-Times sometime this week. We've got two more signings to announce, freshman pitchers Michael Martin and Christopher Vargas of UC Irvine.
Martin is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound righty from Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego. He was the Western League Player of the Year and was Cathedral Catholic's spring sports MVP. He was also a Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger All-American and a Perfect Game preseason All-American.
Vargas is a 5-11, 185-pound righty from Villa Park High School in Orange, Calif. He was the team's 2012 Pitcher of the Year and a four-time Century League all-star.
Welcome to the team.
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Partner school Oregon State is ranked No. 2 and partner school Oregon is No. 11 in Baseball America's preseason Top 25 poll. Both schools feature numerous future/alum Knights. Here's more on that story, from the Baseball America website.
The Beavers were ranked No. 3 and Ducks No. 9 in Perfect Game's preseason Top 25. Cal Poly was 28th, and almost cracked the Top 25. Here's a PG version of the Top 25, from the Perfect Game website.
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A familiar name surfaced unexpectedly on OSU's 2014 baseball roster: Infielder Caylen Clardy, a transfer from the College of the Siskyous who graduated from Aloha High School in Beaverton. Clardy hit .333 (9-27) with seven steals in 11 games as a 10-day signee in 2012.
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Partner school UC Santa Barbara is ranked No. 21 in the College Sports Madness preseason Top 45. Pitchers Greg Mahle (2012) and Dylan Hecht (2013) get some serious props. Here's CSM's analysis, from the College Sports Madness website.
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No news today from elsewhere in the West Coast League. See you on Tuesday.
Four alums invited to major-league training camps
January 23, 2014Happy Thursday, everyone.
Another sunny morning in Corvallis. We expect the rain will return at some point, but hey, there's no hurry, and we'll enjoy this respite while we can.
We're now only 132 days away from our June 4 nonleague opener against a soon-to-be-named opponent on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium. Better yet, Hot Stove Night III, our premier offseason attraction, is less than two weeks away.
West Coast League president Dennis Koho and OSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie are the special guest speakers for HSN III (it gets Roman numerals, just like the Super Bowl), set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium. Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak, and all four will be available for questions.
Seating is limited and reservations are pouring in, so you better hurry. Admission is free for Olufson Designs Diamond Club members, for host families and sponsors, and just $5 for others. If you purchase a 10-game punch card ($50) at the gate, you also get in free of charge. Reserve your seat by e-mailing [email protected].
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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Four alums have been invited to major league spring training camp by their respective parent teams. It's a big deal if you're a minor-league prospect, as you get to practice with the best on the top field, play in big-league exhibition games, and be seen by the top people in your respective organization.
The lucky alums are outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010) of the Milwaukee Brewers; right-handed pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009) of the St. Louis Cardinals; catcher Andrew Susac (2009) of the San Francisco Giants, and first baseman Matt Hague (2005) of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Hague, also known as "Slider Guy" because he's the sliding Knight depicted in much of our promotional material, has played in the majors, with the Pirates in 2012. He spent 2013 with Indianapolis in the triple-A International League. Susac reached Richmond in the double-A Eastern League in 2013; Gaviglio and Haniger finished 2013 in the high-A Florida State League.
Best of luck to all four players next month, and in the upcoming season.
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Cal Poly, one of our premier partner schools, begins practice on Friday and plenty of former and future Knights are expected to make a big impact, especially on the pitching staff.
Freshmen Slater Lee and Justin Calomeni, a pair of 2014 signees, are competing for the Saturday starting spot. Whoever loses that competition will be the midweek starter, as alum Casey Bloomquist (2013), last year's midweek starter, has been promoted to Sunday starter in 2014.
Coach Larry Lee was very complimentary of all three pitchers in his preseason preview. For complete details on the pitching staff and the rest of the team, please click here.
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Medford general manager Chuck Heeman is writing a blog for the Best Coast Baseball website this year. Click here to read his first entry.
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
KITSAP: The BlueJackets have signed first baseman/pitcher Austin Bush of Turlock, Calif., an incoming freshman at UC Santa Barbara. A 6-foot-5, 240-pounder, he hit .354 with 14 extra-base hits as a junior at Turlock High and was first-team All-League, his conference Offensive Player of the Year, and a Perfect Game underclass honorable mention. He also played in a number of elite showcase events, including the Area Code Games, the North-South Showcase, and the NorCal World Series.
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That's it for today. See you on Friday.
Matt Andriese traded to Tampa Bay
January 22, 2014Happy Wednesday, everyone.
Halfway through the week, and another day closer to the season. It's now just 133 more days until our June 4 nonleague opener against a soon-to-be-named opponent on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium. And Hot Stove Night III, our premier offseason attraction, is just two weeks from tonight.
West Coast League president Dennis Koho and OSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie are the special guest speaker s for the event, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium. Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak, and all four will be available for questions.
Seating at the Omaha Room is limited and reservations are pouring in, so you better hurry. Admission is free for Olufson Designs Diamond Club members, for host families and sponsors, and just $5 for others. If you purchase a 10-game punch card ($50) at the gate, you also get in free of charge. Reserve your seat by e-mailing [email protected].
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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Alum Matt Andriese (2009), the WCL Pitcher of the Year and an all-WCL selection that summer, was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday by the San Diego Padres as part of a seven-player deal. He reached triple-A Tucson last year and was ranked as the No. 15 prospect in the San Diego organization by Baseball America.
Andriese was 8-2, 2.37 in 15 games with San Antonio in the double-A Texas League, and made the TL all-star team. He then was promoted to triple-A Tucson of the Pacific Coast League and went 3-5, 4.45 in 12 games. He had 105 strikeouts in 134.2 total innings.
Here's more on the story from Baseball America. And here's far more from MLB.com, including a nice evaluation of Andriese.
MLB.com thinks Matt could be in the majors by the end of the season. Let's hope so! Best of luck to Matt; Tampa Bay's triple-A affiliate is Durham in the International League.
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The Yakima Pippins, the newest entry into the West Coast League, have launched their new website, Pippinsbaseball.com.
"The website will allow us to reach out to our fans and our fans back to us," Director of Operations Noel Zanchelli said. "We will have the ability to build our brand as a community-centered organization."
Here's more on that story from the BallparkBiz website.
The Pippins visit Goss Stadium on June 11-13 for our WCL home-opening series. We don't travel to Yakima this summer, due to the new unbalanced schedule.
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
BELLINGHAM: The Bells have signed right-handed pitcher Tanner Olson, a freshman at Lower Columbia College who played briefly for Bellingham in 2013, and second baseman Dustin Breshears, a junior at Gonzaga, for the 2014 season. Here's more from the Bellingham website.
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That's it for today. See you on Thursday.
Mitch Haniger props Cal Poly in interview
January 21, 2014Happy Tuesday, everyone.
We hope that those of you who had a long Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday had a great three-day weekend, and are ready for a great week.
Had a great time co-hosting the Joe Beaver Show, with Jon Warren, this afternoon on KEJO-AM, the flagship station of the Corvallis Knights. We talked about Knights baseball and other sports-related topics. If you missed it, it's also available on podcast on KEJO's website.
We're down to 134 more days until our June 4 nonleague opener against a soon-to-be-named opponent on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium. And Hot Stove Night III, our premier offseason attraction, is just 15 days away. West Coast League president Dennis Koho and OSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie are the special guest speakers for the event, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium.
Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak. All four will be available for questions.
Seating at the Omaha Room is limited and reservations are pouring in, so you better hurry. Admission is free for Olufson Designs Diamond Club members, for host families and sponsors, and just $5 for others. If you purchase a 10-game punch card ($50) at the gate, you also get in free of charge. Reserve your seat by e-mailing [email protected].
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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Knights' alum Mitch Haniger (2010) of Cal Poly was recently interviewed by FanGraphs.com. In the interview he explained why he chose to go to Cal Poly instead of signing with the New York Mets out of high school; talked about his hitting approach, and about how he learned most of his hitting techniques from the Cal Poly baseball coaching staff.
Click right here to read the interview, and click right here for more background on Mitch, from the Cal Poly website.
Best of luck to Mitch, who should make double-A this year in the Milwaukee organization. He played at low-A Beloit (Wisc.) in the Midwest League and at high-A Brevard County in the Florida State League in 2013.
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Alum Gabe Clark (2013), a sophomore infielder at Oregon State, has signed with the Victoria HarbourCats for the 2014 season. Gabe hit .208 overall in 37 games for us, with three homers and 16 RBIs. Here's more on that story from the Victoria website; here's even more from the HarbourCats Baseball Blog.
Another Victoria signee, Nevada junior pitcher Matt Susac, is the younger brother of alum Andrew Susac (2009), an Oregon State product now in the San Francisco organization. The younger Susac played two years at Sacramento City College before transferring.
We play the HarbourCats in Victoria on July 25-27, just after the West Coast League All-Star Game in Klamath Falls. Best of luck to Gabe in his new surroundings!
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
BEND: The Elks have signed utility players Grant Newton and Connor Moore, catcher Sam Finfer and infielder/RHP Brock Carpenter of Seattle University for the upcoming season. Here's more from the Bend website; it's the top item on the menu.
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That's it for today. See you on Wednesday.
Norris, Zep re-sign with major-league teams
January 20, 2014Happy Monday, everyone.
The Blog will be co-hosting the Joe Beaver Show, with Jon Warren, from noon until 1 p.m. on Tuesday on KEJO 1240 AM, the flagship station of the Corvallis Knights. We'll have some Knights news to report, and conversation on other sports-related topics, so be sure to tune in.
We're down to 135 more days until our June 4 nonleague opener against a soon-to-be-named opponent on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium. So don't forget about Hot Stove Night III, our premier offseason attraction. West Coast League president Dennis Koho and OSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie are the special guest speakers for the event, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium.
Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak. All four will be available for questions.
Seating at the Omaha Room is limited and reservations are pouring in, so you better hurry. Admission is free for Olufson Designs Diamond Club members, for host families and sponsors, and just $5 for others. If you purchase a 10-game punch card ($50) at the gate, you also get in free of charge. Reserve your seat by e-mailing [email protected].
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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Some news on our major-league Knights:
* Pitcher Bud Norris (2005) of Cal Poly has re-signed with the Baltimore Orioles.
* Pitcher Marc Rzepczynski (2006) of UC Riverside has re-signed with the Cleveland Indians.
* Still no news on free agent pitcher Tommy Hanson (2005) of Riverside CC.
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Alum Alex Michaels (2012) of Cal Poly will play for the Duluth Huskies in the Northwoods League this summer. Here's more, from Summer Baseball Insider.
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As you may know, we've hired Alex Kuhn, a Dec., 2013, University of Iowa graduate, as our 2014 play-by-play announcer. Here are some samples of his work; we think you'll be as impressed as we were.
Alex has an extensive broadcasting background as an undergrad at Iowa. Last summer he was the play-by-play voice of the Hamilton (Ohio) Joes of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. He now joins Mike Parker (2007-11, 2013), Jason Schwartz (2010) and Kevin Burke (2012) on the Mt. Rushmore of Knights' broadcasters. Welcome aboard!
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Former Kitsap lefty Rich Mascheri (2010-11) has signed with the Normal (Ill.) CornBelters of the Frontier League after being released by the New York Yankees organization. He played at Western Illinois and was all-WCL in 2010. Here's more from the Frontier League website.
And former Wenatchee star Taylor Sparks of UC Irvine, a second-team all-WCL pick in 2012, was named a preseason All-American by Perfect Game. Here's what they said about the junior third baseman:
Sparks had one of the most impressive turnarounds in college baseball last season. As a freshman in 2012, he batted .202 with just three homers and 12 RBIs in 124 at bats. However, the rising junior hit .360 last season with big-time raw power. Sparks, who has a pro body at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, impressed observers this past summer and enters the spring as the nation's No. 26 prospect.
Here's more from the Perfect Game website.
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
KLAMATH FALLS: The Gems have signed right-handed pitcher Brac Warren of Custer County High School in Miles City, Mont., and utility Casey Soltis of Grenada HS in Livermore, Calif., for the 2014 season. Both will be incoming freshman at Oregon this fall. Here's more from the Our Sports Central website.
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That's it for today. We'll see you on Tuesday; don't forget to tune in to the Joe Beaver Show at noon!
Less than 20 weeks and counting until opening day!
January 17, 2014Happy Friday, everyone.
We're down to 138 more days until our June 4 nonleague opener against a soon-to-be-named opponent on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium. That's roughly 20 weeks away, but it will go fast.
In the meantime, don't forget about Hot Stove Night III, our premier offseason attraction. West Coast League president Dennis Koho and OSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie are the special guest speakers for the event, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium.
Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak, and all four will be available for questions.
Seating at the Omaha Room is limited and reservations are coming in fast, so you better hurry. Admission is free for Olufson Designs Diamond Club members, for host families and sponsors, and just $5 for others. If you purchase a 10-game punch card ($50) at the gate, you also get in free of charge. Reserve your seat by e-mailing [email protected].
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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One of our newest partner schools, Linfield College in McMinnville, is the preseason No. 1 in NCAA Division III rankings released on Friday by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). We'll have three Wildcats on our roster to start the summer: Pitcher Chris Haddeland, the 2013 Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year, and outfielders Jimmy Cleary and Jackson Ruckert, who are 10-day signees.
Another of our NCAA Division III partners, George Fox University, was in the "also receiving votes" category. GFU pitcher Sean Eberhardt returns for his second season with the Knights in 2014. Here's the poll, from College Baseball Today.
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Speaking of partner schools, long-time Knights supporter Cal Poly is ranked No. 36 in the College Sports Madness preseason top 40. There are tons of Knights alums on the 2014 Mustangs: Seniors Jimmy Allen and David Armendariz, stars on our 2011 title club; juniors Nick Torres, Alex Michaels and Bryan Granger, members of the 2012 Knights, and sophomores Peter Van Gansen and Casey Bloomquist, members of our 2013 championship club.
This year's Mustangs/Knights are pitchers Slater Lee and Justin Calomeni and infielder Alec Smith. Here's the Cal Poly preview, from College Sports Madness.
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It's Friday, so it's time to update the stats of our Knights alums playing and coaching in the Australian Baseball League.
BROOKE KNIGHT: The Adelaide coach has the streaking Bite in tie for second place at 20-20, seven games behind league-leading Perth. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
ERIC MASSINGHAM (2006-07): The Canberra pitcher, from Cal Poly, is 3-1, 6.23 in 17 games, with 16 strikeouts in 17.1 innings.
LIAM BARON (2008-09): The Perth reliever, from Linn-Benton and Gonzaga, has appeared in one game and did not allow an earned run, but he does not have an ERA yet because he hasn't recorded an out. He's on Perth's reserve roster.
DEAN GREEN (2008): The one-time Oklahoma State/Barry University slugging first baseman is on the reserve list with the Sydney Blue Sox and has not played yet this season.
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Just in case you missed it yesterday, the Knights have hired Alex Kuhn, a Dec., 2013, University of Iowa graduate, as our 2014 play-by-play announcer. He has an extensive broadcasting background as an undergrad at Iowa, and last summer was the play-by-play voice of the Hamilton (Ohio) Joes of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.
He now joins Mike Parker (2007-11, 2013), Jason Schwartz (2010) and Kevin Burke (2012) on the Mt. Rushmore of Knights' broadcasters. Welcome aboard!
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
WALLA WALLA: The Sweets have signed lefty Spencer Hobson of Whitman College and righty Christian Jarnagin of George Fox University for the 2014 season. Here are full details from Our Sports Central.
WENATCHEE: For our readers in that region, the AppleSox are holding their Hot Stove Night at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 28, at Abby's West Pizza in Wenatchee. Manager Ed Knaggs is the scheduled guest speaker.
Admission is $20 per person and includes a pizza buffet; admission is free for season-ticket holders and sponsors, and limited to those 21 years of age or older. RSVP to Ken Osborne at (509) 665 6900 or e-mail [email protected].
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That's it for today. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.
Knights hire Alex Kuhn of Iowa as 2014 play-by-play broadcaster
January 16, 2014Happy Thursday, everyone.
We've got some big news to report today as we hit 139 more days until our June 4 nonleague opener against a soon-to-be-named opponent on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium.
The Knights have hired recent University of Iowa graduate Alex Kuhn as our 2014 play-by-play broadcaster.
And we've signed catcher Dane Lund, our 2013 Most Valuable Player, for the 2014 season. Dane's redshirting at Oregon State this spring following his transfer from San Jose State, and thus has another year of eligibility and therefore another chance to play for us. He will be the first four-year Knight since the inception of the WCL in 2005.
We'll have more on those topics later in the blog.
In the meantime, don't forget about Hot Stove Night III, our premier offseason attraction. West Coast League president Dennis Koho and OSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie are the special guest speakers for the event, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium.
Koho will address a variety of issues, including (but not limited to) current and possible future expansion; the new three-division re-alignment; what he envisions for the WCL down the road, and other topics. Nate will talk about the Beavers, their connection to the Knights, and other topics as well.
Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak. All four will be available for questions.
Seating at the Omaha Room is limited and reservations are coming in fast, so you better hurry. Admission is free for Olufson Designs Diamond Club members, for host families and sponsors, and just $5 for others. If you purchase a 10-game punch card ($50) at the gate, you also get in free of charge, and save five bucks.
Reserve your seat by e-mailing [email protected]. We'll have more information as it becomes available, but save the night!
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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The Knights are thrilled to announce the hiring of Alex Kuhn, a Dec., 2013, University of Iowa graduate, as our 2014 play-by-play announcer. He has an extensive broadcasting background as an undergrad at Iowa; last summer was the play-by-play voice of the Hamilton (Ohio) Joes of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.
He now joins Mike Parker (2007-11, 2013), Jason Schwartz (2010) and Kevin Burke (2012) on the Mt. Rushmore of Knights' broadcasters. Welcome aboard!
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As promised, here's more on the signing of catcher Dane Lund for the 2014 season:
A native of Astoria, Dane was also first-team all-WCL in 2013 after helping lead the Knights to their third league title. He hit .343 (48-140) in 46 WCL games, with no homers and 16 RBIs, and tied for second in the WCL in steals (25-for-26) and sacrifice hits (11). He led the Knights in average and was sixth in the batting race.
He had a team-best .452 on-base percentage and struck out just 12 times in 162 total plate appearances. He also had 26 walks.
Lund hit .261 (30-115) in 38 games for the Knights in 2012, with a homer and 13 RBIs. He hit .259 for Corvallis in 26 games in 2011, with no homers and six RBIs.
He transferred to SJSU for the 2013 season after spending two years at Mt. Hood Community College, and hit .241 (19-79) in 32 games, with a homer and eight RBIs. Lund was a NWAACC all-star for Mt. Hood in 2012, when he hit .311, with no homers and 20 RBIs.
Welcome back, Dane.
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No news today from the West Coast League, so we'll close. See you all on Friday.
PS: Somehow Wednesday's edition of the blog got deleted. Sorry about that!
Lots of WCL alums in affiliated baseball
January 14, 2014Happy Tuesday, everyone.
The Blog took in last night's great win by the Oregon State women's basketball team over Oregon with Knights' PA announcer Doug Blair. We saw lots of Knights fans at Gill Coliseum, cheering the Beavers on to their season sweep of the Ducks!
But now, back to baseball. It's a mere 141 days until our June 4 nonleague opener against a soon-to-be-named opponent on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium. And it's less than a month until an appetizer for the upcoming season, Hot Stove Night III.
West Coast League president Dennis Koho and OSU pitching coach Nate Yeskie are the special guest speakers for the event, the highlight of the Knights' off-season. It's set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium.
Koho will address a variety of issues, including (but not limited to) current and possible future expansion; the new three-division re-alignment; what he envisions for the WCL down the road, and other topics. Nate will talk about the Beavers, their connection to the Knights, and other topics as well.
Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak, and all four will be available for questions.
We're taking reservations because seating at the Omaha Room is limited. Admission is free for Olufson Designs Diamond Club members, for host families and sponsors, and just $5 for others. Reserve your seat by e-mailing the blog at [email protected].
We'll have more information as it becomes available, but save the night!
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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You know we never miss a chance to promote the Knights and the West Coast League. So, even though you may have already seen it, here's a refresher: A compilation of the 166 WCL alums who played in affiliated baseball in 2013.
That's mighty impressive, especially for a league that had eight or nine teams until the first round of expansion several years ago. Please click here for the complete list, which includes a whopping 42 Knights' alums.
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One of those aforementioned Knights in the pros, Pittsburgh Pirates' catcher Chris Stewart (2001), the guest speaker at Hot Stove Night II in 2013, gets looked at in a new, more appreciative light by reporter Zach Morrison in this story from the RantSports.com website.
Here's more on Stewart from another RantSports.com story, and here's yet more on Stewart from the Bucs Dugout website. It's a two-part interview; part 1 is also available on the link.
In reading the answers, it's easy to see why Stewie is so well-thought of in professional baseball.
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
BELLINGHAM: The Bells have signed outfielder Nate Anderson of Bellevue JC and right-handed pitcher Michael Rucker of BYU for the upcoming season. Both also played for the Bells in 2013. Click here for more on the story, from the Bellingham website.
VICTORIA: The HarbourCats have added six more players to their 2014 roster, including University of San Diego outfielder John Grimsley, the son of former LMB pitcher Jason Grimsley. Click here for a complete list of the newest Harbour Cats, from the Victoria website. Here's even more on the signings, from the HarbourCats Baseball Blog.
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That's it for today. See you all on Wednesday.
Happy Monday, Knights fans
January 13, 2014Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you all had great weekends.
It's only 142 more days until our June 4 nonleague opener against a soon-to-be-named opponent on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium. And, while that seems a long ways off, Hot Stove Night III should help whet your appetite for Corvallis Knights baseball.
West Coast League president Dennis Koho will be the special guest speaker for the event, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium.
He'll address a variety of issues, including (but not limited to) current and possible future expansion; the new three-division re-alignment; what he envisions for the WCL down the road, and other topics. He'll also answer any questions any attendees may have.
Oregon State pitching coach Nate Yeskie, Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak, and all four will be available for questions.
We are already receiving reservation requests, so don't wait because seating at the Omaha Room is limited. Reserve your seat by e-mailing the blog at [email protected]. We'll have more information as it becomes available, but save the night!
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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Baseball America has added more information to its list of the top 100 college prospects for the June, 2014, MLB draft. Three Knights' alums made the cut. Oregon State junior lefty Jace Fry (2011) is ranked 49th; OSU senior lefty Ben Wetzler (2011) is ranked 66th, and Cal Poly junior outfielder Nick Torres (2012) is ranked 79th. Please click here for more information.
We expect all three to be drafted this June and to join our growing list of professional alums. Fry was also drafted by Oakland out of high school in 2011 but did not sign; Wetzler was selected by Cleveland out of high school in 2010 and by Cincinnati in 2013; he twice turned down pro money. Torres was not drafted out of high school.
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Speaking of WCL president Dennis Koho, he was interviewed recently on a number of topics by senior staff writer Jacob F. Garcia of BestCoastBaseball.com. It makes for good reading; please click here to check it out.
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
BEND: The Elks have signed University of Portland freshman infielder/pitcher Austin Kelly; freshman infielder Dan Whitaker; sophomore pitcher Jordan Wilcox, and Morehead State outfielder Jason Rosen for the upcoming season. Click here for more on the story, from the Elks website. It's the top item on the menu.
VICTORIA: The HarbourCats will play an exhibition game against players from the Victoria Mariners and Victoria Eagles of the local Premier Baseball League at Royal Athletic Park on June 5, one day before they are scheduled to open the WCL regular season in Kelowna against the Falcons. Click here for more on the game, from the HarbourCats Baseball Blog. More information is also available here, on the team website.
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That's it for today. Have a great night, and we'll see you on Tuesday.
Have a great Friday
January 10, 2014Happy Friday, everyone.
Only 145 more days until our June 4 nonleague opener on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium. Hot Stove Night III will help you get there, and help whet your appetite for Corvallis Knights baseball.
In case you missed it, we announced on Thursday that West Coast League president Dennis Koho will be the special guest speaker at Hot Stove Night III, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium.
He'll address current and possible future expansion, the new three-division re-alignment, what he envisions for the WCL down the road, and other topics. He'll also answer any questions any attendees may have.
Oregon State pitching coach Nate Yeskie, Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak. All four presenters will be available for questions.
We're already receiving reservation requests, so don't wait! Seating at the Omaha Room is limited; reserve your seat by e-mailing the blog at [email protected]. We'll have more information as it becomes available, but save the night!
Now, on with the rest of the news.
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It's Friday, so it's time to update the stats of our Knights alums playing and coaching in the Australian Baseball League.
BROOKE KNIGHT: The Adelaide coach has the Bite in tie for fourth place at 17-19, six games behind league-leading Perth.
ERIC MASSINGHAM (2006-07): The Canberra pitcher, from Cal Poly, is 3-1, 7.04 in 15 games, with 15 strikeouts in 15.1 innings.
LIAM BARON (2008-09): The Perth reliever, from Linn-Benton and Gonzaga, has appeared in one game and did not allow an earned run, but he does not have an ERA yet because he hasn't recorded an out. He's on Perth's reserve roster.
DEAN GREEN (2008): The one-time Oklahoma State/Barry University slugging first baseman is on the reserve list with the Sydney Blue Sox and has not played yet this season.
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One last reminder to vote for Linfield junior pitcher/2014 Knights' signee Chris Haddeland, the 2013 NCAA Division III National Pitcher of the Year, for DIII Baseball.com's preseason Pitcher of the Year award. Please click here to access the ballot to vote for Haddeland, the Northwest Conference's 2013 Pitcher of the Year, and a 2013 NCAA Division III All-American. He's still in third place, but is moving closer to second.
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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:
BEND: The Elks have signed Morehead (Ky.) State pitchers Luke Schnieder and Patrick McGuff for the upcoming season. Click here for more on the story, from the Elks website. It's the top item on the menu.
WALLA WALLA: The Sweets have signed three players from the University of Portland: Pitcher Alex Fisher, catcher Cooper Hummel, and outfielder Ryan Littlefield. Click here for more on the story, from the Walla Walla website.
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That's it for today. Have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Monday.
