Hot Stove Night III set for Feb. 5

Happy Thursday, everyone.

We're down to 146 more days until our June 4 nonleague opener on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium, and we're pleased to announce an event to help you get through the dreary winter and let you know that West Coast League baseball is just around the corner.

We're pleased to announce that WCL president Dennis Koho and Oregon State pitching coach Nate Yeskie will be the special guest speakers at Hot Stove Night III, set for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5, in the Omaha Room at Goss Stadium.

Koho will address current and possible future expansion; the new three-division re-alignment; what he envisions for the WCL in the future, and other topics. He'll also answer any questions any attendees may have.

Yeskie will speak on the 2014 Beavers, who feature Knights' alums Ben Wetzler, Jace Fry, Scott Schultz, Taylor Starr, Brandon Jackson and Kevin Flemer on the pitching staff. The Knights will also recognize Yeskie for the national Pitching Coach of the Year Award he recently received from Collegiate Baseball magazine.

Knights' president Dan Segel and general manager Bre Kerkvliet will also speak on our promotions and plans for the upcoming season. We also may have another special guest who should be of interest to area baseball fans.

Seating at the Omaha Room is limited, so make your reservations now by e-mailing the blog at [email protected]. Admission is free for Olufson Designs Diamond Club members, and $5 for everyone else.

We'll have more information as it becomes available, but save the date. It will be another fun and informative night!

Now, on with the rest of the news.

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A familiar face to Corvallis baseball fans has joined the coaching staff of the Medford Rogues. Former Oregon State first baseman and student assistant coach Jared Norris will be an assistant under head coach Josh Hogan, the former Knights' star (2007-09) who is entering his second year as the Medford skipper.

You can click right here for more on the story, from the Medford website. The story also contains news about Medford's latest signing, pitcher Steven Naemark of Campbellsville University. Welcome to the WCL, Jared!

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Don't forget to vote for Linfield junior pitcher/2014 Knights' signee Chris Haddeland, the 2013 NCAA Division III National Pitcher of the Year, for DIII Baseball.com's preseason Pitcher of the Year award. Please click here to access the ballot to vote for Haddeland, the Northwest Conference's 2013 Pitcher of the Year, and a 2013 NCAA Division III All-American. He's still in third place, but is moving closer to second.

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Remember, even though the deadline for renewing your 2013 season tickets has passed, there's an excellent chance existing season-ticket holders who simply forgot to renew can still get their same seats. So if you spaced out and disremembered, don't despair.

Season tickets remain a great bargain, whether you're renewing, returning to the fold after an absence, or buying for the first time. And our popular 10-game punch cards are always available for just $50.

Stop by the World-Wide Headquarters (WWHQ) of the Knights in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis to buy tickets, or punch cards.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BELLINGHAM: The Bells have signed Bethune-Cookman junior pitcher Keith Zuniga, who played for the team in 2012, and Pacific University sophomore outfielder Walker Olis, who played at Bellingham in 2013. Click here for more on the story, from the Bellingham website.

YAKIMA: The Pippins have signed right-handed pitchers Matt Trask and Nick Kern for the 2014 season. A native of Brea, Calif., Kern is a redshirt freshman at UCLA. Trask is a senior at Davis High School in Davis, Calif., who will enroll at UCLA this fall. Please click here for more on the story, from the Yakima Herald-Republic newspaper.

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

Max Beatty's recover a top story in Tacoma

Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Overcast, warm conditions in Corvallis this morning as the countdown to our June 4 nonleague opener on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium hits 147 days and counting.

We're gonna hammer you over the head with this during January; please bear with us. The deadline for renewing your 2013 season tickets has passed, but there's an excellent chance existing season-ticket holders who simply forgot to renew can still get their same seats. So if you spaced out and forgot, don't despair.

Season tickets remain a great bargain, whether you're renewing, returning to the fold after an absence, or buying for the first time. And our popular 10-game punch cards are always available for just $50.

Stop by the World-Wide Headquarters (WWHQ) of the Knights in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis to buy tickets, or punch cards.

Now, on with the news.

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Alum Max Beatty's (2010-12) inspiring recovery from testicular cancer, his return to the Pacific Lutheran University baseball team and his ensuing selection in the major league draft by the San Diego Padres was rated as one of the top local sports stories of 2013 by the Tacoma Weekly newspaper.

Here's the paper's report on Max's selection:

Former Pacific Lutheran University ace pitcher Max Beatty, who overcame testicular cancer to return to the baseball field in Summer 2012, achieved his ultimate dream when he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 32nd round of the Major League Baseball draft on June 8.

"It's been something I've been looking forward to (for) forever," Beatty said. "It really is just a dream come true."

It was on Christmas Break in 2011 that Beatty was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Beatty tackled the two-month round of chemotherapy, five days a week, with his eyes set on returning to the field.

After playing with the summer league Corvallis Knights in June 2012, Beatty returned to PLU in the fall. He posted a 7-5 record and a 2.48 earned run average in 87 innings in the spring season, with 90 strikeouts and just 13 walks.

Congrats to Max, and best of luck in the minors this season. It's a great story.

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Remember, vote for Linfield junior pitcher/2014 Knights' signee Chris Haddeland, the 2013 NCAA Division III National Pitcher of the Year, for DIII Baseball.com's preseason Pitcher of the Year award. Please click here to access the ballot to vote for Haddeland, the Northwest Conference's 2013 Pitcher of the Year, and a 2013 NCAA Division III All-American. He's still in third place, but is moving closer to second and every vote helps.

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The Victoria HarbourCats received a mention in the Victoria Times Colonist newspapers list of the "10 things brewing" in local sports for 2014. Here's a recap:

What will the Victoria HarbourCats do for an encore after an inaugural 2013 in which the baseball club was second in West Coast League attendance? The emphasis in the sophomore season needs to be to emulate on the diamond the initial-year success in the stands. The first game is June 6 in Kelowna with the home opener June 10 at Royal Athletic Park against the Cowlitz Black Bears from Kelso/Longview, Wash.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BEND: The Elks have signed Creighton freshman middle infielder Nick Lopez, a 5-foot-9, 160-pounder from Naperville Central High in nearby Bolingbrook, Ill. Please click here for more on the story, from the Summer Baseball Insider website.

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

Knights nominated for Business of the Year

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

The rain has returned and Oregon finally looks like Oregon again. But a few raindrops can't extinguish our enthusiasm about the 2014 season and our June 4 season opener on Science, Engineering & Art Day at Goss Stadium is now just 148 days away.

So don't forget, even though the deadline for renewing your 2013 season tickets has passed, there's an excellent chance that existing season-ticket holders who simply forgot to renew can still get their same seats. If you spaced out and forgot to renew, don't despair.

Season tickets remain a great bargain, whether you're renewing, returning to the fold after an absence, or buying for the first time. And our popular 10-game punch cards are always available for just $50.

Stop by the World-Wide Headquarters (WWHQ) of the Knights in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis to buy tickets, or punch cards.

Now, on with the news.

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The Knights have been nominated for the "Business of the Year" award for 2013 by the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce. The chamber will announce the winners at an event Jan. 17, at Oregon State University's CH2M Hill Alumni Center, at 725 S.W. 26th St.

Mike Corwin, president of the chamber board (and the proud papa of former Knights 2010 and 2012 pitcher Aaron Corwin), said the event recognizes the accomplishments of individual citizens, and showcases area businesses.

"There is a lot of good done by the nominees," said Corwin, who works at the OSU Federal Credit Union, a longtime Knights' sponsor. "Just being nominated is significant."

Also nominated are Horsepower Productions; Henderer Design + Build; Re/Max Integrity - Carla Allen; PEAK Internet, and Forks & Corks Catering. Henderer D+B, Carla Allen, PEAK and Forks and Corks are also big Knights supporters, so it's a nice list to be on!

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Five Corvallis Knights partner schools are ranked in the Top 40 in Collegiate Baseball magazine's preseason poll, another example illustrating the top-quality programs the Knights draw their players from.

A College World Series participant in 2013, Oregon State leads the pack and is ranked No. 4. Oregon (6), Cal Poly (27), San Diego (33) and UC Santa Barbara (39) all cracked the Top 40. All six programs played in the 2013 NCAA tournament. Also, partners UC Irvine, Washington and Washington State all received votes.

For the complete poll, please click here. Best of luck to all our partner schools this spring!

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Don't forget to vote for Linfield junior pitcher/2014 Knights' signee Chris Haddeland, the 2013 NCAA Division III National Pitcher of the Year, for DIII Baseball.com's preseason Pitcher of the Year award. Please click here to access the ballot to vote for Haddeland, the Northwest Conference's 2013 Pitcher of the Year, and a 2013 NCAA Division III All-American.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

KITSAP: The BlueJackets have re-signed RHP Ryan Taylor of Lubbock Christian University. He's a junior transfer from Salt Lake City and Olympic Community College who was 1-6, 5.53 in 13 games at Kitsap in 2013, with 34 strikeouts in 65 innings.

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

Vote for Linfield's Chris Haddeland for POTY

Happy Monday, everyone. Trust you enjoyed the wonder weather and had a nice weekend.

You'll see this notice a lot throughout the month because it's important, and we don't want anyone missing out. So remember, even though the deadline for renewing your 2013 season tickets has passed, there's an excellent chance that existing season-ticket holders who simply forgot to renew can still get their same seats. If you spaced out renewing, don't despair.

Season tickets remain a great bargain, whether you're renewing, returning to the fold after an absence, or buying for the first time. And our popular 10-game punch cards are always available for just $50.

Stop by the World-Wide Headquarters (WWHQ) of the Knights in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis to buy tickets, or punch cards. It's only 149 more days until our June 4 opener, so don't delay!

Now, on with the news.

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Linfield junior pitcher/2014 Knights' signee Chris Haddeland, the 2013 NCAA Division III National Pitcher of the Year, is in third place in voting for the 2014 DIII Baseball.com's preseason POTY award. Please click here to access the ballot and to vote for Chris, who was also the Northwest Conference's Pitcher of the Year, and a NCAA Division III All-American.

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The new Yakima Valley Pippins were ranked as the No. 3 sports news story for 2013 in that area by the Yakima Herald-Republic newspaper in its year-end Top 10 list. Here's the paper's report.

"Number three on the YH-R's list involved baseball and the return of a summer team to Yakima County Stadium.

"After the Northwest League's Bears left for Hillsboro, Ore. following the 2012 season, the West Coast League announced its expansion into Yakima. The wood-bat summer league for college players will field a team, named the Pippins, here next season with Selah High School graduate and Yakima Valley Community College coach Marcus McKimmy serving as manager.

"The Pippins, owned by the same group that operates the Walla Walla Sweets, will open play next June."

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The success of the first-year Medford Rogues was named that area's No. 2 sports story of the year on a list compiled by Medford Mail Tribune sports editor Tim Trower, formerly of the Albany Democrat-Herald. Here's what Trower had to say about the Rogues:

"The Medford Rogues, a wood-bat team for college baseball players in the West Coast League, was already up and running by the start of the year and didn't slow down until it had crafted the most successful start-up in league history.

"Formation of the team was announced in June 2012. Then came plans for major renovations of Harry & David Field, a team naming contest involving the community and roster building. By the time the season started, general manager Chuck Heeman, a 20-year veteran of professional baseball, had all the pieces in place.

"A mediocre start to the season was followed by a late playoff push. The Rogues won 16 of their last 18 league home games and ended up tied with Bend with a 30-24 record. The Rogues advanced to the playoffs because of a 4-2 head-to-head record against the Elks. The Rogues' season ended with consecutive South Division playoff losses to Corvallis.

"They were the first WCL expansion team to make the playoffs and set a record for most victories by a first-year franchise. Medford was 31st among all summer collegiate baseball teams in attendance, averaging 1,372 fans in 26 homes games. It was third in the WCL behind Bend (1,574) and first-year Victoria (1,437)."

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

WALLA WALLA: The Sweets are looking for interns for the upcoming season. So, if you live in the area, plan on summering there, or just want to try something different for June, July and August, click here for more information.

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

Murphy playing in the Dominican Republic

We learned today that alum Jim Murphy, the former Washington State slugger who was our 2007 MVP in our first summer in Corvallis, is playing for the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League in the Dominican Republic.

A member of the Philadelphia minor-league organization, Murph is hitting .375 (6-16) in seven games, with no homers and one RBI. The DWL season runs though mid-January.

DWL rosters are huge, so playing time is at a premium. The Tigres roster includes many current or former major leaguers, including Jose Contreras, Hector Noesi, Manny Delcarmen, Emilio Bonafacio and Tuffy Gosewisch, to name a few.

Murph had his best year ever in pro ball in 2013 with the Reading (Pa.) Fightin' Phils. He hit .273 (138-505) in 139 games, with 23 homers and 83 RBIs. He also played in the Eastern League All-Star Game.

Best wishes to Murph, who will return to the U.S. later this winter to prepare for spring training.

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Improvements and upgrades should be forthcoming at Yakima County Stadium, the home of the West Coast League's newest expansion franchise, the Yakima Valley Pippins. Here's more on that story, from KIMA TV. The Knights don't play in Yakima this summer, as the league has an unbalanced schedule with the switch to three divisions and 12 teams.

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It's Friday, so it's time to update the stats of our Knights alums playing and coaching in the Australian Baseball League.

BROOKE KNIGHT: The Adelaide coach has the Bite in fifth place at 14-18, five games behind league-leading Perth.

ERIC MASSINGHAM (2006-07): The Canberra pitcher, from Cal Poly, is 3-1, 7.04 in 15 games, with 15 strikeouts in 15.1 innings.

LIAM BARON (2008-09): The Perth reliever, from Linn-Benton and Gonzaga, has appeared in one game and did not allow an earned run, but he does not have an ERA yet because he hasn't recorded an out. He's on Perth's reserve roster.

DEAN GREEN (2008): The one-time Oklahoma State/Barry University slugging first baseman is on the reserve list with the Sydney Blue Sox and has not played yet this season.

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Remember, the deadline for renewing your 2013 season tickets has passed, and now any seats not renewed are open to new buyers. However, there's an excellent chance that existing season-ticket holders who simply forgot to renew can still get their same seats.

Season tickets remain a great bargain, whether you're renewing, returning to the fold after an absence, or buying for the first time. And our popular 10-game punch cards are always available for just $50.

So, make sure to stop by the World-Wide Headquarters (WWHQ) of the Knights in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis.

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News from elsewhere in the WCL:

VICTORIA: New Victoria general manager Jim Swanson has been named one of the most influential persons in Canadian baseball. Here's more on that story, from the Victoria website.

WENATCHEE: The AppleSox have announced their 2014 schedule. The Knights visit Paul Thomas Sr. Field on June 23-25; it should be a classic series, as the Knights and AppleSox met in the last two WCL Championship Series and have played each other for top honors four times since 2008.

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

Welcome to 2014, Knights fans!

Happy New Year, everyone.

We're back after a short holiday hiatus with the first installment of the Corvallis Knights' Daily Update, 2014 edition. As usual, we plan to have Knights- and West Coast League-related news for you every working day of the year, starting with today.

It's a tall order. Sometimes during the off-season we have to dig a little deeper to find those nuggets of news, and some days we'll have more news and notes than on others. But we'll do our best to get 'er done and make sure we got 'er did come this December.

The renewal date for renewing your 2013 season tickets - if you want to be sure to have the same seats - has passed, and now any seats not renewed are open to new buyers. However, there's an excellent chance that existing season-ticket holders who simply forgot to renew can still get their same seats, if they hurry.

Season tickets remain a great bargain, whether you're renewing, returning to the fold after an absence, or buying for the first time. And as always, our popular 10-game punch cards are available for just $50.

So, make sure to stop by the World-Wide Headquarters (WWHQ) of the Knights in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis.

Now, on with the news.

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You may have missed it over the Christmas holidays but our major league Corvallis Knight is headed for new surroundings north of the border. The Toronto Blue Jays acquired third baseman Brent Morel (2006-07) of Cal Poly from the Chicago White Sox on Dec. 23, and now BeMo will get a fresh start with a new team.

Here are more details on that story from our website. Best of luck to Brent in his new surroundings, after four years with the White Sox.

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UC Irvine junior infielder Taylor Sparks, who was second in the WCL in hitting in 2012 (.388) while playing for the Wenatchee AppleSox, is ranked as the No. 47 college prospect for the 2014 MLB draft by College Baseball Daily. Here's more on that story from College Baseball Daily.

Three 2013 Knights alums have already made the rankings. UCSB pitcher Dylan Hecht was 70th; Grand Canyon junior pitcher Jorge Perez (2012, 2013) was 87th and Concordia junior outfielder Blake Drake was 93rd. We expect Oregon State pitchers Ben Wetzler and Jace Fry, alums of our 2011 WCL championship team, and Cal Poly junior outfielder Nick Torres (2012) to make the list as well.

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WCL fans are in for a treat this season. Reporter Bruce Baskin will write about the league and its cities and players on Our Sports Central, an excellent site for WCL news. Here's more on that story from the Our Sports Central website.

Welcome to the WCL, Bruce! We look forward to his impressions of Corvallis, Goss Stadium and the Knights.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

BEND: The Elks have signed lefty pitcher JT Kaul, a freshman at Lewis-Clark State; sophomore outfielder Kenton Brunson of Columbia Basin College, and junior catcher Curtis Wildung of Pacific Lutheran University for the 2014 season. Here's more on the signings from the Bend website. Just click on the second topic on the home page menu.

VICTORIA: The HarbourCats have signed catcher Kelly Norris-Jones of Illinois; Seattle University freshman infielder Griffin Andreychuk of Nanaimo, B.C., and outfielder Nick Rutchkyj of Surrey, B.C., for the upcoming season. Here's more on the signings from the Victoria News.

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Once again, welcome back. That's it for today, and we'll see you on Friday.

Alums Fry, Wetzler, Torres named top prospects by Baseball America

Happy Thursday, everybody.

Don't forget, the deadline for renewing your 2013 season tickets - if you want to be sure to have the same seats - is Dec. 31. After that, any seats not renewed are open to new buyers. So renew now, it's a great bargain.

And as always, our popular 10-game punch cards make an attractive gift or stocking stuffer for your favorite baseball fan. They are available for $50 at the WWHQ in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis.

We've got plenty of Knights news to report today so let's get on with the show.

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Three alums made Baseball America's list of the top 100 college prospects for the 2014 MLB draft, set for next June. They are junior left-handed pitcher Jace Fry (2011) of Oregon State; senior left-handed pitcher Ben Wetzler (2011) of Oregon State, and junior outfielder Nick Torres (2012) of Cal Poly.

Fry was ranked No. 49, Wetzler was ranked 66th and Torres was ranked 79th. Torres merited special consideration for his fast rise as a prospect; Baseball America described him thusly:

As the No. 3-hole hitter for Cal Poly's regional team, Torres hit .333/.376/.520 with seven homers last spring, putting himself on the map. A hamstring injury hampered him this fall, but scouts who saw him at his best were intrigued by his right-field tool set.

"He's got a great body, a plus arm and can really play right field," a West Coast crosschecker [scout] said. "I think he's going to be a pretty good draft. He's a big, strong dude, but he's kind of a sleeper because he hasn't been in the Cape."

Torres played with us in 2012 and in the Northwoods League last summer; Wetzler and Fry did not pitch last summer. Here's a link to the entire top 100.

Congrats to Jace, Ben and Nick, who we expect will be drafted, sign, and begin their professional careers this summer.

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The West Coast League's newest expansion franchise will be nicknamed the Yakima Valley Pippins, a tribute to that region's baseball past. That was also the moniker of the area's Western International League team from 1937-41, before operations were suspended for World War II.

Here's more on that story from the Baseball Digest website. Here's more, from the Yakima Herald-Republic newspaper, and here's more yet, from Pacific Baseball Ventures, the owners of the Pippins and the WCL's Walla Walla Sweets.

Sounds like a winner.

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Junior right-handed pitcher Chris Haddeland of Linfield, a projected 2014 Knight, was the subject of this interview on Summer Baseball Digest. Chris was the Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2013, earned All-American honors, and helped lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Division III national championship.

The McMinnville native played for Swift Current, Saskatchewan, in the Western Major Baseball League the past two summers. We're happy he's playing closer to home this summer.

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That's it for today.

Four WCL alums named preseason All-Americans

Happy Wednesday, everybody.

Another gray, dreary day in downtown CorVegas. But El Presidente, Knights' president Dan Segel, is due in town today so that should brighten things up considerably around the WWHQ.

Don't forget, the deadline for renewing your 2013 season tickets - if you want to be sure to have the same seats - is Dec. 31. After that, any seats not renewed are open to new buyers. So renew now, it's a great bargain.

And remember that our popular 10-game punch card makes an attractive gift or stocking stuffer for your favorite Knights fan. Those are available at the WWHQ as well, for $50.

So, with those sales pitches out of the way, let's get on with today's Blog. We've got some Knights news to report.

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The Blog will be the guest co-host from noon until 2 p.m. on Thursday on the Joe Beaver Show on KEJO-AM 1240, the Knights' flagship station. I'll be pinch-hitting for Mike Parker, who will be on his way to Hawaii for the Oregon State bowl game and basketball tournament, assisting regular host Jon Warren on what we hope will be an entertaining, informative broadcast.

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Four WCL alums were selected preseason All-Americans on Wednesday by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. So honored were:

TAYLOR SPARKS, Wenatchee (2012): The senior third baseman at UC Irvine was a first-team choice. He was second-team all-WCL and Baseball America's No. 1 WCL pro prospect in 2012.

THOMAS ESHELMAN, Klamath Falls (2012): The sophomore pitcher at Cal State-Fullerton was a first-team selection. He was second-team all-WCL and Baseball America's No. 10 WCL pro prospect in 2012.

CONNOR SPENCER, Wenatchee (2013): The senior first baseman at UC Irvine was a first-team selection. He was first-team all-WCL and Baseball America's No. 8 WCL pro prospect in 2013.

COLE IRVIN, Cowlitz (2012): The sophomore pitcher at Oregon was a third-team choice. He was second-team all-WCL and Baseball America's No. 5 WCL pro prospect in 2012.

Oregon State sophomore pitcher Andrew Moore, a 2013 Knights' signee who took the summer off to rest and recover from a heavy college workload, was a second-team selection.

Here's a link to the entire team, from the College Baseball Daily website.

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We announced on Tuesday that former Aloha/Corvallis Knights intern Holly Jones, most recently the general manager of the West Coast League's Victoria HarbourCats, has been named the new assistant general manager of the Charlotte Stone Crabs, Tampa Bay's affiliate in the Class A Florida State League.

She will move to Port Charlotte, Fla., next week to begin her new job. The Stone Crabs play at 7,000-seat Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, a city of 50,000 located about 40 miles north of Fort Myers on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Here's more on that story from the HarbourCats' website.

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Some news from elsewhere in the WCL:

WENATCHEE: AppleSox alum Cole Gillespie (2004), the 2006 Pac-10 Player of the Year at Oregon State, has signed a free-agent contract with the Seattle Mariners. And Wenatchee alum Vinnie Catricala (2007), a third baseman, was selected by Milwaukee from Oakland in the recent Rule 5 draft.

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That's it for today. See you on Thursday. Don't forget to tune in to the Joe Beaver Show on KEJO 1240 AM at noon tomorrow for two hours of radio brilliance.

Holly Jones headed for Florida State League

Happy Tuesday, everybody.

Sort of a gray, dreary day in downtown CorVegas this morning, some mist and sprinkles. But at least it's warm and there's not a hint of snow in sight.

We had lots of season ticket renewals over the weekend but don't forget, the deadline for renewing your 2013 season tickets - if you want to be sure to have the same seats - is Dec. 31. After that, any seats not renewed are open to new buyers. So renew now, it's a great bargain.

So, with that advisory out of the way, let's get on with today's Blog. We've got some Knights news to report.

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Former Aloha/Corvallis Knights intern Holly Jones, most recently the general manager of the West Coast League's Victoria HarbourCats, has been named the new assistant general manager of the Charlotte Stone Crabs, Tampa Bay's affiliate in the Class A Florida State League.

She will move to Port Charlotte, Fla., next week to begin her new job. The Stone Crabs play at 7,000-seat Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, a city of 50,000 located about 40 miles north of Fort Meyers on Florida's Gulf Coast.

Coincidentally, it's the ballpark of choice for the parents of the blog, who live on the other side of Charlotte Harbor in neighboring Punta Gorda. Here's a link to the Stone Crabs' website.

And here's more on Holly's move from out website. Best of luck to Holly in her new job!

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Nothing new in the WCL or with our college players. It's always pretty slow, news-wise, around the holidays. So, we'll see you on Wednesday.

Clearing the Bases sale tomorrow!

Happy Friday, everybody.

Finally, life is getting back to normal in Corvallis. The snow and ice are melting, traffic is moving smoothly again and school has reopened. Hopefully we won't get another snowstorm like that this winter!

So, with that, let's get on to the Blog. We've got some Knights news and some West Coast League news to report. So let's get started.

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It's here. Our initial "Clearing the Bases" sale is tomorrow, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in the front lobby of the Madison Plaza in downtown Corvallis. We'll have merchandise, caps, memorabilia, some team artifacts and other items for sale at excellent prices, just in time for the holidays, and we're ready to clear some inventory.

Here are some of the bargains:

* Our 10-game punch cards, which will cost $50 this year, are $40 on Saturday only.

* Used game pants, $5; used game hats, $5; bats, $5.

* All non-Nike hats, $15.

* New Corvallis Knights Nike batting practice tops (black and cardinal), $5.

* New and game-worn team jackets, various prices.

* Game-worn Corvallis Knights and Aloha Knights jerseys, including a 1992 Brooke Knight Aloha Knights jersey (#35).

* College pennants, only $1.

* Brent Morel bobbleheads, only $5.

* Out-of-date team signage, $1.

Other items will also be available. So come see us!

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The West Coast League released its 2013 attendance figures on Friday, and we set another record. For the first time, total attendance eclipsed the 400,000 mark as the 11 teams drew a combined 402,958 fans last summer.

The Bend Elks topped the league in overall attendance drawing 51,283 to Vince Genna Stadium, an average of 1,602 per game. The Knights drew a franchise-record 43,529 fans to Goss Stadium and ranked sixth in WCL games (1,253 fpg); second in playoff attendance (1,196 fpg); second in non-league attendance (1,712 fpg), and fourth in total attendance (1,319 fpg).

Here's a link to 2013 attendance figures for every team, from the WCL website. Thanks again to the greatest fans in the WCL!

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It's Friday, so it's time to update the stats of our Knights alums playing and coaching in the Australian Baseball League.

BROOKE KNIGHT: The Adelaide coach has the Bite in fifth place at 7-12, 5.5 games behind league-leading Perth.

ERIC MASSINGHAM (2006-07): The Canberra pitcher, from Cal Poly, is 3-0, 5.40 in 10 games, with 10 strikeouts in 10 innings.

LIAM BARON (2008-09): The Perth reliever, from Linn-Benton and Gonzaga, has appeared in one game and did not allow an earned run, but he does not have an ERA yet because he hasn't recorded an out.

DEAN GREEN (2008): The one-time Oklahoma State/Barry University slugging first baseman is on the reserve list with the Sydney Blue Sox and has not played yet this season.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

WALLA WALLA: The Sweets have signed Mark Contreras of UC Riverside, Michael Duarte of UC Irvine, and Kevin Morgan of Cal Poly for the 2014 season. Here's more from the Walla Walla website.

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That's it for today. Have a great weekend and we'll see you on Saturday at our "Clearing the Bases" sale!