UC Santa Barbara to Send Two Outfielders to Corvallis.

Gaucho Coaching Staff Products of Knights Summer Program

More talent will flow north through the UC Santa Barbara pipeline for the 2014 West Coast League season.

The Knights have signed UCSB sophomore outfielder Dalton Kelly and junior outfielder Scott Quinlan for the upcoming season, further cementing a strong relationship between the two programs.

All three members of the UCSB staff have ties to the Corvallis or Aloha Knights.

* Head coach Andrew Checketts began his coaching career as the Knights' pitching coach in 2000. He also pitched that summer.
* Assistant coach Eddie Cornejo (pictured) was a star shortstop for the Knights in 2001 following his sophomore year at Riverside City College.
* Pitching coach Jason Hawkins worked in the same capacity for the 2008 WCL champion Knights.

Hawkins describes the UCSB-Knights relationship as "extraordinary."

"Coach Checketts and I both coached there, and he and coach Cornejo played for the Knights as well," Hawkins said. "All of us have very fond memories of our times" with the team.

"Dan [Segel] and Brooke [Knight] are two of the best in the business and run their organization unlike any other. We love sending guys to Corvallis because they get better, play to win and are treated professionally."

Kelly is a 6-foot-3, 180-pounder from Redding, Calif., who appeared in 27 games (10 starts) in 2013 and hit .244, with two extra-base hits and nine RBIs. He hit .333 with runners on base and .429 with runners in scoring position, hit .200 (2-10) as a pinch-hitter and had four multi-hit and three multi-RBI games.

He was a three-year letter winner at Foothill High in Redding, earned All-League and All-Section honors, helped lead the Cougars to the Section Championship in 2012 and earned Student Athlete of the Year and State Scholar Athlete of the Week honors from ESPN.

Quinlan is a 6-foot-1, 195-pounder from Danville, Calif., who played at Chabot JC before transferring to UCSB. He hit 11 homers and was a Golden Gate Conference all-star in 2011. He played at San Ramon Valley High, hit .370 with four homers, and was an East Bay all-star selection as a senior.

Gauchos have been instrumental in helping the Knights reach the WCL Championship Series the past two seasons.

Pitcher/first baseman/designated hitter Greg Mahle was first-team all-WCL and the MVP of the 2012 club, which lost to Wenatchee in Game 3 of the finals. He led the team in hitting (.337), threw the first nine-inning no-hitter in franchise history and was rated as the No. 11 WCL pro prospect by Perfect Game Crosschecker.

Outfielder/first baseman Joe Duffin and closer Dylan Hecht played major roles on the 2013 WCL championship team. Duffin led the team in homers (5); Hecht had 18 strikeouts in 14.1 innings and was rated as the No. 3 pro prospect by Perfect Game Crosschecker and No. 4 by Baseball America.

"Top-to-bottom, their [Corvallis] experience is invaluable," Cornejo said. "Every player has the time of his life, and returns a better player and person than when he arrived.

"They develop into performers and community-minded individuals."

For more info on the latest signings, please check out the Corvallis Knights transactions page.