Brooks Hatch Blog: Perth Heat Ousted from ABL Playoffs

Happy Wednesday, everyone, from the world-wide headquarters (WWHQ) of the Corvallis Knights, your 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 West Coast League champions!

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The Brooke Knight-coached Perth Heat of the Australian Baseball League lost 5-4 to Adelaide in a wild-card game on Jan. 28 and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Ex-Knights Jordan Qsar (2017), Jorge Perez (2012-13, 2015, pictured above) and Trevor Frank (2012) played for the Heat; here are their final stats.

• Qsar hit .321 (43-134) in 40 games, with nine doubles, eight homers and 26 RBIs. He is in the Tampa Bay organization.
• Perez was 1-0, 5.74 in 12 games, with two saves and 11 strikeouts in 15.2 innings.
• Frank was 2-0, 2.25 in five games, with a save and 22 strikeouts in 20 innings.

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• Alum Cade Gotta (2011) has been loaned to Rieleros de Aguascalientes of the Mexican League by the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League. The San Diego Christian product has played with Mondova in the Mexican League the past two seasons, hitting .309 in 111 total games, with eight homers and 49 RBIs. He also played in the Tampa Bay organization and reached triple-A Durham in 2017 before being released in 2018.
• Alum Adley Rutschman (2016), a former Oregon State catcher, has been invited to spring training by the Baltimore Orioles. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 MLB draft, he played at Rookie and Class A in 2019, his first season in the organization.

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Our 2020 schedule has now been finalized. We will open the home season against the Portland Sea Dogs on June 2 on Weyerhaeuser Science, Engineering and Art Day. For our complete schedule, please click here.

The Knights set a franchise record for total attendance in 2019 by drawing 59,357 fans to Goss Stadium in 36 regular-season and playoff games. We averaged 1,721 fans per regular-season game, and 1,071 fans for the four playoff games.

Thanks to the best fans in the West Coast League.

The WCL All-Star Game is scheduled for July 20 at Paul Thomas Sr. Field in Wenatchee. New AppleSox head coach Ian Sanderson and staff will coach the North Division’s team and the 2019 West Coast League champion Corvallis Knights coaching staff led by Brooke Knight will coach the South Division. For more details, please click here.

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Some news from elsewhere in the West Coast League:

• The Victoria HarbourCats have signed the great-nephew of MLB great Napoleon Lajoie. Please click here for more details, from Our Sports Central. They have also signed four players from the University of Texas. Please click here for that story, also from Our Sports Central.
• Bellingham has signed right-handed pitcher Bryce Barnett, left-handed pitcher Danny Marshall and second baseman/catcher Nate Baez of Arizona State. They also announced that four players from their 2019 squad will return. Please click here and here for more details on those stories, from Our Sports Central.

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That’s all for today. See you soon!