Knights Well-Represented in 2013 NCAA DI Baseball Tournament.

38 Players, Coaches with Team Ties to Compete for National Title

Thirty-eight players and coaches with ties to the Corvallis Knights will participate in the 2013 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, which starts Friday at 16 regional sites across the country.

Leading the way is 2012 Knights' MVP Greg Mahle of UC Santa Barbara. He'll return to Goss Stadium later this week when the Gauchos join host and No. 3 national seed Oregon State, Texas-San Antonio and Texas A&M at the Corvallis Regional.

Cal Poly sophomore outfielder Nick Torres (pictured between 2012 teammate Connor Hofmann and Edward Cullen) and a host of Mustangs/Knights will play at the Los Angeles Regional at UCLA.

Mahle pitched the first 9-inning no-hitter in team history against Cowlitz at Goss Stadium last Aug. 3. Five other Gauchos with Knights connections will accompany him on his return to the site of the gem. Freshman pitcher Dylan Hecht and freshman outfielder Joseph DeRoche-Duffin will play for the Knights this summer.

Second-year head coach Andrew Checketts began his coaching career with the old Aloha Knights in 2000. Assistant Eddie Cornejo played for the Aloha Knights in 2001 and pitching coach Jason Hawkins had the same position with the WCL-champion Knights in 2008.

The host Beavers will be well-stocked with Knights as well, beginning with third-base coach Andy Jenkins (2012), undergraduate assistant coach Dylan Jones (2009-10) and their starting pitching rotation of Matt Boyd (2010), Andrew Moore (2013) and Ben Wetzler (2011).

Closer Scott Schultz (2011), relievers Taylor Starr (2008, 2012), Jace Fry (2011), Brandon Jackson (2012), first baseman Danny Hayes (2009) and catchers Jake Rodriguez (2009) and Nate Esposito (2012) also played for the Knights, as did pitcher Carlos Rodriguez (2012), who is redshirting. Reliever Max Engelbrekt and infielder Gabe Clark will join Moore on the 2013 club.

No. 8 national seed Oregon will host Rice, San Francisco and South Dakota State at the Eugene Regional. UO junior Jimmie Sherfy (2011) is one of the country's premier closers; outfielder Connor Hofmann (2011-12) and pitcher Jared Priestley (2013) also play for the Ducks.

The Los Angeles Regional also features San Diego State and San Diego. Infielders Jimmy Allen (2011), David Armendariz (2011), Peter Van Gansen (2013), outfielder Alex Michaels (2012) and Torres (2012), catcher/DH Brian Mundell (2013) and pitchers Chase Johnson (2011), Bryan Granger (2012) and Casey Bloomquist (2013) all play for the Mustangs, who took second place behind No. 5 national Seed Cal State-Fullerton in the Big West.

Pitcher Justin Hepner (2011) of SDSU and outfielder Grant Melker (2013) of San Diego will also play at the Los Angeles Regional.

Columbia outfielder Gus Craig (2013) and the Lions will travel to the Fullerton Regional to face the CSU-Fullerton Titans in the first round.

Infielder Tyler Campbell's (2012)Vanderbilt Commodores will host East Tennessee State, Illinois and Georgia Tech at the Nashville Regional. Former Aloha Knights outfielder Wally Crancer (2005) is an assistant coach at Georgia Tech, his alma mater.

Two other Knights are playing with Grand Canyon University in the ongoing Division II national tournament at Cary, N.C.

Pitcher Andrew Naderer (2013) gave up one run and five hits and had seven strikeouts in a nine-inning complete game in a 1-0 loss to St. Edwards on Sunday. Pitcher Jorge Perez (2012-13) is GCU's projected starter on Tuesday, when it faces Coker College in an elimination game.