Leslie Mak repeats as Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year

You might want to pull up a chair and grab a snack. Today's version of the Blog is going to be long because it's the only day we'll be writing this week, since we're taking some vacation for spring break.

First, it's now just 67 days until our June 1 opener at Walla Walla, and only 71 until Home Opener VI, set for June 5 against the Klamath Falls Gems. In other words, just a little over two months. Get your tickets now, because it will be here before you know it!

And congrats to Oregon State senior Leslie Mak, one of our superstar 2011 College of Business interns. She was named the Pacific-12 Conference Gymnast of the Year on Saturday for the second year in a row.

Here's a release from OSU with all the details. Way to go, Leslie!

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Sophomore Dylan Stuart (2011-12) of UC Riverside was nominated for Big West Conference Pitcher of the Week honors, but did not win. He defeated Fresno State 5-1 on March 23 with a complete-game six hitter; he had six strikeouts and no walks.

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Not sure how we missed this, but Pacific pitcher Rob Dittrick (2012) made the D3Baseball.com National Team of the Week for March 12-19 as a starting pitcher.

He earned his fourth straight victory and allowed just one hit over seven innings in a 16-1 victory over Lewis & Clark. He faced just two hitters over the seven-inning minimum.

Congrats!

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Also, the Chicago Cubs sent former Knights infielder Bobby Scales (1997) down to triple-A Iowa. He had brief stints with the Cubs in 2009 and 2010 after many years in the minors, and split last season between Iowa and Japan.

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The Blog will be pinch-hitting for Mike Parker on the Joe Beaver Show on the Knights home station, KEJo-AM 1240, from noon-2 p.m. on Tuesday if the Beavers game at Portland is a go. So tune in to co-host Jon Warren and your's truly if you can!

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Normally on Monday we update the stats of our Division I players. But since this is the lone blog of the week, we'll update all of our 2012 players numbers after a busy, if rainy, weekend of baseball up and down the West Coast.

Here we go, first with our Division I players:

CAL POLY: Freshman outfielder Nick Torres is hitting .315 (29-92) with two homers and 18 RBIs. Freshman outfielder Alex Michaels is at .400 (6-15) with no homers and three RBIs. Freshman Bryan Granger is 0-0, 6.75, with three strikeouts in 2.2 innings.

OREGON STATE: Freshman pitcher Carlos Rodriguez is 0-0, 3.18, with four strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Freshman catcher Nate Esposito is hitting .000 (0-3). Freshman pitchers Mitchell Tripp and Michael McCall haven't played yet.

OREGON: Sophomore outfielder Connor Hofmann is hitting .226 (7-31) with a homer and six RBIs.

SANTA CLARA: Junior pitcher Chris Mendoza is 0-0, 8.25 with a save and a three strikeouts in 12 innings.

SEATTLE: Junior infielder Nate Roberts is hitting .200 (11-55) with a homer and 12 RBIs after 16 games.

UC IRVINE: Freshman infielder Chris Rabago is hitting .273 (6-22) with two RBIs. Junior pitcher Mark Trentacosta is 0-0, 0.96 in 9.2 innings, with 11 strikeouts.

UC RIVERSIDE: Sophomore pitcher Dylan Stuart is 3-2, 3.86, with 23 strikeouts over 35 innings pitched. Freshman pitcher Antonio Gonzales is 0-0, 7.36, with five strikeouts in 3.2 innings; freshman Cody Dill hasn't pitched yet.

PORTLAND: Freshman infielder Caleb Whalen is hitting .226 (14-62) with two homers and 11 RBIs. Junior pitcher Chris Johnson is 1-1, 3.42 in 26.1 innings, with 19 strikeouts.

WASHINGTON STATE: Sophomore outfielder Nate Blackham is hitting .270 (17-63) with seven RBIs.

TEXAS: Sophomore infielder Alex Silver is hitting .291 (16-55), with no homers and seven RBIs. Sophomore pitchers Trevor Tykel and Justin Peters have not played yet.

UC SANTA BARBARA: Freshman utility man Greg Mahle is hitting .397 (27-68) with no homers and 17 RBIs, and is 0-1, 4.86 as a pitcher, with 17 strikeouts in 16.2 innings.

YOUNGSTOWN STATE: Freshman infielder Jack Graham is hitting .158 (9-57), with four RBIs.

TEXAS TECH: Junior pitcher Aaron Corwin is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA over 5.1 innings, with two strikeouts.

CORNELL: Sophomore infielder Ryan Plantier is hitting .222 (2-9), with three RBIs.

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Here's an update on how our Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior college players are faring:

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: Outfielder Jacob Hoffman is hitting .323 (20-62), with three homers and 20 RBIs. Utility Chris Bishop is hitting .167 (2-12) with three RBIs, and is 2-1, 3.71 as a pitcher, with 26 strikeouts in 34 innings.

REDLANDS: Pitcher Kyle Hart is 3-2, 3.88, with 31 strikeouts in 51 innings. Pitcher Mike Massari is 0-2, 7.36, with 10 strikeouts in 11 innings.

GEORGE FOX: Pitcher Alex Keenan is 2-2, 3.75 in 12 innings, with 11 strikeouts.

GRAND CANYON: Pitcher Jorge Perez is 1-2, 2.86, with 28 strikeouts in 28.1 innings.

WESTERN OREGON: Outfielder Matt Nylen is hitting .333 (27-81), with a homer and 18 RBIs.

LINFIELD: Pitcher Zach Manley is 1-1, 4.43 in 20.1 innings, with 22 strikeouts.

PACIFIC: Pitcher Rob Dittrick is 4-1, 2.13, with 28 strikeouts in 38 innings.

CORBAN: Infielder Marc Gallegos is hitting .389 (37-95), with 11 RBIs.

CONCORDIA: Pitcher Eric Weir is 2-2, 7.64, with 23 strikeouts in 33 innings.

RIVERSIDE CC: Outfielder Cade Gotta is hitting .304 (24-79), with two homers and 14 RBIs.

COLLEGE OF THE SISKYOUS: Infielder Caylen Clardy is hitting .298 (18-61), with no homers and six RBIs.

MT. HOOD: Pitcher Kendall Motes is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA, with 13 strikeouts in 8.2 innings. Catcher Dane Lund is hitting .297 (11-37), with no homers and three RBIs. Infielder Alex Foulon is hitting .211 (8-38) with four RBIs and outfielder Tristan Metcalf is hitting .320 (8-25), with four RBIs.

LINN-BENTON: Infielder Austin Hamilton is hitting .059 (1-19) with one RBI.

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

BELLINGHAM: The Bells have signed shortstop Des Santos of Pierce College and pitcher Jake McCoy of the College of the Desert. Here are the details from the Bellingham website.

BEND: The Elks have signed College of the Desert outfielder Ryne Clark , a transfer from San Diego State University, where he played quarterback and outfielder. Here are all the details from the Bend website; it's the first item on the menu.

KELOWNA: The Falcons have signed two players from Louisiana Tech, right-handed pitcher Nathan Chambers and catcher Tyler Qualls, for the 2012 season.

KLAMATH FALLS: The Gems have added junior pitcher Jamison Rowe of Nevada, and Cal State Fullerton signee J.R. Kennedy of Savannah High in Anaheim. They also dropped two injured players, and another who has accepted a spot in the Cape Cod League.

They have also hired a PR person for the summerl nice to see other franchises upgrading their infrastructure too! Here are the details from the Klamath Falls website.

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That's it for today. Have a great week, everyone!

Lots of news on Jimmie Sherfy

Lots of news today on ex-Knights pitcher Jimmie Sherfy (2011), who is having an outstanding sophomore season at Oregon. "The Sherf" is 3-0, with a 1.11 ERA in six games, with two saves and 37 strikeouts in 24.1 innings pitched.

How so? Well, there's this story in Friday's Eugene Register-Guard newspaper, and this story in The Oregonian. The Knights merit a mention in each story, as well we should, considering the transformative impact last summer seems to have had on Sherfy's career.

"(Sherfy) is doing amazing things right now, I am really pumped for him," said Knights' pitching coach Connor Lambert, who is still in contact with his 2011 protegee. "I think the biggest thing Brooke (Knights head coach Brooke Knight) and I did for Jim was build his confidence. Because his stuff was and is big-league stuff."

Sherfy was 1-0 with a 1.83 ERA in 14 regular-season and playoff games, with 23 strikeouts in 19.2 innings pitched. He had a perfect era in three playoff sppearances, and did not allow an earned run in his last 14.1 innings, spread over 10 appearances.

So, congrats to Jimmie, who should be playing in the Cape Cod League this summer.

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Our 2012 media intern, Corvallis High School graduate Brenna Sussman, just wrote this story on 2012 Knights Jacob Hoffman and Chris Bishop of Pacific Lutheran. Enjoy reading about two players we hope will be big contributors this summer.

Brenna is a PLU freshman who also plays on the women's soccer team. She will be writing more stories on the Knights all season as part of her summer internship.

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Tonight begins big weekends for all of our 2012 Knights, as they all should be in action around the country. Here's a roundup of Thursday's action:

* Riverside City College outfielder Cade Gotta (2011-12) was 1-for-5 in a 13-5 loss at Santa Ana College.

* Cornell infielder Ryan Plantier didn't play in a 5-1 victory at Longwood (Va.).

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We couldn't find any news from around the West Coast League to report on today. So we'll close this edition of the blog and wish everyone a great weekend.

Quiet day down at the WWHQ

It's a pretty quiet day down here at the WWHQ in snow-covered downtown Corvegas.

But we know you're depending on your daily dose of Knights-related news, so we have a few items to share so you won't go away disappointed.

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First, what's a Knights' blog without a countdown? We're down to 71 more days until our June 1 opener at Walla Walla against the Sweets, who we swept in last year's West Coast League Championship Series.

And it's just 75 more days until our June 5 home opener at Goss Stadium against the Klamath Falls Gems. Seems like a long ways off, but it's almost April and it will be here before you know it!

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Former Knights pitcher Drew Leary (2009) of San Diego State has been released by the Tampa Bay Rays after one season in their minor-league organization.

He signed with the team in Nov., 2010, as an undrafted free agent and was a combined 0-4 with a 6.81 ERA in 12 games with Port Charlotte in the Florida State League and Hudson Valley in the New York-Penn League last summer.

Drew was 2-1 with a 0.90 ERA in 20 innings over 16 games for the Knights in 2009, with five saves and 21 strikeouts in 16 innings. He was an honorable-mention WCL all-star.

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Former Knights' lefty pitchers Ben Wetzler and Jace Fry, key members of our 2011 WCL championship team and 2011 West Division all-stars, will start for Oregon State this weekend as the Beavers host Arizona in their Pac-12 home-opening series.

Wetzler (4-0, 4.06) will start Friday's 5:35 p.m. series opener, Fry (1-0, 3.86) goes in Sunday's 1 p.m. finale.

Both got wins last weekend as the Beavers opened Pac-12 play by sweeping at California. Wetzler held the Bears to six hits and two runs over a career-long eight innings; Fry went a career-best five innings and allowed three earned runs, with four strikeouts.

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Several Knights were in action for their respective college teams on Wednesday.

* Texas Tech pitcher Aaron Corwin (2010, 2012) allowed one hit in two scoreless innings in a 14-8 victory over Florida Gulf Coast University. He has not allowed a run in five innings over four appearances this spring.

* Youngstown State infielder Jack Graham was 0-for-3 in a 12-3 loss to Notre Dame College of South Euclid, Ohio. Jack is really scuffling (.154, 0-2), but he's got great bloodlines (his father, Mark, starred at UCLA) and we're confident he'll get it turned around.

* Cornell infielder Ryan Plantier didn't play in a 5-4 loss at Virginia Tech, a game in which Knights' 2012 play-by-play announcer Kevin Burke was the color analyst on the Hokies' broadcast team.

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That's all for today. We'll be back tomorrow.

Welcome from snowy Corvallis

Nothing says the first day of spring like a snowfall that cancels school for the day, right? Seriously, it was warmer in Laramie, Wyo., this morning (38 degrees) than in Corvallis, and they had sunshine at 7,220 feet, too, not snowflakes.

Oh well, this miserable March weather will end, probably when it becomes miserable April weather. And I'm sure the Arizona coaching staff is loving it too, seeing as how the Wildcats visit Corvallis this weekend for their Pac-12 series against the Beavers.

Whatever. The good news is, it's just 72 more days until our June 1 opener at Walla Walla, and only 76 more days until June 5 and Opening Night VI at Goss Stadium against the Klamath Falls Gems.

It won't snow that night. And we've never had a home game rained out. So just hang in there, better, warmer days are coming.

Now, to the news.

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Speaking of important upcoming events, the Knights and Starker Forests will again partner to sponsor our annual kid's clinic, set for 9 a.m. until noon at Goss Stadium on June 30. It is free, and open to boys and girls age 5 through 18.

The clinic will be supervised by Knights' head coach Brooke Knight, and team players and staff will be the instructors. The clinic will emphasize the basics of baseball and ways to have fun with the game, and campers can expect lots of interaction with players and coaches.

Knights' head trainer Jeremy Ainsworth will be present to attend to campers if necessary. Campers must have a parent or guardian sign a liability release form to participate. To get a copy of the form prior to the camp, please email [email protected].

For more information, contact the Knights at 541-752-5656. See you there! It's always a fun day.

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The Corvallis Gazette-Times profiled former Knights' infielder Jake Rodriguez (2010), now the starting catcher at Oregon State, in today's paper. Click here to read all about the talented sophomore.

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Former Knights' catcher Andrew Susac (2009) and future Knights infielder Zach Green (2012) are each prominently mentioned in this story from the Baseball Sacramento website. It's long, it's several months old and we might have posted it before but better to offer something twice than never at all. Ex-Knight Danny Hayes (2009) also gets a brief mention.

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Several Knights were in action on Tuesday for their respective college teams. Here's an update:

* Outfielder Cade Gotta of Riverside City College was 1-for-5 with an RBI in a 6-2 victory over Santa Ana CC.

* First baseman Alex Silver of Texas was 1-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored in a 7-1 win over Stephen F. Austin.

* Designated hitter Ryan Plantier of Cornell was 0-for-2 in a 9-6 loss at Virginia Tech.

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

COWLITZ: Here's a story from The Daily News of Kelso-Longview on the latest signings by the Black Bears. They are Felipe Perez, a senior at Fairmont Prep Academy in Fullerton, Calif. who has committed to UCLA, and Corey Oswalt of James Madison High in San Diego, who will play at the UC-Santa Barbara.

KELOWNA: And here's a story from The Daily Courier newspaper of Kelowna on the Falcons' roster for the upcoming season. Included on that roster are the Falcons' three latest signings: Jerry McClanahan, Jonathan Munoz and Tyler Krause of UC Irvine. Here's more on the newest Falcons from the Kelowna website.

WALLA WALLA: Here is the latest installment of "10 Things to Know About Sweets Baseball," a regular feature on the team's website.

Armendariz goes yard at the Metrodome

Former Knight David Armendariz of Cal Poly, our 2011 MVP, may not ever play major-league baseball.

But he will be able to tell his kids and grandkids that he homered in a big-league ballpark. On Monday, Armendariz had a solo homer at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis in the Mustangs' 4-3 loss to Minnesota in the finale of a three-game series the Gophers won 2-1.

Players with Knights ties played a huge role in the game. Armendariz's homer drive in Cal Poly's first run; ex-Knight Mitch Haniger (2010) drove in the second. And ex-Knight Jimmy Allen (2011) doubled to lead off the ninth and eventually scored the tying run as the Mustangs erased a 3-2 deficit.

However, Minnesota scored a two-out run off reliever Chase Johnson (2011) for the walk-off win. Future Knight Nick Torres (2012) was 0-for-3.

Cal Poly returned home after the game and will play Dartmouth on Wednesday.

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Former Knights' star Brent Morel (2006-07) of the Chicago White Sox, the star of our first Hot Stove Night back in January, continues to make headlines for the Southsiders as he begins his second full season in the majors.

Here's a nice story on Brent in the Sunday edition of the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper. He's also drawing comparisons to Robin Ventura, the former Sox star who now is their first-year manager.

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We updated the statistics of our Division I players on Monday, Today, here's an update on how our Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior college players are faring:

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: Outfielder Jacob Hoffman is hitting .250 (12-48) in 17 games, with three homers and 13 RBIs. Utility Chris Bishop is 0-for-8 as a hitter, but is 2-1, 3.71 in six games as a pitcher, with 26 strikeouts in 34 innings. PLU was 1-2 at Whitworth last weekend; it plays three against the University of Puget Sound this weekend.

REDLANDS: Pitcher Kyle Hart is 3-1, 3.64 in seven games, with 25 strikeouts in 42 innings. Pitcher Mike Massari is 0-2, 7.36 in 10 games, with 10 strikeouts in 11 innings. Redland won 3 of 4 at its California Invitational last weekend; it plays a three-game series at Whittier this Friday and Saturday.

GEORGE FOX: Pitcher Alex Keenan is 2-2, 4.09 in seven games, with 10 strikeouts in 11 innings. GFU was 2-1 against Willamette last weekend; it plays Concordia on Wednesday and Whitman on Saturday and Sunday.

GRAND CANYON: Pitcher Jorge Perez is 1-2, 2.86 in six games, with 28 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. Grand Canyon was 3-1 against the Academy of Art last weekend; it plays doubleheaders against Hawaii-Hilo on Friday and Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON: Outfielder Matt Nylen is hitting .323 (21-65) in 18 games, with no homers and 15 RBIs. WOU did not play last weekend; it plays doubleheaders at Central Washington on Saturday and Sunday.

LINFIELD: Pitcher Zach Manley is 1-1, 5.09 in 17.2 innings in four games, with 20 strikeouts. Linfield swept Whitman last weekend; it plays Whitworth this Saturday and Sunday.

PACIFIC: Pitcher Rob Dittrick is 4-1, 2.13 in six games, with 28 strikeouts in 38 innings. Today's game against Concordia was rained out; the Boxers are idle this weekend.

CORBAN: Infielder Marc Gallegos is hitting .389 (37-95) in 22 games, with 11 RBIs. Corban was 2-1 vs. Concordia last weekend and hosts OIT this Friday and Saturday.

CONCORDIA: Pitcher Eric Weir is 2-2, 7.64 in seven games, with 23 strikeouts in 33 innings. Concordia was 1-2 vs. Corban last weekend; it plays doubleheaders against Simpson College of Iowa in Redding, Calif., this Saturday and Sunday.

RIVERSIDE CC: Outfielder Cade Gotta is hitting .318 (21-66) in 20 games, with two homers and 13 RBIs.

COLLEGE OF THE SISKYOUS: Infielder Caylen Clardy is hitting .283 (15-53) in 17 games, with no homers, six RBIs and eight steals in 10 attempts. COS did not play last weekend; it plays Feather River this Friday and Saturday.

MT. HOOD: Pitcher Kendall Motes is 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA in three games, with 13 strikeouts in 8.2 innings. Catcher Dane Lund is hitrting .286 (8-28) in 10 games, with no homers and three RBIs. Infielder Alex Foulon is hitting .154 (4-26) with three RBIs in nine games, and outfielder Tristan Metcalf is hitting .313 (5-16), with three RBIs, in nine games. The Saints play doubleheaders at Columbia Basin (Pasco) and Blue River (Pendleton) this weekend.

LINN-BENTON: The Roadrunners have not updated their stats. Infielder Austin Hamilton will play for the Knights this summer.

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That's it for today. We'll be back on Wednesday, same Knights time, same Knights station.

2012 promotional schedule released

It's a Monday, so we're starting all over again.

Our 2012 promotional schedule has been released, and we think you'll agree it's a great one. Lots of top-quality entertainment, giveaways and other attractions, highlighted by the Friday, June 15 return of the San Diego Chicken.

So, check it out. You can catch the Chicken, Opening Night, and one other game, at a discount by purchasing one of our three-game mini-packs. Just click here for more information on the mini-packs, and on all Knights ticketing questions. Or you can just call us at the WWHQ at 541-752-5656.

It's just 74 more days until our June 1 opener at Walla Walla against the Sweets, and only 78 until Open Night VI at Goss Stadium, set for Tuesday, June 5, against the Klamath Falls Gems.

See you there!

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As we noted, it's a back-to-work Monday and that means another edition of our Monday tradition. It's customary, throughout the college baseball season, for The Blog to update the statistics of our incoming Division I players after another weekend of action.

Today's no exception; here's the latest: (We'll have updated numbers on our Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior college players on Tuesday.)

CAL POLY: Freshman outfielder Nick Torres is hitting .352 (25-71) with two homers and 16 RBIs in 18 games. Freshman outfielder Alex Michaels is at .300 (3-10) with no homers and an RBI in six games. Freshman Bryan Granger hasn't pitched yet. The Mustangs split two games at Minnesota over the weekend and complete the series today. They host Dartmouth on Wednesday and San Diego State on Friday-Sunday.

OREGON STATE: Freshman pitcher Carlos Rodriguez is 0-0, 3.18 in five games, with four strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Freshman catcher Nate Esposito is hitting .000 (0-3) in five games. Freshman pitchers Mitchell Tripp and Michael McCall haven't played yet. OSU swept Cal in Berkeley in its Pac-12 opening series; it hosts Arizona this weekend.

OREGON: Sophomore outfielder Connor Hofmann is hitting .241 (7-29) with a homer and five RBIs in 13 games. Oregon was 1-2 at Washington in its Pac-12 opening series; it hosts Utah this weekend.

SANTA CLARA: Junior pitcher Chris Mendoza is 0-0, 8.25 with a save and a three strikeouts in 12 innings in five games. SCU did not play this past weekend; it plays at San Diego this Saturday-Monday.

SEATTLE: Junior infielder Nate Roberts is hitting .200 (11-55) with a homer and 12 RBIs after 16 games. Seattle was 1-1 at BYU last week; it plays at San Jose State this Friday-Sunday.

UC IRVINE: Freshman infielder Chris Rabago is hitting .333 (6-18) with two RBIs in 12 games. Junior pitcher Mark Trentacosta is 0-0, 1.04 in 8.2 innings in seven games, with 10 strikeouts. UCI went 2-1 at Nevada last week; it plays host to Dartmouth this Thursday-Saturday.

UC RIVERSIDE: Sophomore pitcher Dylan Stuart is 2-2, 4.85 in four games, with 17 strikeouts over 26 innings pitched. Freshman pitcher Antonio Gonzales is 0-0, 7.36 in five games, with five strikeouts in 3.2 innings; freshman Cody Dill hasn't pitched yet. Riverside did not play this past weekend; it visits Fresno State this Friday-Sunday.

PORTLAND: Freshman infielder Caleb Whalen is hitting .255 (14-55) with two homers and 11 RBIs in 16 games. Junior pitcher Chris Johnson is 1-1, 3.72 in 19.1 innings over five games, with 14 strikeouts. Portland plays host to Hawaii on Tuesday and BYU this Thursday-Saturday.

WASHINGTON STATE: Sophomore outfielder Nate Blackham is hitting .279 (17-61) with seven RBIs in 17 games. The Cougars lost 2 of 3 at Arizona over the weekend; they play Gonzaga on Tuesday, visit UCLA on Friday-Sunday and Long Beach State on Monday.

TEXAS: Sophomore infielder Alex Silver is hitting .256 (10-39) in 11 games, with no homers and four RBIs. Sophomore pitchers Trevor Tykel and Justin Peters have not played yet. The Longhorns swept Oklahoma this past weekend; they host Stephen F. Austin on Tuesday and visit Kansas State on Friday-Sunday.

UC SANTA BARBARA: Freshman utility man Greg Mahle is hitting .411 (23-56) with no homers and 16 RBIs, in 17 games and is 0-1, 5.93 with 16 strikeouts in 13.2 innings as a pitcher in four appearances. UCSB was 3-0 against Rhode Island this past weekend and plays three games at San Francisco this Saturday-Sunday.

YOUNGSTOWN STATE: Freshman infielder Jack Graham is hitting .163 (8-49) over 15 games, with two RBIs. The Penguins were 1-2 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee this past weekend; they play Notre Dame of Ohio on Thusday and Illinois-Chicago this Friday-Sunday.

TEXAS TECH: Junior pitcher Aaron Corwin is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA over three innings in three games, with two strikeouts. Texas Tech hosts Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday-Wednesday and Oklahoma this Friday-Sunday.

CORNELL: Sophomore infielder Ryan Plantier is hitting .286 (2-7) with three RBIs in five games. Cornell was 2-1 at Delaware State over the weekend; it plays at Virginia Tech on Tuesday and Wednesday and at Longwood this Thursday-Saturday.

Remember, our NCAA Division II,Division III, NAIA and JC players will be updated on Tuesday.

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Former Knight Nick Hoover (2009-11), a senior at UC Irvine, was nominated for Big West Pitcher of the Week for one-hitting Washington State over 7.2 innings last week.

And UC Santa Barbara freshman Greg Mahle (2012) was nominated for Big West Player of the Week after going 6-for-12 with six RBIs and four runs against Fresno State and Rhode Island.

However, neither player won the award. Still, a great week, and congrats for the nominations.

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Former 2011 Knights standout Jimmy Allen, the 2011 WCL all-star, will play for the Eau Claire (Wisc.) Express in the Northwoods League this summer, according to the Northwoods League website. Best of luck to Jimmy, who homered in his final game with the Knights while anchoring third base during our 2011 charge to the WCL championship.

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One final honor for UC Riverside pitcher Eddie Orozco (2008-09) stemming from his 1-0, 3-hit win over Sacramento State on March 10: He was named to the The College Baseball Hall of Fame and Diamond Sports weekly National All-Star Lineup for games played from March 5-11. Here are the details from the UCR website.

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

KELOWNA: The Falcons have finalized their 2012 roster, according to coach Al Cantwell in the linked story from Our Sports Central, an excellent site for WCL news. Five players return from the 2011 squad that finished last in the WCL's East Division.

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

More national honors for Eddie Orozco

It's a Friday, it has stopped raining (at least temporarily), the sun was out briefly this morning, the countdown to our June 1 opener at Walla Walla is down to 77 days, and it's now just 81 more days until Home Opener VI, June 5 against Klamath Falls at Goss Stadium.

And, we've got more good news to add.

Knights' alum Eddie Orozco, a senior RHP at UC Riverside, was selected as a College Baseball Insider National Player of the Week for his three-hit, 15-strikeout shutout of Sacramento State on March 10. He already had earned Big West Conference and Louisville Slugger Player of the Week honors.

Here are all the details from the UCR website. Congrats again, Eddie!

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Our best-ever promotional schedule was released today, and it includes two Fireworks Nights, visits by the San Diego Chicken and ZOOperstars!, two Dashes for Cash, the Mario Pastega House Cap Night, and lots of other exciting stuff.

For all the details, just check out the 2012 promotional schedule on our website.

See you at the ballpark!

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UC Santa Barbara freshman pitcher/first baseman/2012 Corvallis Knight Greg Mahle continued his torrid spring on Thursday in a 10-7 victory over Rhode Island at UCSB.

Mahle was 2-for-3 with a run and three two-out RBIs. He upped his average to .396 in 15 games, with 13 RBIs. Mahle also pitches and had 10 strikeouts in six innings last Tuesday in a 3-2 loss to Fresno State.

Several other 2012 Knights, or Knights alums, were also in action on Thursday.

* Riverside City College outfielder Cade Gotta (2011-12) was 0-for-2 with two RBIs in a 7-6 win over Saddleback College.

* UC Irvine freshman infielder Chris Rabago (2012) was 0-for 2 and reliever Evan Brock (2010) gave up two runs in one-third of an inning in an 8-3 loss at Nevada.

Most everyone else will be in action this weekend. We'll have updates on our Division I players on Monday and on our Division II, Division III, NAIA and JC players on Tuesday.

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Here's some news from around the West Coast League:

WALLA WALLA: The Sweets have signed pitchers Doug Ashby, a sophomore from Baylor, and WCL veteran Ben Ruff for the 2012 season. Here are all the details from the Walla Walla website.

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That's all for today. Have a great weekend!

Hoover throws 1-hitter, stymies Washington State

These are the saddest of possible words:

January to February to March.

A trio of winter months, miserable, you've heard,

January to February to March.

Ruthlessly rainy, dreary and hazy,

Making Oregonians go steadily crazy,

Praying for sunshine and days that are lazy.

January to February to March.

OK, please excuse our hack poetry, but it's hard not to feel that enough is enough after waking up to another rainy morning, with, the weathermen tell us, several more to come.

Still, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not a train. It's opening day, and as of this morning it's only 78 days until our June 1 season opener against the Walla Walla Sweets at Borleske Stadium, and just 82 until Opening Night VI, set for June 5 at Goss Stadium against the Klamath Falls Gems.

So hang on, Knights fans. The rain will stop (it always has, anyways); sunny days are on the way, and we expect to field another contending team in 2012 as we defend our West Coast League championship.

Now, on to the news.

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Knights' veteran starter/reliever Nick Hoover (2009-11) of UC Irvine had a career day on Wednesday in a 6-0 victory over Washington State.

Making his first start since his sophomore year, "Hoov" pitched a one-hitter over 7.2 innings, with five strikeouts. Knights' all-star closer Mark Trentacosta (2011-12) finished up with 1.1 scoreless innings, with three strikeouts.

Here are the details from the UCI website.

UCI's Chris Rabago (2012) was 3-for-4; WSU's Nate Blackham (2011-12) and Taylor Ard (2009) were each 0-for-3.

Elsewhere on Wednesday:

* Texas Tech pitcher Aaron Corwin (2010, 2012) allowed an unearned run in one inning of relief in a 25-5 win over Alabama A&M. Former Knight Bo Altobelli (2010) was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and three runs.

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George Fox junior pitcher Alex Keenan, a 10-day signee, was nominated for Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week honors for March 5-11, but was not selected.

Keenan pitched two scoreless innings, with four strikeouts, and got the save in GFU's 6-5 victory over Pacific on March 10. He's 2-1 with a 1.93 in five games, with nine strikeouts in 9.1 innings.

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Former Aloha Knight Ben De Mond (2000) died in an autombobile accident in Connecticut on March 9. He also played for the Bellingham Bells; here are the details from The Bellingham Herald newspaper.

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

COWLITZ: The Black Bears have signed Cornell freshman pitcher Brian McAfee and Corey Oswalt, a third baseman from San Diego who has committed to UC Santa Barbara, for the 2012 season. Here are the details from the Our Sports Central website.

WENATCHEE: The AppleSox have signed Cal Poly infielder Ryan Drobny, University of San Francisco catcher Tyler Schultz, and Glendale (Calif.) Community College pitcher Kirk Edson for the 2012 season. You can read all about it by clicking right here.

WALLA WALLA: Here is the latest installment of 10 Things to Know About Sweets Baseball, a regular feature on their webpage.

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That's all for today. We'll wrap up the week on Friday with more news on the Knights and items from around the WCL.

WOU's Nylen wins Player of the Week honors

Sorry to sound like a broken record .... AGAIN ... but another member of the Corvallis Knights has earned Player of the Week honors from his conference.

This time the award-winner is junior outfielder Matt Nylen (2011-12) of Western Oregon, a transfer from coach (and ex-Knight) Bryan Donahue's outstanding program at Mt. Hood Community College. Nylen earned Great Northwest Conference Player of the Week honors for his performance in a weekend series against Northwest Nazarene.

Nylen was 6-for-13 with six RBIs in the four games. He raised his average 35 points to .323, and had at least one hit in all four contests.

So, congrats to Matt, who joins UC Riverside pitcher Eddie Orozco (2008-09); Cal Poly outfielder Nick Torres (2012) and Concordia first baseman Sean Myrom (2011) as a Player of the Week honoree from his their respective conferences.

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Speaking of Myrom, he was one of many former/current Knights in action on Tuesday. He was 1-for-4 with a run in Concordia's 12-5 victory over St. Martin's. Eric Weir (2012) was the winner, as he threw three innings of scoreless relief, with two strikeouts.

Here's a roundup of other Knights in action on Tuesday:

* Riverside City College outfielder Cade Gotta (2011-12) was 1-for-5 with a run in a 10-4 loss to Orange Coast College.

* UC Irvine fell 3-2 to Pepperdine at Dodger Stadium in the Dodgertown Classic. Anteaters' infielder Chris Rabago (2012) had an RBI HBP in his lone plate appearance. Nick Hoover (2009-11) pitched an inning of scoreless relief and Evan Brock (2010) and Mark Trentacosta (2011-12) each threw 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.

* Pitcher Chris Johnson (2011-12) of Portland threw three scoreless innings, with three strikeouts, in a 4-1 win at Washington. He was pulled to save his arm for his regular Sunday start. Infielder Caleb Whalen (2012) was 0-for-3 with a run scored.

* Washington State outfielder Nate Blackham (2011-12) was 0-for-4 with two runs in a 9-8 win at Cal State Fullerton. First baseman Taylor Ard (2009) was 3-for-6 with two RBIs, two runs and his fourth homer.

* Texas sophomore DH Alex Silver (2012) was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI in a 6-1 win over No. 20 Texas State.

* UC Santa Barbara pitcher Greg Mahle gave up four hits and three runs and was the loser in a 3-2 setback against Fresno State. However, he had 10 strikeouts.

* Former broadcaster Jason Schwartz (2010) was at the Dodgertown Classic on Tuesday, handling the USC broadcast during the Trojans' game against UCLA. Jason starts his new job with the Lancaster JetHawks, Houston's Class A California League franchise, on Monday. He worked for the Tri-City Dust Devils in 2011.

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OK, no updates. That's all for today; we'll be back tomorrow, with more Knights news and some updates from around the West Coast League.

Concordia's Sean Myrom named CCC Player of the Week

You'd never know it by looking outside - with all the snow and slop in Corvallis this morning - but the season is drawing ever-closer.

It's only 80 more days until our June 1 opener at Walla Walla against the Sweets, and a mere 84 days until June 5 and Opening Night VI against the Klamath Falls Gems at Goss Stadium.

That seems like a long ways away, but it will get here fast (the countdown started at 143, way back on Jan. 10). So now is a great time to get your season tickets or 3-game mini-plans, or to pick up some Knights' merchandise so you're dressed appropriately come opening night.

Of course, tickets and merchandise are also available down here at the Knights World-Wide Headquarters (the WWHQ) in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis. Come see us!

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We've got more player of the week honors to announce. Yesterday, you may remember, the Big West Conference named Nick Torres (2012) of Cal Poly and Eddie Orozco (2008-09) of UC Riverside as its Player and Pitcher of the Week.

Today, it's Sean Myrom's turn. The 2011 West Coast League all-star and champion of the All-Star Game Home Run Derby was selected as the Cascade Collegiate Conference's Player of the Week for March 5-11.

Myrom hit two homers, a double, scored six times and drove in six runs in a weekend series against Menlo College in Atherton, Calif. He also had five walks for an on-base percentage of .524, and hit .462 (6-13)as the Cavaliers split the four-game series.

Here's the release from the Concordia website announcing the honor. Congrats to Sean!

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Ex-Knights reliever Jimmie Sherfy (2011) of Oregon has been outstanding this spring and is 2-0 with two saves, 31 strikeouts and a 1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings over five appearances. He recently was named the Pacific-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week.

"The Sherf" had a great summer with the Knights (1-0, 1.82 in 14 games) and it's carried over into this season. Here'a a story detailing his progress from his hometown newspaper, the Ventura (Calif.) County Star.

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Ex-Knights' star Matt Hague (2005), the "Slider Guy" on much of our promotional material, is turning heads in the Pittsburgh Pirates training camp, as the former Washington/Oklahoma State star is making a strong bid for a major-league job.

Here's a story on his progress from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper, and another one from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Matt was added to the Pirates' 40-man MLB roster after a standout 2011 season at triple-A Indianapolis (.309, 12-75). We're hopeful he can become the next Knight to make it to the majors.

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We updated the statistics of our Division I players on Monday, Today, here's an update on how our Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior college players are faring:

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: Outfielder Jacob Hoffman is hitting .282 (11-39) in 14 games, with three homers and 13 RBIs. Utility Chris Bishop is 0-for-7 as a hitter, but is 2-0, 2.35 in five games as a pitcher, with 24 strikeouts in 30.1 innings.

REDLANDS: Pitcher Kyle Hart is 3-1, 3.71 in six games, with 23 strikeouts in 34 innings. Pitcher Mike Massari is 0-2, 7.36 in 10 games, with 10 strikeouts in 11 innings.

GEORGE FOX: Pitcher Alex Keenan is 2-1, 1.93 in five games, with nine strikeouts in 9.1 innings.

GRAND CANYON: Pitcher Jorge Perez is 0-2, 3.80 in five games, with 21 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.

WESTERN OREGON: Outfielder Matt Nylen is hitting .323 (21-65) in 18 games, with no homers and 15 RBIs.

LINFIELD: Pitcher Zach Manley is 1-1, 5.09 in 17.2 innings in four games, with 20 strikeouts.

PACIFIC: Pitcher Rob Dittrick is 3-1, 2.67 in five games, with 21 strikeouts in 31 innings.

CORBAN: Infielder Marc Gallegos is hitting .403 (31-77) in 18 games, with seven RBIs and 18 steals in 20 attempts.

CONCORDIA: Pitcher Eric Weir is 1-1, 6.15 in five games, with 20 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.

RIVERSIDE CC: Outfielder Cade Gotta is hitting .339 (20-59) in 18 games, with two homers and 11 RBIs.

COLLEGE OF THE SISKYOUS: Infielder Caylen Clardy is hitting .283 (15-53) in 17 games, with no homers, six RBIs and eight steals in 10 attempts.

MT. HOOD: Pitcher Kendall Motes is 0-1, 2.86 in two games, with five strikeouts inn 3.2 innings. Catcher Dane Lund is hitrting .286 (4-14) in six games, with no homers or RBIs. Infielder Alex Foulon is hitting .214 (3-14) with an RBI in six games, and outfielder Tristan Metcalf is hitting .167 (1-6) in five games.

LINN-BENTON: The Roadrunners have not updated their stats. Infielder Austin Hamilton will play for the Knights this summer.

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That's all for today. We'll be back on Wednesday with some updates from the Knights, and from around the West Coast League.