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Alex Nesbitt to return
October 26, 2014Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you all had great weekends.
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The Knights have signed right-handed pitcher Alex Nesbitt, a junior at Washington who also pitched for the Knights in 2013. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder was supposed to return in 2014, but was shut down for the summer.
Alex was 0-1, 4.63 in 10 appearances for the Huskies in 2014, with nine strikeouts in 11.2 innings. He was 0-0, 10.80 in three appearances as a freshman, with one strikeout in 3.1 innings.
A graduate of Kamiak High School in Mukilteo, Wash., Alex was a second-team 3A Wesco South League all-star as a shortstop in 2012 as a senior.
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Speaking of the Huskies, alum Brandon Choate (2013-14), a UW senior, was named the Most Improved Pitcher during fall drills, which concluded this past Friday. Brandon was outstanding as our closer the past two summers and also had a great first year with the Huskies (4-1, 2.54) in 2014 after transferring from Tacoma Community College.
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Alum Andrew Susac (2009) of Oregon State is 0-for-1 and alum Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State is 1-for-1 with a run so far for the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.
Host San Francisco won Game 5 on Sunday night, 5-0, to take a 3-2 lead. The series resumes on Tuesday with Game 6, in Kansas City.
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The Medford Rogues have signed four players for the 2015 season. Here is more on that story, from the Our Sports Central website.
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That is all for today. See you on Wednesday.
Knights sign RHPs Barry, Walker
October 23, 2014Happy Friday, everyone.
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The Knights have signed right-handed pitchers Sean Barry of Santa Barbara City College and Josh Walker of Grand Canyon University for the 2015 season.
Barry is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound sophomore transfer from High Point University who graduated from Moorpark High School in Simi Valley, Calif. He was 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 10 appearances at High Point in 2014, with 17 strikeouts in 11.2 innings.
He was a three-year letterman at Moorpark, where he was 11-2 with a 0.88 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 95.2 innings as a senior. He was first-team Max Prep all-state, Perfect Game honorable mention All-California, and first-team all-Ventura County and the Marmonte League Pitcher of the Year in 2012 and 2013.
Walker is a 5-11, 155-pounder from Chino Hills High in Chino Hills, Calif. He had a 1.05 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 26.2 innings and was a second-team Sierra League all-star as a senior in 2014.
"Josh shows great competiveness on the mound," Grand Canyon coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "Some may say he is undersized, but we don't. His arm plays."
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Alum Andrew Susac (2009) of Oregon State was 0-for-1 for the San Francisco Giants as a pinch-hitter on Thursday night in a 7-2 loss to Kansas City in Game 2 of the World Series. Infielder Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State did not play for the Giants. The series resumes tonight with Game 3 in San Francisco.
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New owner Matt Acker has redesigned the Kitsap BlueJackets' logo. Here is more on that story, and a rendering of the logo, from the Ballpark Biz.com website.
And speaking of new owners, the new ownership group of the Bend Elks has signed a lease with the Bend Parks and Rec Board for Vince Genna Stadium. Here is more on that story, from KTVZ-TV in Bend.
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The Walla Walla Sweets have hired Frank Mutz as their new head coach, He succeeds J.C. Biagi, who had led the franchise since its inception in 2010. Here is more on that story, from the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin newspaper.
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That is all for today. Have a great weekend and we will see you on Monday.
Angel Landazuri to return in 2015
October 22, 2014Happy Wednesday, everyone.
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The Knights have signed right-handed pitcher Angel Landazuri of UC Riverside for the 2015 season. He is a returnee from the 2014 team.
A 6-foot, 180-pound sophomore right-hander, Landazuri was 4-0, 2.43 in 10 regular-season games for the Knights in 2014, with 35 strikeouts in 48 innings. He was 0-0, 1.80 in his lone playoff start, with three strikeouts in five innings.
Landazuri was a second-team West Coast League all-star and was named the WCL Player of the Week for July 14-20. He earned the award by pitching eight shutout innings and getting the win in a 2-0 victory at Bellingham on July 18. He had a career-high 10 strikeouts, and did not issue a walk.
A graduate of Redlands High School in Redlands, Calif., Landazuri was 3-2 with a 3.52 ERA in 20 appearances as a freshman at UC Riverside, with 35 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.
He is the third member of the 2014 staff to sign for 2015. Right-handers Merrick Patito of Chaffey College and Harrison McGhee of Concordia will also return.
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Former OSU gymnastics star Leslie Mak, one of the stars of our 2011 intern class from the OSU College of Business, is off to a great start in her career with the E&J Gallo Winery. Please click here for an update on Leslie.
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Nice start to the 2015 World Series for San Francisco and alums Andrew Susac (2009) of Oregon State and Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State on Tuesday night in a 7-1 win over Kansas Coty in Game 1 of the World Series. They did not appear in the game.
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That is all for today. See you on Friday.
Welcome back after the weekend
October 20, 2014Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you all had great weekends and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Now, on with the news.
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Alums Andrew Susac (2009) of Oregon State and Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State begin their first World Series on Tuesday night when the Giants travel to Kansas City for Game 1. Game 2 is Tuesday, also in KC. We will be watching!
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Lots of West Coast League news and notes in the latest edition of "Post From the Coast," a regular column about the WCL by Our Sports Centralreporter Bruce Baskin. Please click here for his latest installment.
He will give his impressions of Corvallis in the next edition.
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Big improvements are underway at Joe Etzel Field in Portland, the home stadium for our partner program at the University of Portland. A new synthetic surface is being installed, and other upgrades are underway. Click here for more details.
UP shortstop Michael Lucarelli, our 2014 MVP, might not make an error with a synthetic surface!
A new synthetic surface will be installed in the infield and outfield at Goss Stadium shortly too. Throw in the new locker room/hospitality deck project under construction down the left-field line and the home of the Knights will have a brand-new look next summer.
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The West Coast League's annual fall meeting concluded on Friday in Salem, the home base of president Dennis Koho. We will try to get a recap from president Dan Segel sometime this week.
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That is all for today. See you on Wednesday.
Susac, Duffy advance to World Series
October 17, 2014Happy Friday, everyone. Tough loss for the Beavers last night, but Utah is a pretty good team. That's football, I guess. Now, on with the news.
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Alums Andrew Susac (2009) of Oregon State and Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State have advanced to the World Series in their rookie seasons, quite an accomplishment. The Giants punched their ticket with a 6-3, 10-inning win over St. Louis in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.
Neither player played in the win. The series starts at Kansas City on Tuesday night. We will be watching!
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The Knights have signed junior third baseman Michael Farris of UC Riverside for the 2015 season. He is a 6-foot-3, 205-pound transfer from Golden West College via Los Alamitos High School in Garden Grove, Calif.
A right-handed hitter, Farris batted .340 (52-153) in 36 games in 2014, with two homers, 14 RBIs and a team-high 52 hits and a team-best 22 runs. He was a first-team Golden West Conference all-star as a utility player.
Farris is also a pitcher and went 3-1, 0.00 in eight games in 2014, with three saves and nine strikeouts in 12 innings. He was 2-1, 2.87 in 17 games in 2013, with 33 strikeouts in 31.1 innings.
Welcome to the team, Michael.
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The West Coast League's annual fall meeting concludes today in Salem, the home base of president Dennis Koho. Knights' president Dan Segel said yesterday that the meetings are going smoothly and the league's top brass should be closer to finalizing the 2015 schedule, which we hope to release shortly.
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That is all for today. Have a great weekend.
Susac, Duffy move closer to World Series
October 15, 2014Happy Wednesday, everyone. It is a wet one, fall is definitely here, but it is supposed to be nice on Thursday for the Oregon State-Utah football game, so that is a bonus. Hope you all had great weekends.
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Alums Andrew Susac (2009) of Oregon State and middle infielder Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State did not play on Tuesday night in San Francisco's 5-4 win over St. Louis in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series.
Game 4 is tonight. The Giants lead 2-1 and can move to within one win of their third World Series in the last five years with a victory.
Baltimore pitcher Bud Norris (2005), a Cal Poly alum, went 4.2 innings in a 6-4 loss to Kansas City on Saturday and got a no-decision in Game 2 of the ALCS. Kansas City took a 3-0 lead on Tuesday night and can wrap up its first trip to the World Series since 1985 with a win tonight.
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Alum Tyler Anderson (2009), a former No. 1 draft pick of Colorado from Oregon, is rated as the No. 11 pro prospect in the Texas League by Baseball America. Now with the Twins, he was 7-4, 1.98 in 23 games, with 106 strikeouts in 118.1 innings at Tulsa in 2014.
Giants' catcher Andrews Susac (2009) was ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the triple-A Pacific Coast League, but he's already in the majors.
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The Victoria HarbourCats have signed pitcher Chris Fougner, a graduate of the baseball academy program at Lambrick Park, and Everett, Wash., pitcher Zander Clouse of Bellevue College for the 2015 season. Here is more on that story, from Our Sports Central.
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The West Coast League's annual fall meeting is set for Thursday and Friday in Salem, the home base of president Dennis Koho. Topics to be discussed are the finalization of the 2015 schedule and a further league-wide marketing plans, including the revamped WCL website and social media initiatives.
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That is all for today. See you on Friday. Go Beavs!
Big nights for Susac, Duffy in 5-4 loss to Cardinals
October 13, 2014Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you all had great weekends.
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Alums Andrew Susac (2009) of Oregon State and Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State had great games in their limited roles on Sunday for the San Francisco Giants in their 5-4 loss to St. Louis in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series.
Susac knocked a pinch-hit single in the ninth inning to start a game-tying rally. Duffy then pinch-ran for him and scored the tying run from second base on a two-out wild pitch. St. Louis eventually won 5-4, evening the series
It was probably the first time in MLB history that one former Knight has pinch-run for another.
Games 3-5 are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in San Francisco. The series is tied, 1-1.
Baltimore pitcher Bud Norris (2005), a Cal Poly alum, went 4.2 innings in a 6-4 loss to Kansas City on Saturday and got a no-decision in Game 2 of the ALCS, which resumes today in Kansas City. The Royals lead that series, 2-0.
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Big new on the home front. We have signed four of Oregon State's top position players for the 2015 season, including returnee Jackson Soto of Albany, a fan favorite. Here is more on that story, from our website.
Welcome back Jackson, and welcome to the team, Elliott, Christian and K.J.! OSU assistant coach Andy Jenkins, a former Knights player (2002-04) and assistant coach (2012), is very high on this foursome so we anticipate big things.
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The sale of the Bend Elks to co-owner John Marick and the Let's Play Ball LLC has been finalized, and new ownership will take over shortly. Here is more on that story, from the Bend Bulletin newspaper.
Welcome to WCL, and here is to a long and fruitful relationship between the Knights and Elks.
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Head coach Jeff James and the entire coaching staff of the West Coast League-champion Bellingham Bells will return next year. For more details, click here and read all about it on Our Sports Central.
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That is all for today. See you on Wednesday.
Susac, Duffy, Giants open NLCS on Saturday
October 10, 2014Happy Friday, everyone. Bring on the weekend!
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Alums Andrew Susac (2009) of Oregon State and Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State and the rest of the San Francisco Giants begin their National League Championship Series against St. Louis at 2 p.m. Saturday in St. Louis. The Cardinals eliminated the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Susac and Duffy will be joined in the championship series round by Baltimore pitcher Bud Norris (2005), a Cal Poly alum. The Orioles will face Kansas City in the ALCS; that series starts on Baltimore today.
Also, Duffy has been removed from Scottsdale's roster and won't play in the Arizona Fall League. He and Susac get a mention in this story about the team's home-grown talent in the San Jose Mercury-News.
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We reported previously that veteran Corvallis pitching Connor Lambert (2011-present) has a new job as the Director of Operations at the University of Utah. Here is more on that story, from our website.
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Former Wenatchee AppleSox pitcher Marco Gonzales of the St. Louis Cardinals and Gonzaga earned a playoff series-clinching win against Clayton Kershaw and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night. It was his second win of the series, both in games started by Kershaw, the likely NL Cy Young Award winner.
Gonzales was all-WCL for Wenatchee in 2010. Here is more on that story, from the WCL website.
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Oregon State released its 2015 baseball schedule on Thursday and there will be several opportunities to see former and future Knights in action at Goss Stadium.
As we reported on Wednesday, many former and future Knights will be in Corvallis this March 26-28 when Cal Poly visits Goss Stadium for a three-game series with the Beavers.
Rosters may change in the intervening months, but as of today alums Casey Bloomquist (2013), Peter Van Gansen (2013) , Justin Calomeni (2014) and Alec Smith (2014) will be on hand, as well as projected 2015 Knights Slater Lee (2015) and Josh George. Alum Bryan Granger (2012) had off-season Tommy John surgery and isn't playing this year.
Portland and alums Michael Lucarelli (2013-14), our 2014 MVP; Caleb Whalen (2012); Cody Lenahan (2013); Kevin Farley (2014) and Jackson Lockwood (2014) play at Goss on March 10. We have not announced which, if any, Pilots will play for us this summer.
Should be some great games. Here is the entire schedule, from osubeavers.com.
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That is all for today. Have a great weekend and we will see you on Monday.
Alums Susac, Duffy to NLCS showdown
October 8, 2014Happy Wednesday, everyone.
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Alums Andrew Susac (2009) of Oregon State and Matt Duffy (2010) of Long Beach State and the rest of the San Francisco Giants are headed to the National League Championship Series. They defeated Washington 3-2 on Tuesday to win their NLDS showdown, 3-1.
A middle infielder, Duffy was 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter and Susac did not play in Tuesday's clinching win. Duffy played in four games in the series and was 0-for-4; Susac was 0-for-1 in his only appearance. The best-of-7 NLCS starts at 2 p.m. Saturday in St. Louis. The Cardinals eliminated the Dodgers on Tuesday.
Susac and Duffy will be joined in the Championship Series round by Baltimore pitcher Bud Norris (2005), a Cal Poly alum. The Orioles will face Kansas City in the ALCS; that series starts on Baltimore on Friday. Norris won Baltimore's series-clincher over Detroit.
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Lots of former and future Knights will be in Corvallis this March 26-28 when Cal Poly visits Goss Stadium for a three-game series with the Oregon State Beavers.
Rosters may change in the intervening months, but as of today alums Casey Bloomquist (2013), Peter Van Gansen (2013), Justin Calomeni (2014) and Alec Smith (2014) will be on hand with the Mustangs, as well as projected 2015 Knights Slater Lee (2015) and Josh George.
Should be a great series between the defending Big West and Pac-12 champions, two of the top programs on the West Coast.
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That is all for today. There is not much Knights/WCL news to report these days so we are cutting back the Blog to three days a week. See you on Friday.
Norris pitches Baltimore into the ALCS
October 6, 2014Happy Monday, everyone. Great weekend in Corvallis; the Beavers won in Colorado, and we had beautiful weather. Pretty slow news day around the Knights and around the West Coast League, but we have a few items of note:
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Alum Bud Norris (2005) of Cal Poly had a great day for the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday. He pitched 6.1 scoreless innings, gave up just two hits, struck out six and got the win as the Orioles edged Detroit 2-1 to sweep their American League Divisional Series.
Here is more on that story from the Baltimore Sun newspaper, with lots of quotes from Norris, who was a first-team West Coast League all-star for us in 2005.
And here is even more, from the Cal Poly website.
Baltimore will now play Kansas City for the right to play in the World Series.
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Our other two alums still alive in the playoffs, San Francisco catcher Andrew Susac (2009) and middle infielder Matt Duffy, are a combined 0-for-3 in two games against the Washington Nationals. Susac is 0-for-1, Duffy 0-for-2 in the Giants' two one-run wins.
That series continues today in San Francisco. The Giants hold a 2-0 lead.
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That is all for today. Have a great day and we will see you on Tuesday.
