One day and counting

We're down to one day and counting.

The Corvallis Knights begin their sixth season on at 7:09 p.m. Friday against the host Walla Walla Sweets. It's a rematch of the 2011 West Coast League Championship Series, which we won 2-0 to capture our second WCL title.

The series continues on Saturday and Sunday at 7:07 p.m. The Sweets expect near-sellout crowds all three nights at venerable Borleske Stadium.

Corvallis native/Texas Tech junior Aaron Corwin will start Friday's game; Jorge Perez of Grand Canyon University will start on Saturday. Sunday's starter is undetermined.

Friday night's opener will be broadcast on KEJO-AM 1240 and mark the debut of new play-by-play announcer Kevin Burke. The station for Saturday and Sunday's games depends on how Oregon State fares at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional; of there's a conflict, we'll be on KTHH-AM 990.

Let the season begin!

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Here's a detailed Knights season preview, penned by the aforementioned Mr. Burke, who is probably better at mny job than I am! This link is from Our Sports Central; it will be on our website later today or early on Friday.

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Westview High School senior Carson Kelly, a 2012 Knights signee and possible Oregon Duck, is the state's 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year. He will attend next week's MLB draft, Tuesday through Thursday at the MLB network studios in New York City.

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Nice story in the Corvallis Gazette-Times about former Knights infielder Thomas McCarthy (2010) of the University of Kentucky, a Corvallis native and graduate of Crescent Valley High School.

The Wildcats are in the NCAA Purdue Regional, being played in Gary, Ind. If they win that regional, they could play a Super Regional at PK Park in Eugene if Oregon wins its regional.

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Just learned from Oregon State that former Knights' infielder Jake Rodriguez (2010) was an honorable mention Pacific-12 Conference all-star. There was a mixup in the balloting by the conference and several players who earned HM were not included in the original release.

So, congrats to another shining Knight!

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Catcher Andrew Susac (2009) of the San Jose Giants hit a grand slam on Wednesday in a 7-5 loss to Bakersfield. That earned the former Oregon State standout Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors.

The Giants are San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A California League. Ex-Knights Josh Osich and Alex Burg, stars of our 2008 teams, are also on the Giants.

Honorable mention goes to pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009) of the Quad City River Bandits, St. Louis's Class A Midwest League affiliate. He allowed four hits and one earned run in seven innings in a 20-3 win over Beloit, with five strikeouts.

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Remember, our home opener is set for 6:40 p.m. Tuesday against the Klamath Falls Gems. For those who have already purchased season tickets, they can be picked up at the WWHQ in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis. If you can't get downtown, we'll have your tickets at the box office on Tuesday.

So stop down and pick up your seats!

Friday night's other WCL openers have Cowlitz at Kitsap, Bend at Klamath Falls, and Wenatchee at Bellingham. Kelowna opens its WCL season at Cowlitz on June 6.

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Here's our weeekly roundup of Corvallis Knights in minor-league baseball (all stats through Wednesday's games):

NICK AKINS (2007): Now with Great Lakes (A, Dodgers) in the Midwest League, the former Vanguard outfielder is hitting .217 (5-23) with no homers and two RBIs.

TYLER ANDERSON (2009): Now with the Asheville Tourists (A, Rockies), the ex-Oregon star is 3-0, 3.75, with 18 strikeouts in 24 innings. He became the first former Corvallis Knight to be drafted in the first round in 2011.

MATT ANDRIESE (2009): Now with Lake Elsinore (A, Padres) in the California League, the pitcher from UC Riverside is 3-3, 3.93, with 41 strikeouts in 50.1 innings.

CARTER BELL (2009): Now with Visalia (A, Diamondbacks) in the California League, the former Oregon State infielder is hitting .236 (30-127) with one homer and 14 RBIs.

DANIEL BIBONA (2007): Now with Palm Beach (A, Cardinals) in the Florida State League, the pitcher from UC Irvine is on the 7-day disabled list.

ALEX BURG (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the former Washington State catcher/infielder/outfielder is hitting .189 (14-74) with three homers and nine RBIs.

JOHN ESHLEMAN (2008): Now with Augusta (A, Giants) in the South Atlantic League, the San Jacinto JC infielder is hitting .211 (12-57), with no homers and three RBIs.

ROCKY GALE (2007, 2009): Recently promoted to double-A San Antonio, the former Portland catcher is hitting .200 (1-5), with no homers or RBIs.

DREW GARCIA (2007): Now with Charlotte (AAA, White Sox) in the International League, the former UC Riverside infielder is hitting .159 (10-63), with no homers and six RBIs.

SAM GAVIGLIO (2009): Now with Quad City (A, Cardinals) in the Midwest League, is 3-3, 4.88, with 30 strikeouts in 48 innings.

DEAN GREEN (2008): Now with West Michigan (A, Tigers) in the Midwest League, the former Oklahoma State/Barry infielder is hitting .297 (57-192), with eight homers and 31 RBIs.

D.J. JOHNSON (2008-09): Now with South Bend (A, Diamondbacks) in the Midwest League, the former Mt. Hood/Western Oregon pitcher is 2-3, 1.96, with four saves and 30 strikeouts in 23 innings.

SCOTT LYMAN (2010): Now with Greensboro (A, Marlins) in the South Atlantic League, the ex-UC Davis star is 1-0, 9.00 in four innings, with two strikeouts.

ADAM MELKER (2008-09): Now with Springfield (AA, Cardinals) in the Texas League, the former Cal Poly outfielder is hitting .231 (27-117), with one homer and seven RBIs.

JIM MURPHY (2007): Now with Clearwater (A, Phillies) in the Florida State League, the former Washington State infielder is hitting .262 (43-164), with five homers and 36 RBIs.

JAMES NYGREN (2009): Now with Greensboro (A, Marlins) in the Florida State League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 2-1, 6.08, with eight saves and 12 strikeouts in 23.2 innings.

JOSH OSICH (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 0-0, 0.00, with a save and 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings.

GREG PEAVEY (2008): Now with Binghamton (AA, New York Mets) in the Eastern League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 3-2, 5.59, with 29 strikeouts in 46.2 innings.

NICK STRUCK (2010): Now with Tennessee (AA, Cubs) in the Southern League, the former Mt. Hood pitcher is 5-5, 4.37, with 49 strikeouts in 59.2 innings.

ANDREW SUSAC (2009): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State catcher is hitting .245 (22-91), with two homers and 15 RBIs.

NOT YET ASSIGNED: INF Nic Cuckovich (2011), Riverside CC (Royals); P Dustin Emmons (2009), UC Riverside (Mets); OF Dayton Alexander (2011), Feather River CC (Athletics); INF Cody Bartlett (2007), Washington State (Blue Jays); P Michael Blake (2010), Mt. Hood/Hawaii (Diamondbacks).

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

KITSAP: New BlueJackets coach Ryan Parker is counting on local talent to revive the fortunes of the franchise, which hasn't made the playoffs since 2007. Here are more details, from the Kitsap Sun newspaper.

WALLA WALLA: The Sweets have signed four more players and have completed their roster for the opening series against the Knights.

WENATCHEE: The AppleSox open the season on Friday at Bellingham. Here's the rest of the story, from Our Sports Central, a great source for WCL news.

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That's all for today. We head up to Walla Walla early Friday; we'll have an update from Eastern Washington sometime tomorrow before game time.

Haniger named Big West Conference Player of the Year

We've got big news from the Big West Conference to report today.

Former Corvallis Knights center fielder Mitch Haniger (2010), a junior at Cal Poly, was named the BWC's Player of the Year and a first-team all-star on Tuesday.

The Santa Clara, Calif., native led the league in RBIs (64), home runs (13) and total bases (132). He started all 56 games and hit .346, with a league-high .626 slugging percentage. Nationally, Haniger ranked 11th in total RBIs and 13th in RBIs per game (1.14).

He was also named BWC Player of the Week honors on Feb. 27 and April 26. So, congrats to Mitch!

Several other Knights alums received all-conference honors as well.

* Cal Poly sophomore third baseman Jimmy Allen (2011) was a first-team all-star. He hit. .345, with three homers and 44 RBIs.

* Cal Poly sophomore first baseman David Armendariz (2011) was a second-team all-star. He hit .314, with four homers and 36 RBIs.

* UC Santa Barbara first baseman/pitcher Greg Mahle was a second-team all-star at utility. He hit .347, with no homers and 35 RBIs, and was 3-4, 3.88, with four saves, as a pitcher.

* UC Riverside senior pitcher Eddie Orozco (2008-09) earned honorable mention. He was 5-7, 2.84.

So, congrats to all our shining Knights.

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More shining Knights from the Pacific-12 and West Coast conferences.

Washington State senior first baseman Taylor Ard (2009) and Oregon sophomore reliever Jimmie Sherfy (2011) were named Pacific-12 Conference all-stars on Wednesday. Oregon State freshman pitcher Jace Fry (2011) earned honorable mention.

Ard hit .332, with 12 homers and 50 RBIs. Sherfy was 4-2, 2.29, with 17 saves and 84 strikeouts in 55 innings. Fry was 5-3, 2.48.

Portland senior pitcher Kyle Kraus (2009-10) was the only Knight represented on the West Coast Conference all-star team. An all-stazr for the third year in a row, he was 7-6, 2.03, and set the school record for cazreer wins (27).

Congrats to each player!

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The West Coast League begins its eighth season on Friday night. Here's az release from the WCL front office:

"Action begins Friday, June 1 with four games, as the West Coast League begins it's eighth season. The defending champion Corvallis Knights begin defense of their crown at Borleske Stadium in Walla Walla against the Sweets, the club they defeated in the 2011 Championship Series.

Other opening night action features the Cowlitz Black Bears at the Kitsap BlueJackets, the Klamath Falls Gems entertaining the Bend Elks, and the Bellingham Bells hosting the Wenatchee AppleSox.

Corvallis opens its home season June 5 taking on Klamath Falls, while Wenatchee opens at home the same night against Bend. Cowlitz has its league home opener June 6 against Kelowna. Bend begins its home season June 8 hosting Klamath Falls, and Kelowna has its first home game on June 10 against Kitsap.

Each team will play 54-games, with the 2012 All-Star Game to be played July 24th at Walla Walla. The regular season concludes August 9.

The top two teams in the East Division and the West Division will play in best-of-three Divisional Championship Series beginning August 11, with the winners meeting in the best-of-three WCL Championship Series opening August 15 in the ball park of the West Division champion.

The WCL smashed its all-time attendance record in 2011 and another big summer is anticipated. Real-time scores, stats, etc., are available for you to follow all summer on the WCL website.

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West Michigan DH Dean Green (2008) was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in an 8-0 win over Dayton on Tuesday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. West Michigan is the single-A Midwest League affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

WALLA WALLA: Former Sweets star Alex Stanford will throw out the first onion on Friday when the Sweets host the Knights in their season opener. Here are the details from the Summer Ball website.

And here are 10 Things to Look for This Season from the Sweets.

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That's all for today. We'll be back on Thursday with updated averages for our minor-league Knights, and will have an update from Walla Walla on Friday before our season opener.

Finally, it's game week

Game week is finally here.

After nine months of waiting, were finally down to just three more days until our June 1 opener at Walla Walla. Season VI starts at 6:40 p.m. Friday at Borleske Stadium in Walla Walla, where we prevailed last August to take a 1-0 lead in the West Coast League's Championship Series.

Our roster is pretty much set. Today we lost pitcher Chris Mendoza of Santa Clara (2010-11) to summer school. It's a big blow, as he was a dependable spot starter/reliever who was 1-1, 4.54, with a save, for the Broncos. We've also learned that Oregon State freshmen Mitchell Tripp and Michael McCall, who didn't pitch for the Beavers this spring, won't play for us.

Otherwise, we're set for this weekend, and will continue to use a makeshift lineup until all of our players can report in mid-June.

So, here's our anticipated opening-series roster:

PITCHERS: Kyle Hart (Redlands); Aaron Corwin (Texas Tech); Max Beatty (PLU); Jorge Perez (Grand Canyon); Kendall Motes (Mt. Hood); Chris Bishop (PLU); AJ Burke (Western Oregon); Rob Dittrick (Pacific); Alex Keenan (George Fox); Devon Barker (Centralia CC).

UTILITY: Austin Hamilton (Linn-Benton).

CATCHERS: Dane Lund (Mt. Hood); Beau Fraser (Portland); Austin Barr (Camas High School).

INFIELDERS: Caleb Whalen (Portland); Marc Gallegos (Corban); Tyler Campbell (Lake Oswego High School); Caylen Clardy (College of the Siskyous).

OUTFIELDERS: Tristan Metcalf (Mt. Hood); Matt Nylen Western Oregon); Nathan Blackham (Washington State).

Corwin will start Friday's opener; Perez will start on Saturday. Sunday's starter is TBA.

Walla Walla will be missing players as well, as is customary for every team this early in the season. So don't dispair.

And remember, our home opener is 6:40 p.m. June 5 against Klamath Falls, at Goss Stadium.

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It's back-to-back for David Armendariz.

The Cal Poly sophomore, our 2011 MVP, was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week for the second straight time. He was went 8-for-13 three doubles, a homer, five runs and eight RBIs in a weekend sweep of UC Riverside.

So congrats to David, who will be playing in the Northwoods League this summer. We will miss him.

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Former Knights' great Kyle Kraus (2009-10) of Portland was named a West Coast Conference academic all-star for the third time this spring. To be considered, players must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA while also being a significant contributor to their team.

Kraus, who earlier this spring set the UP record for career wins, has a 3.27 GPA in marketing and management. So congrats to Kyle, a two-time WCL all-star for us.

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Good news on the alumni front: The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled first baseman Matt Hague (2005) from triple-A Indianapolis on May 25. He started the season on the MLB roster but was sent back to triple-A Indianapolis on April 14.

Congrats to Matt, who has at least one base hit in all four games he's played in since being recalled.

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The Memorial Day holiday left us a day behind schedule. So even though it's not Monday, we'll update the stats of our 2012 Division I players after another busy weekend around the country.

This will be our final college update of the spring.

CAL POLY: Freshman outfielder Nick Torres hit .275 (52-189), with five homers and 28 RBIs. Freshman outfielder Alex Michaels hit .400 (26-65) with two homers and 16 RBIs. Freshman pitcher Bryan Granger was 1-1, 3.60, with 19 strikeouts in 30 innings.

OREGON: Sophomore outfielder Connor Hofmann is hitting .254 (33-130), with three homers and 14 RBIs.

OREGON STATE: Freshman pitcher Carlos Rodriguez is 0-0, 5.44, with four strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Freshman catcher Nate Esposito is hitting .167 (2-12) with two RBIs.

PORTLAND: Freshman infielder Caleb Whalen hit .254 (45-177), with five homers and 28 RBIs. Junior pitcher Chris Johnson was 4-4, 3.08 in 76 innings, with 57 strikeouts. Utility Beau Fraser hit .234 (22-94), with one homer and 12 RBIs.

SEATTLE: Junior infielder Nate Roberts hit .233 (40-172), with a homer and 18 RBIs.

TEXAS: Sophomore pitcher Trevor Tykel was 0-0, 21.60, with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.

TEXAS TECH: Junior pitcher Aaron Corwin was 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA over 12.1 innings, with five strikeouts.

UC IRVINE: Freshman infielder/catcher Chris Rabago hit .286 (24-84), with a homer and 12 RBIs. Junior pitcher Mark Trentacosta was 1-0, 3.41 in 34 innings, with 26 strikeouts.

UC RIVERSIDE: Sophomore pitcher Dylan Stuart was 7-7, 4.00, with 56 strikeouts in 99 innings. Freshman pitcher was 0-1, 10.56, with 16 strikeouts in 16 innings.

UC SANTA BARBARA: Freshman utility Greg Mahle hit .347 (66-190), with no homers and 35 RBIs, and was 3-4, 3.88 as a pitcher, with 45 strikeouts and four saves in 46.1 innings.

WASHINGTON STATE: Sophomore outfielder Nate Blackham hit .(26-98) with 10 RBIs.

And here's our final Division II, Division III, NAIA and JC roundup, now that Mt. Hood CC has completed its season:

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: Utility Chris Bishop hit .125 (2-16) with three RBIs, and was 3-3, 4.40 as a pitcher, with 40 strikeouts in 59.1 innings.

REDLANDS: Pitcher Kyle Hart was 4-4, 5.32, with 41 strikeouts in 71 innings.

GEORGE FOX: Pitcher Alex Keenan was 2-3, 5.19 in 17.1 innings, with 16 strikeouts and three saves.

GRAND CANYON: Pitcher Jorge Perez was 3-3, 2.48, with 46 strikeouts in 54.1 innings.

WESTERN OREGON: Outfielder Matt Nylen hit .318 (55-173), with four homers and 41 RBIs. Pitcher A.J. Burke was 3-0, 2.25, with 31 strikeouts and four saves in 36 innings.

PACIFIC: Pitcher Rob Dittrick was 8-2, 2.87, with 54 strikeouts in 75.1 innings.

CORBAN: Infielder Marc Gallegos hit .346 (72-208), with 26 RBIs and 33 steals in 40 attempts.

RIVERSIDE CC: Outfielder Cade Gotta hit .291 (43-148), with two homers and 19 RBIs. Pitcher Blake Burrell was 7-1, 1.83 in 93.1 innings, with 63 strikeouts.

COLLEGE OF THE SISKYOUS: Infielder Caylen Clardy hit .277 (31-112) with one homer and 11 RBIs.

MT. HOOD: Pitcher Kendall Motes was 3-2, 3.90, with 43 strikeouts in 32.1 innings. Catcher Dane Lund hit .311 (52-167), with no homers and 20 RBIs. Infielder Alex Foulon hit .224 (34-152) with 15 RBIs and outfielder Tristan Metcalf hit .322 (38-118), with 24 RBIs.

LINN-BENTON: Utility Austin Hamilton hit .186 (22-118) with 10 RBIs and was 3-3, 3.63 as a pitcher, with 19 strikeouts in 39.2 innings.

CENTRALIA CC: Pitcher Devon Barker was 4-4, 1.71, with 44 strikeouts in 52.2 innings.

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Charlotte infielder Drew Garcia (2007) was 1-for-3 with a run in a 4-1 win over Rochester to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. Charlotte is the triple-A International League affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

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Finally, your's truly and new Knights' broadcaster Kevin Burke will be guests on KGAL-AM 1580's Valley Talk radio show on Wednesday. We'll be on from about 11:30 a.m. until noon, so tune in!

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That's all for today. We'll be back on Wednesday.

Three Knights make NWAACC Southern Division all-star team

More honors to report today on what should be a brief Knights' blog.

First, we've got some work-related appointments that will take us out of the office this morning. Then, we're headed up to PDX early this afternoon to pick up new play-by-play broadcaster Kevin Burke. He arrives at 4:20 p.m. after flying here from Baltimore/Washington Ingternational, via Kansas City.

We definitely are not looking forward to the Friday afternoon/Memorial Day weekend traffic; I-5 and I-205 will both probably be parking lots at that time of the day. But that will give Kevin plenty of time to decompress from his cross-country trip, and a chance to appreciate the Oregon countryside.

OK, now on to the news.

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Knights catcher Dane Lund (2011-12) of Mt. Hood CC and 10-day signees Austin Hamilton (2012) of Linn-Benton CC and Tristan Metcalf of Mt. Hood were honored as NWAACC all-stars.

Lund and Hamilton (utility) were first-team selections; Metcalf (outfield) was a second-teram choice. Hamilton and Metcalf are 10-day signees; all three will be on the squad on June 1 when we open the season with a three-game series at Walla Walla.

Lund hit .294, with no homers and 18 RBIs; Metcalf hit .333 with no homers and 22 RBIs, and Hamilton was 3-3, 3.63 as a pitcher and hit .186, with no homers and 10 RBIs.

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Not many 2012 Knights in action on Thursday, but some forfmer Knights of reknown had big games at their respective conference tournaments. Here's a roundup:

* Mt. Hood defeated Clackamas 4-1 in the NWAACC playoffs in Longview. Dane Lund (2011-12) and Alex Foulon were each 0-for-1, and Kendall Motes gave up one run in one inning, and had two strikeouts.

* Delaware's Eric Young (2009-11) pitched a complete-game 10-hitter as the Blue Hens topped Hofstra 10-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Young had seven strikeouts.

* Wright State's Corey Davis (2010-11) was 2-for-5 with a homer, double, two runs and two RBIs in a 19-9 loss to Illinois-Chicago in the Horizon League tournament.

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Finally, a repeat of yesterday's message:

Attention all season-ticket holders: Your 2012 Knights season tickets are all printed and available for you to pick up at the WWHQ in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis. Some come and get them!

Our normal business hours are from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. We always try to have the office staffed, but sometimes we're out to lunch (literally), so it never hurts to call (541-752-5656) before you come down, just to make sure somebody's home.

If you can't pick them uip in person, please call to make other arrangements. They'll also be available at the ticket office on opening night, June 5, which is just 11 days away.

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That's all for today. Have a great weekend! We're off on Monday for Memorial Day, so the blog will return on Tuesday. See you then!

We've got your tickets!

Attention all season-ticket holders:

Your 2012 Knights season tickets are all printed and available for you to pick up at the WWHQ in the Madison Plaza building in downtown Corvallis. Some come and get them!

Our normal business hours are from 8:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. We always try to ahve the office staffed, but sometimes we're out to lunch (literally), so it never hurts to call (541-752-5656) before you come down, just to make sure somebody's home.

If you can't pick them uip in person, please call to make other arrangements. They'll also be available at the ticket office on opening night, June 5, which is just 12 days away.

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Former Knights pitcher Eric Young's (2009-11) walk-off sacrifice bunt gave Delaware an 8-7 win over Towson on Wednesday in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Here are the details, from the Blue Hens' website.

Way to go, EY!

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Lots of former/future Knights involved in Oregon's 2-1 win over Portland on Wednesday at PK Park.

* For the Ducks, closer Jimmie Sherfy (2011) struck out the side inthe ninth for his 17th save and outfielder Connor Hofmann (2011-12) went 1-for-3.

* For the Pilots, pitcher Kyle Kraus (2009-10) gave up eight hits and two runs in eight innings, with four strikeouts, and took the hard-luck loss. Third baseman Caleb Whalen (2012) was 0-for-3 and catcher Beau Fraser was 1-for-3 with an RBI double.

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DH Dean Green of the West Michigan Whitecaps was 3-for-4 with three runs and four RBIs on Wednesday in a 16-4 rout of Lake County to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. The Whitecaps are Detroit's affliiate in the Class A Midwest League.

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Here's our weeekly roundup of Corvallis Knights in minor-league baseball (all stats through Wednesday's games):

NICK AKINS (2007): Now with Great Lakes (A, Dodgers) in the Midwest League, the former Vanguard outfielder is hitting .250 (3-12) with no homers and an RBI.

TYLER ANDERSON (2009): Now with the Asheville Tourists (A, Rockies), the ex-Oregon star is 3-0, 3.60, with 14 strikeouts in 19 innings. He became the first former Corvallis Knight to be drafted in the first round in 2011.

MATT ANDRIESE (2009): Now with Lake Elsinore (A, Padres) in the California League, the pitcher from UC Riverside is 3-3, 3.97, with 38 strikeouts in 45.1 innings.

CARTER BELL (2009): Now with Visalia (A, Diamondbacks) in the California League, the former Oregon State infielder is hitting .243 (26-107) with one homer and 13 RBIs.

DANIEL BIBONA (2007): Now with Palm Beach (A, Cardinals) in the Florida State League, the pitcher from UC Irvine is on the 7-day disabled list.

ALEX BURG (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the former Washington State catcher/infielder/outfielder is hitting .206 (14-68) with three homers and nine RBIs.

JOHN ESHLEMAN (2008): Now with Augusta (A, Giants) in the South Atlantic League, the San Jacinto JC infielder is hitting .211 (12-57), with no homers and three RBIs.

ROCKY GALE (2007, 2009): Now back at Lake Elsinore (A, Padres) after a stint at Tucson in the triple-A Pacific Coast League, the former Portland catcher is hitting .156 (5-32), with no homers and one RBI.

DREW GARCIA (2007): Now with Charlotte (AAA, White Sox) in the Intdernational League, the former UC Riverside infielder is hitting .140 (6-43), with no homers and four RBIs.

SAM GAVIGLIO (2009): Now with Quad City (A, Cardinals) in the Midwest League, is 2-3, 5.11, with 21 strikeouts in 37 innings.

DEAN GREEN (2008): Now with West Michigan (A, Tigers) in the Midwest League, the former Oklahoma State/Barry infielder is hitting .296 (50-169), with eight homers and 29 RBIs.

D.J. JOHNSON (2008-09): Now with South Bend (A, Diamondbacks) in the Midwest League, the former Mt. Hood/Western Oregon pitcher is 1-2, 2.25, with four saves and 27 strikeouts in 20 innings.

SCOTT LYMAN (2010): Now with Greensboro (A, Marlins) in the South Atlantic League, the ex-UC Davis star is 1-0, 9.00 in four innings, with two strikeouts. He was the winning pitcher Wednesday in his Greensboro debut.

ADAM MELKER (2008-09): Now with Springfield (AA, Cardinals) in the Texas League, the former Cal Poly outfielder is hitting .233 (24-103), with one homer and seven RBIs.

JIM MURPHY (2007): Now with Clearwater (A, Phillies) in the Florida State League, the former Washington State infielder is hitting .264 (38-144), with four homers and 32 RBIs.

JAMES NYGREN (2009): Now with Greensboro (A, Marlins) in the Florida State League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 2-1, 6.97, with seven saves and 10 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.

JOSH OSICH (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 0-0, 0.00, with a save and 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings.

GREG PEAVEY (2008): Now with Binghamton (AA, New York Mets) in the Eastern League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 3-1, 5.45, with 26 strikeouts in 39.2 innings.

NICK STRUCK (2010): Now with Tennessee (AA, Cubs) in the Southern League, the former Mt. Hood pitcher is 4-5, 4.86, with 40 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.

ANDREW SUSAC (2009): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State catcher is hitting .242 (22-91), with one homer and nine RBIs.

NOT YET ASSIGNED: INF Nic Cuckovich (2011), Riverside CC (Royals); P Dustin Emmons (2009), UC Riverside (Mets); OF Dayton Alexander (2011), Feather River CC (Athletics); INF Cody Bartlett (2007), Washington State (Blue Jays); P Michael Blake (2010), Mt. Hood/Hawaii (Diamondbacks).

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

BELLINGHAM: The Bells have signed The Bells have signed University of Washington pitcher Jared Fisher and Washington State pitcher/outfielder Mitch Gueller for the 2012 season. Here are the details from the Bellingham website.

WALLA WALLA: Here is the latest installement of "10 Things to Know About Sweets Baseball," a regular feature on the Walla Walla website.

Sherfy accepts Team USA invitation

There's no better way to start off the day at the WWHQ than with us reporting some good news about a member of the Corvallis Knights family.

Not sure how we missed this last week, but Oregon sophomore closer Jimmie Sherfy, a supreme late-season set-up man on our 2011 West Coast League championship team, has been selected to Team USA for this summer.

Sherfy is 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA and a school-record 16 saves. He has 82 strikeouts in 52 innings heading into today's game with Portland and this weekend's series at Oregon State.

Team USA will play nine games at its National Training Complex on Cary, N.C., and at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park from June 25-July 3 before embarking on a five-game series at Latin American Stadium in Havana, starting on July 5.

Maybe Jimmy can give a shoutout to noted Cuban baseballl fan Fidel Castro for us. He's bviously a Knights supporter, as indicated by this picture of the retired dictator with Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

From there, the club will play at the Honkbal-Haarlem Baseball Week in Haarlem, The Netherlands, from July 14-22. Team USA will play Japan, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Chinese Taipei and The Netherlands, and other national teams.

He's the second Knight in the last two seasons to play for our national team. Oregon State lefty Matt Boyd, a star on our 2010 team, played for Team USA last summer.

So, congrats to the Sherf!

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We've finally hit single figures. It's just nine days until our June 1 opener at Walla Walla against the Sweets in a rematch of the 2011 WCL Championship Series, when we swept the Sweets in two games.

And it's just 13 more days until our June 5 home opener at Goss Stadium against the Klamath Falls Gems. So come see us at the Knights' WWHQ in the Madison Plaza building in beautiful downtown Corvegas and make sure you've got your tickets and team merchandise.

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We've got some exciting news to report about one of our all-time great Knights, infielder Bobby Scales, a one-time Michigan star who played for us in 1997.

One of nine former Knights to play in the majors, Scales has signed with the Orix Buffaloes, a member of the Pacific League in Nippon Professional Baseball, the major leagues of Japan. He arrived in Japan late last week.

Scales went from Buffalo to the Buffaloes. Orix bought his contract from the New York Mets; Scales had been playing with the Buffalo Bisons, the Mets' affiliate in the triple-A International League. He was hitting .339 in 32 games in Buffalo.

It's his second stint in Japanese baseball. He played for the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2011 after starting the season with the Iowa Cubs in the Pacific Coast League.

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We've got some more all-star honors to announce.

Pacific University pitcher Rob Dittrick, a 2012 10-day signee, and 2011 Knights' pitcher Brian Ranta of George Fox have been named second-team West Region all-stars by D3baseball.com. PLU outfielder Jacob Hoffman, a projected 2012 Knight who instead will miss the season with a shoulder injury, was also a second-team all-star.

Dittrick was 8-2, 2.87 and Ranta was 7-1, 1.95 this season; Hoffman hit .344, with four homers and 32 RBIs. All three made the Northwest Conference all-star team. Ranta was the NWC Pitcher of the Year; Dittrick won the award in 2011.

Dittrick will be in uniform in Walla Walla on June 1.

Former Knights catcher Corey Davis (2010-11) of Wright State (Ohio) was named a first-team Horizon League all-star. Davis hit .299 with three home runs and 31 RBIs, scored 37 runs and led the team with 16 sacrifice bunts. The 2011 Horizon League Newcomer of the Year, Davis was named the Horizon League Batter of the Week on April 2 and as the College Sports Madness Horizon League Player of the Week on May 14.

And former Knights' catcher Bo Altobelli (2010) of Texas Tech was an honorable mention Big 12 all-star. Bo hit .346 in 52 games, with three homers and 33 RBIs.

So, congrats to all five shining Knights!

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Pretty light day of college action for our 2012 Knights. Here's a roundup:

* UC Irvine's Chris Rabago was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI and Mark Trentacosta had one strikeout and did not allow an earned run in two innings in a 10-2 loss to UCLA. Evan Brock (2010)was the loser, as he gave up three runs in five innings, with four strikeouts.

* UC Santa Barbara's Greg Mahle doubled, scored and drove in two runs in four at-bats in a 6-3 victory over USC.

* Seattle U infielder Nate Roberts was 1-for-4 with a run and infielder Trent Oleszczuk (2011) was 0-for-3 with a run in a 5-4 loss to Washington.

That's it for 2012 Knights.

In other West Coast games involving players with Knights connections, UC Riverside pitcher Mitch Patito (20109-11) gave up three runs in seven innings and was the loser and outfielder David Andriese (2010-11) was 0-for-3 in a 3-0 setback at Loyola Marymount.

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We've got two Corvallis Knights Minor League Players of the Day from the Class A California League to honor this morning.

* Visalia (Arizona) third baseman Carter Bell (2009) was 3-for-4 with a run, a double and an RBI in a 14-6 loss to Bakersfield. Bell is hitting .303 in his last 10 games and has raised his average more than 100 points to .243, with a homer and 13 RBIs.

* Lake Elsinore (San Diego) pitcher Matt Andriese (2009) allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings in a 6-0 win over Modesto. Andriese struck out five and did not walk a batter. He's now 3-3 with a 3.97 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 45.1 innings.

We'll update the stats of all our minor leaguers in Thursday's blog.

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That's all for today. We'll have more news and some items from elsewhere in the West Coast League in Thursday's blog. See you then!

T-minus 10 and counting

It's T-minus 10 and counting until our June 1 opener at Walla Walla against the Sweets.

That's right. Hard to believe, but a countdown that began at 140-something in January has now reached its final day in double figures. We're leaving Portland at 10 a.m. on June 1 for the bus ride to Eastern Washington and our three-game series at Borleske Stadium.

That also means we're down to 14 days until our own home opener, June 5 against the Klamath Falls Gems at Goss Stadium. We've checked out the extended weather forecast and it looks clear and warm in Walla Walla, and nice and sunny in Corvallis, for those dates.

So stay tuned. The Corvallis Gazette-Times announced some more roster moves in Tuesday's paper, and chances are we'll have a few more before the first pitch is thrown in anger.

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WCL alums have played a huge role in the success of the Oregon baseball team this spring. The Ducks lead the Pacific-12 Conference and are ranked in the top 10 in each poll. Here are more details from the WCL website.

In that vein, here's an interesting story on ex-Knight (2011)/Oregon closer Jimmie Sherfy, a big reason for Oregon's success.

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Former Knights' pitcher Eric Young (2009-11), a senior at the University of Delaware, won his team's Perry Burkett Triple Effort Award for the second year in a row. EY (5-4) leads the Blue Hens with 13 starts and is second in wins (5), innings pitched (79.1), and strikeouts (54).

Delaware plays in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament at James Madison this week as the No. 3 seed. Congrats to EY!

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Third baseman Carter Bell (2009)of Oregon State and the Visalia Rawhide was 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a double in a 6-4 loss to Bakersfield on Monday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. Visalia is Arizona's affiliate in the Class A (advanced) California League.

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Almost all of our NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA and JC Knights have completed their college seasons. Here's an update:

PACIFIC LUTHERAN: Utility Chris Bishop hit .125 (2-16) with three RBIs, and was 3-3, 4.40 as a pitcher, with 40 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. PLU's season is over.

REDLANDS: Pitcher Kyle Hart was 4-4, 5.32, with 41 strikeouts in 71 innings. Redlands' season is over.

GEORGE FOX: Pitcher Alex Keenan was 2-3, 5.19 in 17.1 innings, with 16 strikeouts and three saves. GFU's season is over.

GRAND CANYON: Pitcher Jorge Perez was 3-3, 2.48, with 46 strikeouts in 54.1 innings. Grand Canyon's season is over.

WESTERN OREGON: Outfielder Matt Nylen hit .318 (55-173), with four homers and 41 RBIs. Pitcher A.J. Burke was 3-0, 2.25, with 31 strikeouts and four saves in 36 innings. WOU's season is over.

PACIFIC: Pitcher Rob Dittrick was 8-2, 2.87, with 54 strikeouts in 75.1 innings. Pacific's season is over.

CORBAN: Infielder Marc Gallegos hit .346 (72-208), with 26 RBIs and 33 steals in 40 attempts. Corban's season is over.

RIVERSIDE CC: Outfielder Cade Gotta hit .291 (43-148), with two homers and 19 RBIs. Pitcher Blake Burrell was 7-1, 1.83 in 93.1 innings, with 63 strikeouts. The Tigers' season is over.

COLLEGE OF THE SISKYOUS: Infielder Caylen Clardy hit .277 (31-112) with one homer and 11 RBIs. Siskyous season is over.

MT. HOOD: Pitcher Kendall Motes is 3-2, 3.00, with 41 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. Catcher Dane Lund is hitting .293 (41-140), with no homers and 18 RBIs. Infielder Alex Foulon is hitting .208 (27-130) with 12 RBIs and outfielder Tristan Metcalf is hitting .323 (32-99), with 21 RBIs. Mt. Hood plays Columbia Basin on Thursday at the NWAACC tournament at David Story Field in Longview, the home of the Cowlitz Black Bears.

LINN-BENTON: Utility Austin Hamilton is hitting .186 (22-118) with 10 RBIs and is 3-3, 3.63 as a pitcher, with 19 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. LBCC's season is over.

CENTRALIA CC: Pitcher Devon Barker was 4-4, 1.71, with 44 strikeouts in 52.2 innings, Centralia's season is over.

We'll update the numbers of our Knights' minor leaguers on Thursday.

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

COWLITZ: The Black Bears have signed pitchers Taylor Williams (Mt. Hood), Brandon Boyle (Lower Columbia), Leko Galusha (Lower Columbia), and Mikey Murray (Hawaii Pacific), and catcher Konnor Armijo (Santa Ana JC) for the upcoming season. Here are full details from the Our Sports Central website.

The Black Bears also added infielder Adrian Garcia, catcher/infielder Konnor Armijo and outfielder Dylan Jones from Santa Ana College; right-handed pitcher Ryan McCarthy from Rice, and switch-hitting infielder David Edwards from Loyola Marymount. Full details can be found in this story from The Daily News of Kelso-Longview.

WENTACHEE: Paul Thomas St. Field, a place I've never visited but want to, underwent a major renovation in the offseason. According to the AppleSox newsletter:

"The stadium waved goodbye to the Kingdome seats that previously made up the grandstand. The seats were replaced with brand new premium seating to greatly improve the facade of the stadium. Along with improvements to seating the stadium is also set to get a new backstop system this summer."

More info on the stadium is available by clicking right here.

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That's all for today, See you on Wednesday.

Big West honors Armendariz, Stuart

Great news this morning from the Big West Conference, and from the Pacific-12 Conference.

Cal Poly sophomore first baseman David Armendariz, our 2011 Most Outstanding Player, and UC Riverside sophomore lefty Dylan Stuart, a 2011 WCL all-star who will return this summer for his second season, are the BWC's Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.

Armendariz had two game-winning RBIs and hot .600 (6-for-10), with a .643 on-base percentage and .900 slugging percentage as the Mustangs defeated CSU Bakersfield and went 3-0 against UC Santa Barbara.

Stuart tossed a six-hit shutout in a 1-0 win against No. 8 Cal State Fullerton. He threw 128 pitches and struck out two to win the award for the second time this season.

Here are the details, from the BWC website. Congratuations!

Also, Oregon State junior Danny Hayes, a 2009 Knight, was named the Pacific-12 Conference Player of the Week on Monday. Here are the details from the OSU website.

Hayes was 8-for-14 (.571) in four games, with three homers and 10 RBIs. He extended his hit streak to a season-high eight games with a ninth-inning double in Sunday's series finale.

Congrats to Danny!

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Former Knights' infielder Dean Green, now with the West Michigan Whitecaps, was 2-for-4 with a two-run homer in a 5-4 win over South Bend on Sunday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. The Whitecaps are Detroit's affiliate in the Class A Midwest League.

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It's Monday, so we'll update the stats of our 2012 Division I players after another busy weekend around the country.

CAL POLY: Freshman outfielder Nick Torres is hitting .257 (45-175), with five homers and 26 RBIs. Freshman outfielder Alex Michaels is at .407 (24-59) with two homers and 14 RBIs. Freshman pitcher Bryan Granger is 0-1, 4.50, with 16 strikeouts in 24 innings.

OREGON: Sophomore outfielder Connor Hofmann is hitting .258 (32-124), with three homers and 14 RBIs.

OREGON STATE: Freshman pitcher Carlos Rodriguez is 0-0, 5.44, with four strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Freshman catcher Nate Esposito is hitting .167 (2-12) with two RBIs. Freshman pitchers Mitchell Tripp and Michael McCall haven't played yet.

PORTLAND: Freshman infielder Caleb Whalen is hitting .247 (37-150) with five homers and 24 RBIs. Junior pitcher Chris Johnson is 4-4, 3.39 in 69 innings, with 51 strikeouts. Utility Beau Fraser is hitting .220 (18-82), with one homer and 10 RBIs.

SANTA CLARA: Junior pitcher Chris Mendoza is 1-1, 5.17, with a save and 14 strikeouts in 31.1 innings.

SEATTLE: Junior infielder Nate Roberts is hitting .229 (36-157) with a homer and 17 RBIs.

TEXAS: Sophomore pitcher Trevor Tykel is 0-0, 21.60, with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings.

TEXAS TECH: Junior pitcher Aaron Corwin was 1-0 with a 4.26 ERA over 12.1 innings, with five strikeouts. TTU's season is over.

UC IRVINE: Freshman infielder/catcher Chris Rabago is hitting .310 (22-71) with nine RBIs. Junior pitcher Mark Trentacosta is 1-0, 3.23 in 30.2 innings, with 24 strikeouts.

UC RIVERSIDE: Sophomore pitcher Dylan Stuart is 7-6, 3.77, with 55 strikeouts in 93 innings. Freshman pitcher Antonio Gonzales is 0-1, 12.46, with 11 strikeouts in 13 innings.

UC SANTA BARBARA: Freshman utility Greg Mahle is hitting .335 (57-170) with no homers and 29 RBIs, and is 2-4, 4.00 as a pitcher, with 43 strikeouts and four saves in 45 innings.

WASHINGTON STATE: Sophomore outfielder Nate Blackham is hitting .268 (26-97) with 10 RBIs.

We'll update our NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA and JC players on Tuesday. Most have already completed their seasons.

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

BEND: The Elks have added added two Arizona State Sun Devils for 2012. Redshirt freshman Tucker Esmay, from Casa Grande, Ariz., and INF/OF Jake Wakamatsu, from North Richland Hills, Texas, will join the club.

Wakamatsu is the son of former Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu; Esmay is the son of current ASU head coach Tim Esmay. More details are available by reading the top menu item at the Elks website.

KELOWNA: The Falcons have strengthened their roster by adding All-American Patrick Johnson of Missouri Baptist University. Here's more, from the Kelowna website.

And returning Falcon Andrew Firth and 2011 Falcon David Otterman were named to the All-NAIA West Team for their excellent play this season at the University of British Columbia. Details can be found here.

Knight lose PLU OF Jacob Hoffman, add Tyler Campbell

Busy day at the WWHQ! Lots of action on the ticket front, as we sold a bunch of 3-game miniplans and punch cards. Only 18 days left until opening night; don't get left behind!

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The injury bug continues to bite the Knights.

Our latest casualty is Pacific Luthern sophomore outfielder Jacob Hoffman, a Northwest Conference all-star the past two seasons. We learned on Thursday that the Fircrest, Wash., native will miss the summer with a shoulder injury.

He's the fourth player we've lost in the past two weeks. Knee injuries will sideline Texas infielder Alex Silver and pitcher Justin Peters, and Linfield pitcher Zach Manley was dinged by a sore shoulder.

However, we have added Tyler Campbell, a senior shortstop from Lake Oswego High School who was a Three Rivers League all-sstar as a sophomore and junior and who undoubtedly will earn a third such honor as a senior.

So fear not, we will soldier on. We already have some replacements in mind and we'll have a few more signings before our June 1 opener at Walla Walla, which is just 14 days away.

And injuries and roster turnover aren't that unusual. Four of the eight position players on the field for the ninth inning of our 2012 cchampionship-game win over Walla Walla ( Ryan Gorton, Trent Oleszczuk, Matt Nylen, Kramer Scott) weren't even on the roster when the season started, or were 10-day signees.

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Another light day at the college ballparks around the country for our 2012 Knights. Here's a roundup:

* Texas pitcher Trevor Tykel (2012) gave up four runs in 1.2 innings in a 16-5 loss to Baylor. It was just his second appearance of the season.

* Mt. Hood catcher Dane Lund (2011-12) was a combined 1-for-4 with two runs; shortstop Alex Foulon (2011-12) was 0-for-2 and pitcher Kendall Motes (2012) gave up one run and had two strikeouts in one inning in a doubleheader sweep of Clackamas CC.

* Linn-Benton pitcher/shortstop Austin Hamilton (2012) was 1-for-3 with a run, and gave up three earned runs in 1.2 innings, in a doubleheader split with Lane CC.

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Greensboro pitcher James Nygren (2009) allowed one hit and had one strikeout in two shutout innings to save a 4-1 win over Lakewood on Thursday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. Greensboro is Miami's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League.

It was a big night all around the minors for ex-Knights.

* Pitcher Matt Andriese of Lake Elsinore (A, Padres) allowed four hits and no earned runs but didn't get a decision in a 3-2 California League win over Bakersfield.

* Infielder Drew Garcia (2007) of Charlotte (AAA, White Sox) doubled, scored twice and had an RBI in a 3-2 International League win at Norfolk.

* And infielder Dean Green (2008) of West Michigan (A, Detroit) was 3-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run in a 6-3 Midwest League win over Great Lakes.

Stats for all of our minor-league Corvallis Knights were updated in Thursday's blog. And with the MLB draft coming up in three weeks (June 4-6), that list will certainly be getting longer.

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

BELLINGHAM: The Bells have hired Damon Lessler as their newest assistant coach. He's an assistant coach at Oakland University in Michigan; here are the details from the Bellingham website.

KITSAP: The BlueJackets will have more of a local feel this season under new coach Ryan Parker. Here are the details from The Kitsap Sun newspaper.

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That's it for the week. Have a great weekend, and we'll see you on Monday!

10-day signee Weir retiring from baseball

Our last-minute roster moves continue, and we're sure to have some more before opening night. So it goes in summer baseball.

Concordia left-handed pitcher Eric Weir, a 10-day signee from Vancouver, Wash., has decided to retire from baseball for family reasons and thus will not play this summer. He was 4-6, 6.82, with 47 strikeouts in 60.2 innings.

Best of luck to Eric.

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Hard to believe that in 15 days we'll be on the bus to Eastern Washignton for our June 1 season opener at Walla Walla, and that in 19 days we'll be opening up Goss Stadium for our June 5 home opener against the Klamath Falls Gems.

So get your tickets and merchandise now, either online or down at the WWHQ in the Madison Plaza building in beautiful downtown Corvegas. We just sold a punchcard, they are going fast!

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Please check out this story from our website on 2011 Knights' pitcher Jimmie Sherfy, a sophomore closer who is having a great year at the University of Oregon. Jimmie gives the Knights a lot of credit for his 2012 success.

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Former Knights infielder John Eshleman (2008) of the Augusta GreenJackets went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI in a 4-2 loss to Rome on Wednesday to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. Augusta is San Francisco's affiliate in the Class A South Atlantic League.

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Not many college games to report on from Wednesday. Here's a roundup of Knights in action:

* Portland was shut out 3-0 at Washington. Freshman third baseman Caleb Whalen (2012) was 1-for-4 for the Pilots.

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Here's our weeekly roundup of Corvallis Knights in minor-league baseball (all stats through Wednesday's games):

NICK AKINS (2007): Now with Rancho Cucamonga (A, Dodgers) in the California League, the former Vanguard outfielder is hitting .255 (25-98) with two homers and seven RBIs.

TYLER ANDERSON (2009): Now with the Asheville Tourists (A, Rockies), the ex-Oregon star is 1-0, 3.60, with two strikeouts in five innings. He became the first former Corvallis Knight to be drafted in the first round in 2011.

MATT ANDRIESE (2009): Now with Lake Elsinore (A, Padres) in the California League, the pitcher from UC Riverside is 2-3, 5.40, with 30 strikeouts in 33.1 innings.

CARTER BELL (2009): Now with Visalia (A, Diamondbacks) in the California League, the former Oregon State infielder is hitting .232 (22-95) with one homer and 11 RBIs.

DANIEL BIBONA (2007): Now with Palm Beach (A, Cardinals) in the Florida State League, the pitcher from UC Irvine is on the 7-day disabled list.

ALEX BURG (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the former Washington State catcher/infielder/outfielder is hitting .203 (13-64) with two homers and seven RBIs.

JOHN ESHLEMAN (2008): Now with Augusta (A, Giants) in the South Atlantic League, the San Jacinto JC infielder is hitting .240 (12-50), with no homers and three RBIs.

ROCKY GALE (2007, 2009): Now back at Lake Elsinore (A, Padres) after a stint at Tucson in the triple-A Pacific Coast League, the former Portland catcher is hitting .192 (5-26), with no homers and one RBI.

DREW GARCIA (2007): Now with Charlotte (AAA, White Sox) in the Intdernational League, the former UC Riverside infielder is hitting .050 (2-25), with no homers and two RBIs.

SAM GAVIGLIO (2009): Now with Quad City (A, Cardinals) in the Midwest League, is 2-2, 4.09, with 18 strikeouts in 33 innings.

DEAN GREEN (2008): Now with West Michigan (A, Tigers) in the Midwest League, the former Oklahoma State/Barry infielder is hitting .259 (38-147), with seven homers and 20 RBIs.

D.J. JOHNSON (2008-09): Now with South Bend (A, Diamondbacks) in the Midwest League, the former Mt. Hood/Western Oregon pitcher is 1-2, 2.254, with three saves and 23 strikeouts in 16 innings.

ADAM MELKER (2008-09): Now with Springfield (AA, Cardinals) in the Texas League, the former Cal Poly outfielder is hitting .224 (22-98), with one homer and seven RBIs.

JIM MURPHY (2007): Now with Clearwater (A, Phillies) in the Florida State League, the former Washington State infielder is hitting .269 (32-119), with four homers and 29 RBIs.

JAMES NYGREN (2009): Now with Greensboro (A, Marlins) in the Florida State League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 1-1, 8.04, with six saves and six strikeouts in 15.2 innings.

JOSH OSICH (2008): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 0-0, 0.00, with a save and 10 strikeouts in 7.2 innings.

GREG PEAVEY (2008): Now with Binghamton (AA, New York Mets) in the Eastern League, the ex-Oregon State pitcher is 2-1, 5.45, with 24 strikeouts in 34.2 innings.

NICK STRUCK (2010): Now with Tennessee (AA, Cubs) in the Southern League, the former Mt. Hood pitcher is 4-3, 3.86, with 33 strikeouts in 44.2 innings.

ANDREW SUSAC (2009): Now with San Jose (A, Giants) in the California League, the ex-Oregon State catcher is hitting .242 (22-91), with one homer and nine RBIs.

NOT YET ASSIGNED: INF Nic Cuckovich (2011), Riverside CC (Royals); P Dustin Emmons (2009), UC Riverside (Mets); P Scott Lyman (2009), UC Davis (Marlins); OF Dayton Alexander (2011), Feather River CC (Athletics); INF Cody Bartlett (2007), Washington State (Blue Jays); P Michael Blake (2010), Mt. Hood/Hawaii (Diamondbacks).

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Some news from around the West Coast League:

COWLITZ: We may have had this already, but better to report something tiwce than never at all. A left-handed pitcher with international experience and a pair of solid defensive infielders have signed with the Black Bears.

University of Oregon signee Cole Irvin, Santa Ana College shortstop Andy Peterson and Santa Ana first baseman Kyle Kuck will battle for starting assignments in the Black Bears' lineup. Here are the details, from The Daily News of Kelso-Longview.

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That's it for today. See you tomorrow on a TGIF, when your's truly will be co-hosting the Joe Beaver Show with Jon Warren while regular co-host Mike Parker is in Pullman.