Happy President's Day, everyone!

Happy President's Day, everyone! Hope those of you who don't have to work today are enjoying your three-day weekend!

We're back at it bright and early, however, at the WWHQ of the Corvallis Knights in Madison Plaza in beautiful downtown CorVegas. And we're down to only 106 more days until our June 4 season opener against the Portland Lobos on Science and Art Day II at Goss Stadium.

We've got lots of news to report today, including the first update of our 2013 Knights from Division I teams, as they all started action over the weekend. We'll update the statistics ofour Division I Knights every Monday, and those of our Division II, Division III, NAIA and JC Knights on Tuesday.

Now, on with the news.

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We've got a mixed bag of news to report from the Frontier League, one of several independent leagues in the country.

* Reliever Mark Trentacosta (2011) has been released by the River City Rascals. He signed with them last fall.

* Infielder Richie Jimenez (2008-09) has been released by the Gateway Grizzlies. He played for the team in 2012.

* Outfielder Logan Lotti (2008) has signed with the Rockford RiverHawks. He played in the Pecos League in New Mexico last summer.

* Infielder Mark Samuelson (2006-07) has signed with the Washington Wild Things. He played for Washington and London in the Frontier League in 2012.

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College baseball is now in full swing, with the start of the Division I season this past weekend. So, here's the first of our weekly roundup detailing the stats of our 2013 Division I players:

CAL POLY: Freshman catcher Brian Mundell is hitting .125 (1-8) with one RBI in two games. Freshman infielder Brian Van Gansen is hitting .222 (2-9) with no homers or RBIs in three games. Freshman pitcher Casey Bloomquist has not appeared yet.

OREGON STATE: Freshman pitcher Andrew Moore is 1-0, 1.69 in one start, with six strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Freshman infielder Gabe Clark is hitting .125 (1-8) in two games, with two RBIs.

OREGON: Freshmen pitcher Jared Priestley and Sam Johnson have not played yet.

UC IRVINE: Utility Chris Rabago is hitting .300 (3-10) in three games, with no homers and one RBI. Freshman pitcher Elliot Surrey is 0-0, 0.00 in one game, with one strikeout in 1.1 innings.

UC SANTA BARBARA: Freshman outfielder Joseph DeRoche-Duffin is hitting .000 (0-2) in one game, with no homers or RBIs. Freshman pitcher Dylan Hecht is 0-0, 0.00 in one game, with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.

PORTLAND: Sophomore infielder Cody Lenahan is hitting .222 (2-9) in three games, with no homers and one RBI. Sophomore infielder Michael Lucarelli is hitting .000 (0-4) in two games, with no homers or RBIs. Junior pitcher Colin Feldtman is 0-0, 5.40 in five innings over two appearances, with three strikeouts. Sophomore pitcher Kody Watts is 0-0, 9.00 in one game, with no strikeouts in one inning.

WASHINGTON: Freshman pitcher Alex Nesbitt has not played.

WASHINGTON STATE: Junior outfielder Nate Blackham has not played. Junior pitcher Kellen Camus is 0-0, 4.29 in two games, with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings. Freshman pitcher Jacob Schroeder is 0-0, 9.00 in one game, with no strikeouts in two innings.

COLUMBIA: Sophomore outfielder Gus Craig starts his season at Lamar on March 1.

DARTMOUTH: Freshman outfielder Nick Ruppert start his season March 1 at Minnesota.

SAN JOSE STATE: Junior catcher Dane Lund is hitting .250 (1-4) with no homers and no RBIs in one game.

SAN DIEGO: Sophomore outfielder Grant Melker has no at-bats in one game.

Remember, stats for our Division II, Division III, NAIA and JC players will be updated tomorrow.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BEND: The Elks have signed two players from Feather River (Calif.) JC, including one future Oregon Stater. Just click on the top menu item on the Bend website for complete details.

WALLA WALLA: Here's a preview of the Sweets' partner schools from the club's website.

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

Jake Roy's off to Brown University

Happy Thursday, everyone.

It will be a brief blog today. We're off to Albany over the lunch hour for another stint as the guest host of the popular Joe Beaver Show today. I'll team up with regular co-host Jon Warren, pinch-hitting for Knights' broadcaster Mike Parker while he's in Washington with the Oregon State men's basketball team.

I'm sure there will be some Knights talk in the two hours (noon-2 p.m.), so please tune in on KEJO-AM 1240, the flagship station of the Corvallis Knights!

Now, on to the news.

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Former Knights pitchers Ben Wetzler (2011) of Oregon State and Jimmie Sherfy (2011) of Oregon were among 50 players named to the preseason Golden Spikes Award Watch List by USA Baseball on Thursday. The award is given annually at the conclusion of the season to the nation's best collegiate player regardless of position.

Following the release of a second, 60-player watch list on Thursday, May 2, USA Baseball officials will announce the 30 semifinalists for the 2013 Golden Spikes Award on May 28. The Golden Spikes Award trophy will be awarded live on MLB Network for the third year in a row, with a live presentation scheduled during "The Rundown" on July 19.

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We wrote briefly last week about former Knights utility man Jake Roy (2007), a strength and conditioning coach who has left professional baseball to take a job at Brown University in Providence. Here's more on Jake's move, from Corvallis Gazette-Times reporter Brad Fuqua's daily blog.

Best of luck to Jake, who worked in the St. Louis and San Francisco organizations after graduating from Dakota Wesleyan University (undergrad) amd the University of Memphis (graduate).

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Former Knights pitcher Matt Boyd of Oregon State is compiling a video journal this season, entitled "The Inside Corner." Here's Episode 3. Enjoy!

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BELLINGHAM: Middle infielder Johnny Farrington of Biola University and outfielder Derek Atkinson of San Francisco will return to Bellingham for another season. For more details, read this story from the Bellingham website.

BEND: The Elks have signed infielders Kyle Giusti and Seth Spivey of Abilene Christian University for the 2013 season. Complete details can be found on the Elks' website by clicking the top menu item.

KELOWNA: Here's a Falcons' alumni update on outfielder Ben Edelstein of UC Santa Barbara, a star on their 2010 club.

WALLA WALLA: The Sweets have a number of "Theme Nights" planned for 2013. More information can be found right here.

VICTORIA: The HarbourCats have made Accent Inns the team's official hotel, so that's here we'll be staying when we hit Victoria on July 27-29. Here's more from the club's website.

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That's all for today. See you on Friday.

More honors for PLU's Max Beatty

Happy Wednesday, everyone. We're already halfway through the week, and that means we are only 111 days away from our June 4 season opener against the Portland Lobos on Science and Art Day II at Goss Stadium.

Later today the blog will join Jon Warren and co-host the popular Joe Beaver Show from noon until 2 p.m. on KEJO AM 1240, the Knights' flagship radio station. It's always a lot of fun, so make sure to tune in.

Also, it's only two more days until Feb. 15, opening day/night for the country's Division I baseball teams (Division II, Division III, NAIA and JCs started last week). We will have updated stats on our 2013 Division I Knights on Mondays, and updated stats on our DII, DIII, NAIA and JC Knights on Tuesdays for the remainder of the season. So keep an eye out for them.

Now, on with the news.

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Pacific Lutheran junior pitcher Max Beatty (2010-12) earned Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week honors for his 12-strikeout performance against Concordia (Texas) at an Arizona tournament this past weekend. Here are more details, from the NWC website, and here's even more, from PLU's website.

George Fox sophomore Sean Eberhardt (2013), a 10-day signee, was also nominated. He pitched three scoreless innings in three appearances, with six strikeouts. Congrats to Max and Sean!

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Former Knights pitcher Aaron Corwin (2010, 2012) of Colorado Mesa University is one of 150 Division II players named to the Tino Martinez Award watch list. It's given annually to the top player in Division II. Corwin transferred to CMU for his senior year following a coaching change at Texas Tech, where he pitched in 2011 and 2012.

Here's a link to the news, from today's Corvallis Gazette-Times. Congrats to Aaron, one of several Corvallis kids who've played for us since we moved here in 2007.

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WCL postseason all-league infielder Marc Gallegos (2012-13) of Corban University went a combined 4-for-9 (.444), with two runs, three RBIs, two steals and a double this past Saturday in a sweep of Lewis & Clark College at Volcanoes Stadium in Corban's season opener.

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It's Week 6 of our new tradition, the Knights Top 10. Every Wednesday (for as long we we can find something to list), we'll list the Knights Top 10 in a certain category and post it in the Knights Daily Blog.

Today we list the Top 10 leaders in innings pitched in a single season (WCL games only):

1. 60.1, Kyle Kraus (2009)

2. 56.1, Liam Baron (2009)

3. 52.0, Max Beatty (2011)

4. 51.2, Jon Berger (2008)

5. 49.0, Rob Dittrick (2012)

6. 47.1, JR Murphy (2007)

7. 46.1, Kyle Kraus (2010)

8. 46.0, Matt Way (2007)

8. 46.0, Matt Andriese (2009)

10. 45.1, Jorge Perez (2012)

10. 45.1, Chris Mendoza (2010)

We'll be back next Wednesday with another Knights Top 10.

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Here's some news from elsewhere in the West Coast Conference:

KLAMATH FALLS: Have any friends in the Klamath Falls area? The Gems are seeking host families for the upcoming season. So if you know of anyone who is interested, have them check it out.

VICTORIA: The HarbourCats have finalized their front-office hiring, according to this story from the Our Sports Central website.

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That's all for today. See you on Thursday.

Lots of Knights in Baseball America's top players per conference.

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Hope you're having a great morning.

Things are somewhat quiet here at the WWHQ in beautiful downtown Corvegas. We're bracing ourselves for tomorrow's anticipated visit from El Presidente, Knights' president Dan Segel, who is just about ready to be removed from the DL after undergoing neck surgery the day after Christmas.

We're sure he'll come in breathing fire and brimstone, eager to see what's going on and ready to give us a collective kick in the butt (not that we need one, of course).

Also, we're pleased to announce that the blog will be co-hosting the Joe Beaver Show, with Jon Warren, from noon-2 p.m. on Wednesday on KEJO-AM 1240. It's always a blast, so be sure to tune in.

And remember, get your season tickets and 10-game punch cards today. It's only 112 more days until our June 4 season opener against the Portland Lobos on Science & Art Day II at Goss Stadium.

Now, on with today's news.

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The Feb. 19-March 5 issue of Baseball America is out. The magazine ranked the top 2013 and 2014 draft prospects by conference, and lots of Knights were included in the rankings.

* PAC-12 2013: 7. Ben Wetzler, (2011), LHP, Oregon State. 11. Jimmie Sherfy (2011), RHP, Oregon.

* PAC-12 2014: 4. Jace Fry, (2011), LHP, Oregon State.

* PAC-12 TOP NEWCOMERS: 12. Austin Barr, (2012), C, Stanford.

* BIG WEST 2013-14: 5. Chase Johnson, (2011), RHP, Cal Poly. 14. David Andriese (2010-11), OF, UC Riverside.

* BIG WEST TOP NEWCOMERS: 10. Brian Mundell, (2013), C, Cal Poly.

* WEST COAST CONFERENCE, 2013-14: 15. Kody Watts, (2013), RHP, Portland.

Fry is ranked as the No. 26 prospect among sophomores; Wetzler is 37th among the juniors, and LHP Matt Boyd (2010) of Oregon State is No. 3 among the seniors.

In Division III, Pacific Lutheran junior RHP Max Beatty (2010-12) is No. 2 nationwide.

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Redding and Chico, Calif., have been bandied about as possible fiture expansion sites for the West Coast League. Yakima, Wash., may be first in line and Olympia would be a natural if it had a suitable ballpark, but the two Northern California cities are attractive options, especially for the clubs in the Southern Division.

With that in mind, here's a story from the Record Searchlight newspaper about a fundraiser at Simpson College for a new on-campus ballpark that would serve the school and the Redding Colt 45s, the current summer ball team in that growing city.

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The Canberra Cavalry defeated the Perth Heat 7-6 this past Saturday in Game 2 to sweep the Australian Baseball League's best-of-3 Championship Series and win the Claxton Shield trophy.

Ex-Knight Carter Bell (2009) was 0-for-4 in Game 2 after going 2-for-5 in Game 1. Pitchers Liam Baron (2008-09) of Perth and Eric Massingham of Canberra did not play in either game.

And speaking of the ABL, another ex-Knight, Perth outfielder Adam Melker (2008-09), was ranked No. 23 on the MLB.com's list of the ABL's top 40 American players. 'The Melkman" left the Heat just before Christmas so he could prepare for his upcoming season in the Cardinals' minor-league system.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BELLINGHAM: Lefty pitcher Andrew Olson of Seattue University and right-handers John Albert of Hawaii Pacific and Keith Zuniga of Pima (Ariz.) CC will return to Bellingham for the 2013 season. Here's more on the story from the Bellingham website.

VICTORIA: HarbourCats' catcher Alex Real of the University of New Mexico is profiled in the most recent update on the HarbourCats Baseball Blog.

Sherfy named to Stopper of the Year Watch List

Oregon junior closer Jimmie Sherfy (2011), a key member of the bullpen on our 2011 West Coast League championship team, was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association's Stopper of the Year watch list this past Friday.

He is one of 75 players to make the list. He was a finalist for the award in 2012, when he earned multiple postseason All-American honors after finishing with 19 saves and a 2.20 ERA.

Sherfy has earned several preseason All-American honors this season. He was named a preseason first-team All-American by the NCBWA and by Louisville Slugger, was a second-team preseason pick by Perfect Game, and a fourth-team choice by College Sports Madness.

Congrats to Jimmie, who last year made five All-American teams as a first-, second- or third-team selection, and was a Pacific-12 Conference all-star.

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Some highlights from this past weekend's action:

* Pacific Lutheran sophomore closer Chris Bishop (2012-13) finished three games this past weekend as the Lutes went 3-1 at the Arizona Desert Classic in the Phoenix area. He has not allowed a run in 3.2 innings over four appearances. PLU went 3-1 at the event.

* San Jose State junior catcher Dane Lund (2011-13) had a sacrifice fly on Friday in a 7-0 win over a SJSU alumni team. The Spartans host UOP this weekend in their season opener.

* Sophomore pitcher Jorge Perez (2012-13) of Grand Canyon University allowed three earned runs in five innings and got the loss on Friday in a 10-5 setback against UC San Diego. Perez had three strikeouts.

* On Saturday, GCU freshman Andrew Nederer (2013) allowed two earned runs and had five strikeouts in 5.2 innings and was not involved in the decision in an 8-7 loss to UCSD.

"Andrew did a great job," GCU coach Andy Stankiewicz said. "He has poise and is a good, competitive kid. He has the chance to be a pretty good one. That is a legitimate lineup over at UCSD and for him to do that against them is pretty good."

* Pacific University sophomore pitcher Kyle Treadway (2013) gave up one earned run and had two strikeouts in six innings on Friday in a 3-1 loss at Pomona-Pitzer.

* Cal Poly sophomore outfielder Alex Michael (2012) had two hits, sophomore outfielder Nick Torres (2012) doubled and freshman Casey Bloomquist (2013) pitched a scoreless inning for the Mustangs in a 15-3 win over the alumni in that annual game at San Luis Obispo this past Saturday. They open the season with a three-game nonleague series at San Francisco this weekend.

* George Fox relievers Sean Eberhardt (2013) and Alex Keenan (2012) each threw a scoreless inning for the second time in two days in Saturday's 9-3 win over La Verne at the Arizona Desert Classic. GFU went 4-0 at the tournament.

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Utility Alex Burg, the MVP of our 2008 WCL champions, returned to Washington State on Friday and took part in practice. He's currently in the San Francisco Giants organization and played for high-A San Jose in the California League in 2012. He'll leave for spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz., later this month.

"I am hoping to open the season in AA," Burg told wsucougars.com. "This is my Rule IV year, so I think I have a decent chance to be in AAA toward the end of the season."

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We wrote last week that 2012 merchandise intern Hannah Towery had landed a job in the retail sales department of the Portland Timbers, one of the top franchises in Major League Soccer. Here's far more on that story, from our homepage. Congrats to Hannah, who will graduate from OSU this June!

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Also, general manager Bre Kerkvliet and Mack the Knight braved the frigid waters of the Willamette River this past Saturday and participated in the 2013 Polar Plunge, to benefit Special Olympics Oregon. Here's more on that story, also from the Knights' home page.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BEND: The Elks have added Sacramento State sophomore pitcher Ty Nichols to their roster for the 2013 season. For more details, click on the top item on the menu on Bend's website.

VICTORIA: The HarbourCats have started their "Name the Mascot" campaign. For more details, click here for a story from Ballparkbiz.com. The HarbourCats homepage blog has also been updated; click here to read the latest news.

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

Happy Friday, everyone!

Well, another week in the books, and another week closer to Opening Night VII for your Corvallis Knights!

We are down to 116 more days until our June 4 debut against the Portland Lobos on Science and Art Day II at Goss Stadium. It's an 11 a.m. nonconference contest that will feature many science and art demonstrations to inform and entertain several thousand area elementary school students at the ballpark.

Then we head up to Wenatchee for the first of 15 West Coast League games between June 5 and June 19. Our home league opener is June 12 against Klamath Falls.

It will get here before you know it, so make sure to get your season tickets, 10-game punch cards and merchandise at the WWHQ of the Corvallis Knights in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvegas.

Now, on to today's news.

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Pacific Lutheran pitcher Max Beatty (2010-12) struck out 12, allowed just five hits, and pitched eight shutout innings on Friday to lead the Lutes to a 3-0 win over Concordia-Texas at the Arizona Desert Classic tournament in Anthem, Ariz. Beatty has not allowed a run in 10 innings in two starts this season.

Reliever Chris Bishop (2012-13) pitched a scoreless ninth and gave up one hit, with one strikeout, for the save. Bishop has not allowed a run in two innings over two appearances and has finished both of PLU's wins this year.

On Thursday, 10-day signee pitcher Jacob Otness gave up 12 earned runs and 10 hits in four innings in PLU's 18-1 loss to Hardin-Simmons.

Also on Thursday, 2013 Knights' 10-day signee Sean Eberhardt and 2012 Knight Alex Keenan of George Fox University each threw a scoreless inning and had two strikeouts in a 10-3 win over Concordia-Texas at the Arizona Desert Classic.

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The Canberra Cavalry defeated the Perth Heat 6-4 on Friday in Canberra in Game 1 of the best-of-3 Australian Baseball League's Championship Series. Game 2 is Saturday (in Australia); Game 3 (if necessary) is Sunday; both games will be broadcast by the MLB Network.

Former Knights and Oregon State infielder Carter Bell (2009) was 2-for-5 with a run scored for Perth. Perth pitcher Liam Baron (2008-09)of Linn-Benton CC and Gonzaga and Canberra pitcher Eric Massingham (2006-07) of Cal Poly, also ex-Knights, did not play.

Perth is the two-time defending champion. It won titles in 2011 and 2012 when coached by current Knights' skipper Brooke Knight.

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Here's a good read from new Medford general manager Chuck Heeman from the Summer Baseball Insider website entitled "In the General Manager's Seat." Check it out.

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Former Knights outfielder Cade Gotta (2011) has transfrred to San Diego Christian College after two seasons at Riverside City College. Here's more on Cade from the team's website.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BEND: The Elks, Bend Broadband and ESPN have renewed their Cap Night sponsorship. This year's event is set for July 12, when the Elks play Medford at Vince Genna Stadium. More details can be found by clicking here and going to the top item on the menu.

MEDFORD: Lots of news out of Medford today. First, the Rogues have added five interns, a PA announcer, and an assistant coach. For complete details on all those transactions, click here for a story from the team's website. The Rogues have also signed their 41st player, Nevada infielder Ray McIntire. For more on McIntire, click here for another story from their website.

VICTORIA: The HarbourCats have signed UC Santa Barbara freshman pitchers Robby Nesovic, Dillon Tate and Connor Baits. Here's more from the Summer Baseball Insider website. And here is the latest installment of the HarbourCats Baseball Blog.

WALLA WALLA: The Sweets have signed sophomore infielder Beau Bozett and freshman pitcher Taylor Jones of Gonzaga for the 2013 season. More is available on this duo from the team's website by clicking here. The Sweets are also bringing back "Tough Enough to Wear Pink Night."

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That's all for today. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday!

Three Knights to play for Australian Baseball League title

Three former members of the Corvallis Knights will be playing for the 2013 Australian Baseball League title when the Perth Heat and Canberra Cavalry begin their 3-game championship series in Canberra on Friday night.

Shortstop Carter Bell (2009) and pitcher Liam Baron (2008-09) play for the Heat, who won the 2011 and 2012 titles under former coach Brooke Knight. Pitcher Eric Massingham (2006-07) plays for the Cavalry, the regular-season champions.

The Heat eliminated Sydney 4-1 and 8-6 in the first round to advance to face the Cavalry, who earned a pass into the finals with their regular-season championship. Bell was 3-for-8 (.375) with three RBIs and a run scored in the sweep; Baron did not pitch in either game.

Here's a preview of the championship series, from the Heat's website. Every game will be televised in the United States by the MLB Network.

For the season, Bell (Oregon State) hit .278 (49-176) with three homers and 30 RBIs in 46 games. He's in the Arizona organization and spent last season at advanced Class A.

Baron (Linn-Benton, Gonzaga) was 0-0 with a 6.59 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 13.2 innings in 14 appearances, all in relief.

Massingham (Cal Poly) was 3-2 with a 3.60 ERA in 18 appearances, all in relief. Massingham had 23 strikeouts in 25 innings.

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Central Washington junior infielder Scott Stone, a 10-game signee, was 0-for-2 on Wednesday in a 12-2 loss at Cal State East Bay. The Wildcats were swept in the season-opening, four-game series at Hayward, Calif.

Most of our other partner schools open their seasons next weekend. We'll have regular updates on your 2013 Knights, and some highlights of past Knights as well.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast Conference:

BELLINGHAM: The Bells have added new assistant coach Gabe Memmert to their 2013 staff. He played high school ball for one season at Sehome HS under Bells' coach Gary Hatch, then played at Edmonds CC, Lassen Junior College, McNeese State and Maine. He then played 12 seasons of independent ball, most recently with the Fort Worth Cats of the North American League. Here are more details on Memmert's hiring, from the Bellingham website.

VICTORIA: The expansion HarbourCats have announced their entire roster for the 2013 season. Find out exactly who they have signed by clicking here and reading the story from Our Sports Central. One of their signees is Youngstown State sophomore infielder Jack Graham, who was originally slated to play for the 2012 Knights before electing to play elsewhere.

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That's it for today. See you on Friday.

It's Wednesday, halfway done with the week

Happy hump day, everyone. It's already Wednesday, so that means we're more than halfway though the week. Good deal.

It's national letter-of-intent day throughout the college world but down here at the WWHQ of the Corvallis Knights it's just another day closer to opening day. The countdown until our June 4 debut against the Portland Lobos hit 118 this morning, so we're almost at double digits as we steadily approach Science and Art Day II at Goss Stadium.

And remember, season tickets and 10-game punch cards are available at the WWHQ, in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis.

Now, on to today's news.

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Our players aren't the only ones who develop over the course of the season. Our interns also receive valuable real-world work experience that helps them land a job when they leave Oregon State, or whichever other university they attend.

We've got another success story to report today. OSU senior Hannah Towery, one of our 2012 merchandise interns, has been hired as a retail events staffer by the Portland Timbers, one of the most successful franchises in Major League Soccer.

She starts her job on Feb. 17, when the Timbers host the San Jose Earthquakes at JELD-WEN Field.

"I will be working in the fan shop selling merchandise at all the home games," said Towery, a Lake Oswego native who graduated from Lakeridge High School in 2009. "The first preseason game is coming up and the season goes through October. It's a very long season!"

So congrats to Hannah, part of a three-woman crew (Amy Reede, Cara Mazzacavallo) who helped us set a franchise record for merchandise sales last year. We'll have more on Hannah's hiring soon on corvallisknights.com.!

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Central Washington junior Eddie Malone Jr., a 10-day signee, was 0-for-1 on Monday in a 6-0 loss at Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Calif. CWU is 0-3 in the series, which concludes this afternoon.

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It's Week 5 of our new tradition, the Knights Top 10. Every Wednesday, we'll list the Knights Top 10 in a certain category and post it in the Knights Daily Blog.

Today we list the Top 10 leaders in runs in a single season (WCL games only):

1. 33, Marc Gallegos (2012)

1. 33, Richie Jimenez (2009)

3. 31, David Armendariz (2011)

4. 30, Logan Lotti (2008)

5. 28, Pat Colwell (2009)

6. 26, Mitch Haniger (2010)

6. 26, Billy Clontz (2009)

6. 26, Billy Clontz (2008)

6. 26, Caleb Whalen (2012)

10. 25, Daniel Dillard (2010)

10. 25, Connor Hofmann (2012)

We'll be back next Wednesday with another Knights Top 10.

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Things are starting to heat up around the West Coast League as the 2013 season draws near. Some updates from other outposts in the circuit:

BELLINGHAM: Manager Gary Hatch, pitching coach Jim Clem, and assistant coach Bill Calkins, a staff that led the Bells to the 2012 WCL playoffs, all will return in 2013, the team announced Wednesday. Read all about it in this story from the club's website.

BEND: The Elks have signed Arkansas State freshmen Adam Grantham and Tanner Ring for the 2013 season. More information on the signings can be found on Our Sports Central.

VICTORIA: General manager Holly Jones announced the HarbourCats have selected Coca-Cola Canada as their official soft drink, sports drink and beverage partner. Coca-Cola Canada will supply all-non alcoholic beverages for sale at Royal Athletic Park; provide PowerAde for the players, and provide other marketing and advertising assets within the park. Click here for more on the story, from Our Sports Central.

An Oregon graduate, Jones was the assistant to the general manager for the Knights in 2006 and 2007.

WENATCHEE: Former AppleSox player Eric Lane has been hired to complete the team's coaching staff for the 2013 season. He played for the 2010 WCL championship team, and is presently a graduate assistant at Gonzaga, his alma mater. Here's more from the Our Sports Central website.

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That's all for today. See you on Thursday.

Max is back! Big day for PLU

It's a happy Tuesday here at the WWHQ. The sun is out in downtown Corvallis, the college baseball season has started, and (best of all), Knights veteran pitcher Max Beatty (2010-12) is back on the mound for the Pacific Lutheran Lutes.

As most of you already know, Max missed the entire 2012 school season while battling cancer. He recovered in time to help us reach the West Coast League Championship Series last summer, and has returned to PLU for his redshirt junior season.

On Monday, he started PLU's season opener against Concordia and allowed one hit in two scoreless innings, with one strikeout, in a 4-0 victory. He didn't get the decision, but pitched well.

Teammate and 2013 Knights pitcher Chris Bishop (2012-13) was 1-for-3 with a two-run single in the first inning as a hitter, then struck out one and pitched a scoreless ninth to lock down the win.

Afterward, TV station KING 5 did an interview with Max and PLU coach Geoff Loomis, another ex-Knight, that can be found by clicking here. A story and photo gallery on the games are available right here.

So, congrats to Max, Chris and Geoff on a great start to the 2013 season.

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In other early-season action involving 2013 Knights, 10-day signee Scott Stone of Central Washington was 0-for-1 as a pinch-hitter/third baseman in a 5-2 loss to Cal State-East Bay in Hayward, Calif. CWU (0-2) finishes the series today and Tuesday.

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Lots of former Knights (Braden Wells, James Nygren, John Wallace) are featured on Episode 2 of former Knights' pitcher Matt Boyd's (2010) "Inside Corner" video blog from osubeavers.com.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

KELOWNA: The Falcons have signed freshman left-handed pitcher Harry Norman, a Purple Paladin (love that nickname!) from Furman University. Here's more from the Summer Baseball Insider website.

KLAMATH FALLS: The Gems have signed left-handed pitcher Bret Hartnett, left-handed pitcher/outfielder Connor Moore, and catcher/outfielder Austen Brand of Seattle University for the 2013 season. More information can be found here, in this release from the Gems website.

VICTORIA: Here's some news from the HarbourCats on a variety of subjects, via their team newsletter. Lots going on in Victoria, with more news to come.

WALLA WALLA: We reported the other day on the Sweets' signing of the Silva brothers, Scott (Gonzaga) and Sean (USC), for the 2013 season. Here's more on that story from the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin newspaper.

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That's all for today. See you on Wednesday, when we'll have our weekly Knights Top 10 list.

PLU-Concordia means the season has started!

Happy Monday, everyone. Hope you all had fabulous weekends, have recovered from your Super Bowl parties, and are ready for some baseball!

One of our partner schools, Pacific Lutheran University, opens the 2013 season today by hosting Concordia Univeristy of Portland in an 11 a.m. doubleheader at PLU. Looks like the weather should be decent and they'll get both games in.

PLU's head coach is Geoff Loomis, a former Knight. We don't know who the projected starters are for the Lutes, but I'd be shocked if Max Beatty (2010-12) doesn't get the nod in one game and it's possible Chris Bishop (2012-13) and Jake Otness (2013) could see some mound time too.

We'll have a report on what transpired in Tuesday's blog.

Central Washington, where 2013 Knights Devon Barker, Eddie Malone Jr. and Scott Stone play, lost 5-4 to Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Calif., on Sunday in its opener. Barker, Malone and Stone did not play; the series resumes today and Tuesday, weather permitting.

In the meantime, it's only 120 more days until we begin our 2013 season with a Science and Art Day II nonleague encounter with the Portland Lobos at Goss Stadium. It will be here before you know it, so get your season tickets and 10-game punchcards now at the WWHQ in the Madison Plaza in downtown Corvallis!

Now, on to today's Knights news.

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We've got an update on Tristan Hobbes, the Walla Walla play-by-play broadcaster for the past two seasons and a real Friend O' the Blog. He'll be the new play-by-play voice of the Ocean State Waves, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League based in South Kingston, R.I., this summer.

That dovetails perfectly with his school-year position in the sports information department at Bryant University, located in nearby Smithfield (isn't everything nearby in Rhode Island?). He will be in Corvallis on March 1-3, though, when Oregon State hosts Bryant in its home-opening series.

So congrats to Tristan. No word yet on who will be taking his place with the Sweets.

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Left-handed reliever Marc Rzepcznyski (2006) of the St. Louis Cardinals, one of six Knights' alums to play major-league baseball in 2012, has avoided arbitration by signing a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals did not release the financial terms. Rzepczynski, who made $504,000 in 2012, had asked for $1.3 million; the Cardinals offered $900,000.

Here are more details on the deal, from MLB.com.

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No WCL news to report today, so we'll close. See you on Tuesday.