Knights open season at Kamloops

Thursday, May 28, Corvallis, Ore. – The Corvallis Knights begin their quest to return to the West Coast League’s winner’s circle at 6:35 tonight when they face the host Kamloops NorthPaws for the first time since 2023.

The three-game series at Norbrock Stadium marks the start of the Knights’ 19^th summer in Corvallis. It’s the first of 54 WCL contests for a franchise whose bid to regain the WCL crown it owned from 2016-23 was snapped by the Portland Pickles last August in the South Division championship game.

Head coach Brooke Knight says the 2026 Knights should be an “exciting” team that can run and put the game in motion to pressure opposing defenses, and capability defend to support the pitching staff.

“We tend to lead towards speed and defense when it comes to our position group, guys who can cause some chaos on the basepaths and play catch around the diamond,” he said.

“With those foundational principles lining up again, this group looks like there might be a little thunder here and there as well.”

Knight enters his 18th season at the helm as the winningest coach in WCL history (760-307, .712). The eight-time WCL Coach of the Year has directed the Knights to 10 WCL championships and to the Championship Series in 14 of his 17 seasons.

His coaching staff returns intact. Associate head coach/pitching coach Beau Kerns returns for his sixth summer. Assistant coach Spencer Scott, a noted alum from the University of Portland who played for the 2021 and 2022 championship teams, is back for his second summer.

Five returnees from a 2025 team that went a sparking 39-15 in the WCL will provide a solid nucleus of leadership.

They are left-handed pitcher Mac Zawistoski (Eastern Illinois); catcher Xavier Rios (Cal State Northridge); infielders Maverek Russell (UCLA) and Trey Swygart (Portland), and outfielder Kellen Segel (Linn-Benton CC).

Zawistoski, a rising senior, was a mainstay in the 2025 bullpen, with 14 appearances. He was 2-2 with a sparking 1.02 ERA, and 24 strikeouts in 26.1 innings and earned second-team all-WCL honors. Segel pitched sparingly, as he was mostly a position player.

Two stalwarts from the Division III Northwest Conference, that league’s most recent Pitcher of the Year, will anchor the mound staff.

Pacific Lutheran ace Matthew Sherwood, a 6-5 junior righty, was the 2025 Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Year. He was 4-3, 5.79 in 14 games in 2026, with 69 strikeouts in 65.1 innings.

Sophomore right-hander Nick Saelens (Pacific, Ore) was the 2026 Pitcher of the Year, going 5-2, 3.93 in 13 games, with 93 strikeouts in 91.2 innings. He also garnered Northwest Conference Pitcher of the Week honors three times.

They combined for 5.1 scoreless innings in the Knights’ 7-2 win over the Northwest Nighthawks in the May 21 SEA Day game at Goss Stadium.

UCSB righty Joshua Jannicelli was 2-1, 3.38, with 42 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. The Gauchos are competing in the NCAA tournament this weekend.

Four incoming Oregon State recruits bear watching. They are right-handed JC transfers Grayton Riding (College of Southern Idaho) and Luke Duncan (San Joaquin Delta), and incoming freshmen Grady Saunders and Neal Burtis, a highly-touted righty-lefty combo.

Portland’s Morgan Codron, a member of the Knights’ 2023 WCL champions, returns after a two-year hiatus.

Catching should be a strongpoint. Rios hit .252 with three homers and 20 RBIs in 35 games for Corvallis in 2025 and started in the WCL All-Star Game. Portland’s Carter Stewart hit .258 (2-12) in 26 games.

Incoming Stanford freshman shortstop Archer Horn is a prime candidate for a starting post; he also can also pitch and play the outfield. Returnees first baseman Russell (.276, 20 RBIs), rising senior infielder Brubaker (.323, 7 doubles) and Swygart (.313, 2-18) will also compete for starting positions.

Swygart earned second-team West Coast Conference honors after hitting .270 with six homers and 30 RBIs.

Newcomers Ian Draper (Washington) and Joey Marasco (George Fox) will add middle infield depth. Draper had seven RBIs in only 19 games for the Huskies; Marasco hit .253 for George Fox, with two homers, 19 RBIs and 13 steals.

Corner infield is also deep with UC Santa Barbara frosh third baseman Ryan Severns, incoming UCLA freshman Tate Hammond and OSU rising sophomore Josh Nati. Hammond projects at first or third; Nati can play both corner spots and catch.

Severns hit .234 in part-time duty with the Gauchos, with four RBIs. Nati had a homer and two RBIs for the Beavers.

OSU outfielder Ethan Porter is a potential standout after hitting .310, with two homers, seven RBIs and a 1.035 OPS in the regular season, with a .518 on-base percentage.

Center fielder Max Medina is one of Cal Poly’s top incoming recruits.

“The spring numbers look promising and we can complement a few solid returning position players with some exciting young prospects going into their freshman year, respectively,” Knight said.

The Knights will be somewhat short-handed early, before all the projected full-time signees report when their schooling is complete for the academic year or when their college teams complete their seasons.

“It’s always a little unique at the front end of the season while clubs are still filling out their full rosters,” he said. “But it also provides opportunities for our early arrivals to compete for a job once we are fully-loaded.

“We’ll continue to look for ways to create our identity as early as possible to where we are all rowing the same direction in search of the same goals: Plenty of development and winning games,” Knight said.

“It should be another fun ride this summer!”

The Knights play their first nine games on the road; they play three-game series in Walla Walla and Portland following the trip to Kamloops. Goss Stadium is always reserved in late May-early June for potential OSU postseason NCAA tournament games.

Corvallis opens a 31-game home schedule on June 10 against the Marion Berries. The regular season ends Aug. 5. The playoffs start on Aug. 7 and will conclude with the WCL Championship Game on Aug. 13.

Knights at a glance …

COACHING STAFF: Head coach Brooke Knight, 18^th year; associate head coach/pitching coach Beau Kerns, sixth year; assistant coach Spencer Scott, second year.

RIGHT-HANDED PITCHERS: Mark Carpenter (LBCC), Jack Galanida (George Fox), Bryce Hill (Stanford in 2026-27), Joshua Jannicetti (UCSB), Matthew Kosderka (Lower Columbia), Nick Saelens (Pacific, Ore.), Luke Schoeffler (Linfield), Blake Sebastian (Nebraska), Matthew Sherwood (Pacific Lutheran), Jake Brande (Cal Poly in 2026-27), Grayton Riding (OSU in 2026-27), Grady Saunders (OSU in 2026-27), Morgan Codron (Portland), Luke Duncan (OSU in 2026-27).

LEFT-HANDED PITCHERS: Colin Nowaczyk (Nebraska), Landon Salveson (Utah), Ari Sliva (Loyola Marymount in 2026-27), Mac Zawistoski (Eastern Illinois), Neal Burtis (OSU in 2026-27).

CATCHERS: Dakota Chun (Portland), Xavier Rios (CSUN), Teagan Scott (Oregon State in 2026-27), Carter Stewart (Portland).

INFIELDERS: Trey Swygart (Portland), Gavin Brubaker (NW Nazarene), Ian Draper (Washington), Tate Hammond (UCLA in 2026-27), Archer Horn (Stanford in 2026-27), Joey Marasco (George Fox), Josh Nati (Oregon State), Maverek Russell (UCLA), Ryan Severns (UC Santa Barbara).

OUTFIELDERS: Max Medina (Cal Poly in 2026-27); Ethan Porter (Oregon State), Kellen Segel (Linn-Benton CC).

10-DAY SIGNEES: INF Zane Garvey (Western Oregon), RHP Dayne Castillo (Linn-Benton CC), OF Jackson Fera (Linn-Benton CC), 1B/OF Colton Schmokel (Concordia-Nebraska), RHP Jake Johnson (LBCC), RHP Camden Hartsell (Umpqua CC), 1B Chanz Flores (LBCC), INF Berkley Reents (George Fox).