Tuesday, July 8, Corvallis, Ore. – Six current or former Corvallis Knights have been selected to play in their respective league’s upcoming all-star games.
Knights infielder Maddox Riske, catcher Xavier Rios, outfielder Brock Ketelsen and pitcher J’Shawn Unger will play for the South Division in the West Coast League All-Star Game, set for July 16 at Joe Martin Field in Bellingham.
And alums Steven Kwan (2016) of the Cleveland Guardians and Matt Boyd (2010) of the Chicago Cubs will play for the American league and National league teams, respectively, at MLB’s annual mid-summer classic at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 15.
Primarily a third baseman, Riske (USC) is batting .345 with a team-leading 19 RBIs in all games.
A catcher from Cal State Northridge, Rios is batting .254 with two homers and 14 RBIs.
A center fielder who will enroll at Stanford this fall, Ketelsen is batting .322 with 10 RBIs and is tied with Rios for the team lead in homers with two. He has a team-leading 24 runs and 19 stolen bases.
Unger, a right-hander who will pitch at Iowa Western CC in 2026, is 3-0 with a 3.50 ERA and 22 strikeouts in a team-leading 25.2 innings. He has walked just four batters in his last 19 innings.
Kwan and Boyd each played for the Knights after their freshman seasons at Oregon State. It is the second all-star selection for Kwan, who also made the AL club last season; it’s the first for Boyd, who signed with the Cubs as a free agent in the off-season after a spectacular run with the Guardians in 2024.
Kwan is batting .296, with six homers and 28 RBIs, after going 3-for-4 with two RBIs against Detroit on July 6. He is the first Cleveland outfielder to earn back-to-back All-Star nods since Michael Brantley (2017-18).
“It’s a huge accomplishment, especially getting voted in by the peers,” Kwan told MLB.com. “It’s probably one of the greater accomplishments of my career. I’m really honored. It’s a cool feeling.”
Boyd is 9-3, 2.52 after shutting out St. Louis over five innings in an 11-0 victory on July 6. He has 96 strikeouts in 103.2 innings.
After learning of his selection, Boyd specifically credited all of the Cubs catchers by name, followed by the team’s infielders and outfielders. He also named members of the coaching staff, saying he was merely “a product of the people around me.”
“I don’t get that honor without them,” he said. “I’m glad there’s someone writing the script. He writes a much better script than me.
“It doesn’t really make a lot of sense, you know? But I just have a ton of gratitude for it.”
Added Cubs’ manager Craig Counsell, speaking to MLB.com: “Matt’s put together a wonderful first half. He’s very deserving.
“And to make this staff as one of the starters in this league, that’s not an easy thing to do. So I’m just happy for Matt.”
The WCL All-Star Game will start at 6:35 p.m. The MLB All-Star Game will be televised by FOX, starting at 5 p.m. PDT.