Happy Friday, everyone, from the world-wide headquarters (WWHQ) of the Corvallis Knights, your 2016-2017 West Coast League champions! Our May 30 opener with the Portland Sea Dogs is just 47 days away, so get ready for another great summer of Knights’ baseball!
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Big news from Oregon State. Alum Adley Rutschman (2016, pictured above), a sophomore catcher for the Beavers, has accepted an invitation to compete for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team this summer.
“I am extremely humbled that I was even considered to be selected to play for Team USA,” Rutschman said. “It has always been a dream of mine to be able to represent my country.”
A native of Sherwood, he will be the fifth Knights’ alum to play for Team USA, joining Kevin Gunderson (2005), Matt Boyd (2010), Nick Madrigal (2015) and KJ Harrison (2015).
Heading into this weekend’s series at Missouri State, Rutschman leads OSU with a .383 batting average, is second with 31 RBIs and is tied for second with 10 doubles. He also has two triples, three home runs, and a 19-16 walk-strikeout ratio.
Based in Cary, N.C., the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team will participate in three international friendship series in 2018, beginning with the 18th USA vs. Chinese Taipei International Friendship Series in North Carolina from June 28-July 2.
The U.S. will then compete in the 42nd USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series from July 3-9 in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, and the seventh Annual USA vs. Cuba International Friendship Series in Cuba from July 13-18.
For more information on USA Baseball and the Collegiate National Team, follow @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter; and @USABaseballCNT on Twitter.
Congrats to Adley, whose father, Randy Rutschman, is a former Knights’ assistant coach and a member of the Board of Directors.
Adley was also named to the Golden Spikes Award Watch List by USA Baseball. The award, given annually to the nation’s top amateur player, has a midseason 40-player watch list. The Golden Spikes Award will name its semifinalists on May 21, with the selection of the finalists set for June 6. The award will be presented June 28.
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Outfielder Nick Torres (2012) has signed with the Kansas City T-Bones in the independent American Association. The former Cal Poly standout was released earlier this spring by the Padres after four years in their organization. Please click here for more on that story.
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Delmarva (A South Atlantic, Orioles) pitcher Cameron Bishop (2015, 2016) allowed just two runs in seven innings and had six strikeouts in a 2-0 loss to Lakewood on Thursday night to earn Corvallis Knights Minor League Player of the Day honors. He played at UC Irvine.
Honorable mention went to:
*Buffalo (AAA International, Blue Jays) pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009) threw four scoreless innings and had four strikeouts but was not involved in the decision in a 2-1 loss to Indianapolis. He played at Oregon State.
*Reno (AAA Pacific Coast, Diamondbacks) closer Jimmie Sherfy (2011) allowed one run and had one strikeout in one inning and earned his first save in a 5-4 win over Sacramento. He played at Oregon.
*Montgomery (AA Southern, Rays) first baseman Dalton Kelly (2014) was 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI in a 7-1 win over Birmingham.
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Our 2018 season tickets are now on sale! For more details or to order your tickets online, please click here. Tickets may also be purchased by calling us at 541-752-5656 or by visiting our office at 4th Street and Jefferson Avenue in downtown Corvallis. See you at the ballpark in 2018!
We also have three fireworks nights and tons of other promotions planned for this summer. Our entire promotional schedule is also available, by clicking here.
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Time to update the college stats of our incoming college pitchers. We will do the position players next Friday.
BRENDAN BECK: The Stanford righty is 5-0, 1.34 in seven games, with 20 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
LANDEN BOURASSA: The righty from San Francisco is 4-3, 3.19 in eight games, with 43 strikeouts in 48 innings.
COOPER CHANDLER: The righty from Pepperdine is 2-2, 4.81 in 10 games, with 23 strikeouts in 33.2 innings.
CASON CUNNINGHAM: The lefty from Linfield is 6-4, 4.15 in 10 games, with 73 strikeouts in 52 innings.
BEN FARISS: The UC Santa Barbara righty is 0-0, 13.50 in two appearances, with two strikeouts in 0.2 innings.
GRANT FISHER: The righty from Western Oregon, a 10-day signee, is 0-1, 6.94 in five games, with eight strikeouts in 11.2 innings.
JACOB FRICKE: The lefty from Western Oregon is 1-1, 1.71 in eight games, with a save and 21 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.
MILES GLAZIER: The lefty from UC Irvine is redshirting this spring.
ABBOTT HAFFAR: The righty from UC Riverside is 0-1, 7.20 in eight games, with six strikeouts in 10 innings.
IAN MACIVER: The righty from Utah 0-1, 8.10 in two games, with three strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
JORDAN McDANIEL: The LBCC sophomore righty, a 10-day signee, is 4-0, 2.94 in six games, with 15 strikeouts in 18.1 innings.
ELI MORSE: The righty from Portland 2-4, 3.97 in eight games, with 42 strikeouts in 47.2 innings.
DARREN NELSON: The righty from Cal Poly is 3-3, 4.12 in nine games, with 26 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.
LOGAN NOUSEN: The righty from Oregon Tech, a 10-day signee, is 2-4, 4.50 in 16 games, with 10 strikeouts in 26 innings.
JACOB PALISCH: The lefty from Stanford is 3-0, 1.93 in 14 games, with a save and 17 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.
AARON POPE: The lefty from Dixie State is 0-3, 7.04 in six games, with nine strikeouts in 15.1 innings.
CONNOR REDMOND: The righty from Cal Poly is 0-2, 7.56 in eight games, with seven strikeouts in 8.1 innings.
AARON SHOUP: The lefty from St. Martin’s is 0-5, 11.42 in eight games, with 12 strikeouts in 25 innings.
DANIEL SLOMINSKI: The righty from San Francisco is 2-1, 4.15 in 10 games, with 15 strikeouts in 17.1 innings.
KOLBY SOMERS: The lefty from Oregon 1-4, 3.48 in nine games, with 24 strikeouts in 31 innings.
COLE SPEAR: The righty from UC Irvine is 1-1, 3.65 in seven games, with 10 strikeouts in 12.1 innings.
MICKEY WALKER: The righty from St. Martin’s is 0-5, 5.31 in seven games, with 35 strikeouts in 39 innings.
TREVOR WELLS: The righty from Linn-Benton is 0-0, 0.96 in six games, with five saves and seven strikeouts in 9.1 innings.
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That’s all for today. Have a great week, and we will see you on Friday.