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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More good news to report about our 2020 team.
Pitcher Jacob Dobmeier (pictured, above) will return to the Knights for the 2020 season. He a 6-4, 220-pounder from Toledo, Ore., who played at Newport High School. He is a freshman at UC San Diego.
Jacob was 2-1, 4.95 in nine appearances for the Knights in 2019, with a save and 13 strikeouts in 16.1 innings. His longest outing was a three-inning stint at Port Angeles, when he allowed no earned runs and two hits, with four strikeouts, while earning the pitching decision.
Dobmeier was the 2018 Oregon West Conference co-pitcher of the year, and a first-team Oregon West Conference all-star. He was second-team 4A all-state in 2018 and a third-team all-state pick in 2017.
He had a 1.87 ERA in 12 pitching appearances for Newport in 2018, with 94 strikeouts in 63.2 innings. He had a 17-strikeout game vs. Stayton and 12-strikeout games against Junction City and Scappoose.
Welcome back, Jacob!
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Cal State Fullerton freshman Miguel Ortiz has signed with the Knights for the 2020 season.
He is a 6-foot-1, 195-pound outfielder from Clovis, Calif., who bats and throws right. He was a standout at Buchanan High School.
A three-year starter at Buchanan, Ortiz hit .304 as a senior, with two homers and 11 RBIs. He played for the Utah Marshalls club team last summer.
Ortiz is the son of former major league infielder Jose Ortiz, who played with Oakland, Colorado and in Japan and Mexico during a 19-year professional career. His older brother J.D. plays at UC Santa Barbara; another older brother, Alex, plays at Reedley (jr.) College in California.
Welcome to the team, Miguel!
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Alum Nick Madrigal (2015), who played second base for much of the 2019 season with the Birmingham Barons in double-A Southern League. was named a Rawlings Gold Glove Award recipient by Minor League Baseball and Rawlings Sporting Goods Company, Inc.
Madrigal, a former first-round selection out of Oregon State, opened the season with Class-A Advanced Winston-Salem before making the jump to Birmingham in early June. While with the Barons, Madrigal committed zero errors in 333.1 innings of play. In addition, Madrigal also hit .341 with 56 hits, 11 doubles, and 16 RBI’s in 30 games. In August, Madrigal was promoted to the Triple-A Charlotte Knights where he ended his 2019 campaign.
Across the three levels of the Chicago White Sox farm system, Madrigal held a .990 fielding percentage in 103 games. Madrigal handled 488 total chances and helped turn 95 double plays while making only four errors. For complete details, please click here.
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Twelve Knights alums played in the major leagues this season: Arizona pitcher Jimmie Sherfy (2011); Colorado pitcher DJ Johnson (2008-09); Mets pitcher Stephen Nogosek (2013); Los Angeles Dodgers/Tampa Bay catcher Rocky Gale (2007, 2009); Chicago White Sox pitcher Josh Osich (2008); Colorado pitcher Tyler Anderson (2009); Detroit pitcher Matt Boyd (2010); Seattle outfielder Mitch Haniger (2010); Tampa Bay infielder Matt Duffy (2010); Chicago White Sox pitcher Jace Fry (2011); Toronto pitcher Sam Gaviglio (2009), and Arizona pitcher Matt Andriese (2009).
A total of 315 West Coast League alums appeared in affiliated baseball this past season. For a complete list of WCL professionals, please click here.
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The Knights set a franchise record for total attendance this season 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.
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That’s all for today. See you on Oct. 23!