Adam Melker, Carter Bell to Play for Perth Heat.

Knights' Skipper Brooke Knight to Manage Team at Asia Series

Two former members of the Corvallis Knights will have the rare opportunity to play baseball on three different continents in the same calendar year.

Alums Adam Melker (2008-2009) and Carter Bell (pictured; 2009), who recently completed their minor-league seasons in the United States, will play for the Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League in the offseason. And as members of the Heat, they'll also compete in the 2012 Asia Series, set for Nov. 8-11 at Busan, South Korea.

Melker played at Cal Poly and recently completed his third season in the St. Louis Cardinals' organization by hitting .278 (98-352) with the Springfield Cardinals in the double-A Texas League. He had 10 homers and 35 RBIs in 126 games.

"I'm really excited," said Melker, who arrived in Australia in mid-October. "I've heard baseball in Asia is extremely good so I'm looking forward to the challenge. Some time off this winter would have been nice but I couldn't turn down an opportunity to play baseball on two other continents in less than a month.

"It should be a great time."

Melker will stay with the Heat until sometime near Christmas, at which point he'll return to the United States to begin training for the 2013 American professional season.

"I would like to stay longer," he said. "But I need some time off that I can dedicate to strength training and getting 100% healthy before I head off to spring training in March."

Melker's younger brother, Grant, will play for the Knights this summer. He's a sophomore outfielder at the University of San Diego.

Bell played at Oregon State and just completed his second professional season by hitting .259 (73-282) with the Visalia Rawhide in the single-A California League. He had four homers and 36 RBIs in 81 games.

"I got down here last week and I will be here for the whole season which is about four months!" Bell said. "We go to Korea in two weeks and I'm really looking forward to that opportunity.

"I decided to play winter ball because I missed a month during the (minor league) season with a concussion. Those are at-bats that I needed to get back and the ABL is really becoming a strong league, so it seemed like a good fit!

"I am also excited to get the chance to play a little shortstop again since i have only played third base in pro ball. So far it's been a great experience. The people are nice and been very helpful and driving on the other side of the road is easier than expected."

The Heat are in preseason training through Oct. 28. Their ABL opener is Nov. 1 against the Adelaide Bite; the regular season ends Jan. 27, 2013.

The Asia Series will be held at Sajik Stadium in Busan, the home venue of the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization. Held annually, the Asia Series matches champions from pro leagues in Australia, South Korea, Japan, Chinese Taipei and China.

Knights' skipper Brooke Knight, who led the Heat to the 2011 and 2012 ABL championships, will manage the team at the Asia Series. However, he is not returning in 2012-13 for his third season with the club.

Former Knights' pitcher Liam Baron (2008-09) is also on the active roster. Alums Alex Burg (2008) and Dylan Jones (2009-10) played on the 2012 championship team.