Posted: Tuesday, June 9, 2009 5:00 pm
The Corvallis Knights are set to pick up where they left off in 2008
By Matt Crownover, Lebanon Express writer
A Corvallis baseball team won a championship last year, and it's likely you had no idea.
No, it wasn't the Oregon State Beavers or the Corvallis High School Spartans.
It was the Corvallis Knights.
The Knights are a West Coast League team made up of college stars from throughout the Western United States, including some of OSU's best.
The team, in its fourth year, plays baseball throughout a summer schedule at Goss Stadium in Corvallis.
They finished with a league-best 31-11 record last year, which ended with a three-game sweep of the Wenatchee AppleSox for the championship last August.
It was the second consecutive year the Knights reached the championship series (they lost to Moses Lake in 2007) and team president Dan Segel wants to make it a third.
"We're definitely hoping to do that again," Segel said. "Dog-piling is pretty fun."
Corvallis' season-opener was at home on June 9. They play their second and third games of the season today and tomorrow, both beginning at 6:35 p.m. at Goss Stadium.
General admission tickets are $5 all season long.
In a town that includes the successful OSU baseball program, the Knights can be forgotten, but they're growing in popularity.
Total attendance in 2007 reached 12,729, while the attendance in 2008 was 17,929.
Segel expects the numbers to continue to climb and credits the success of Oregon State, which has made Corvallis a baseball town.
"It really is a great market," he said. "We've got a nice area and that's going to bode well for us in the future."
The West Coast League is made up of eight teams from throughout the Pacific Northwest including Washington (Wenatchee Spokane, Moses Lake, Bellingham and Kitsap), Oregon (Corvallis and Bend) and one team from Canada (Kelowna).
Segel said three more teams are expected to join in 2010, including Klamath Falls, Longview/Kelso, and Walla Walla, Wash.
The team is packed full of area stars. Oregon State players Sam Gaviglio, James Nygren, Carter Bell, Brent Warren and Andrew Susac will all don Corvallis Knight uniforms this summer.
The team also is offering plenty of special promotions including "Retro Jersey Night", "Block 15 Thursday's" and six "$1 hot dog nights."
On June 27, the team is hosting a free baseball clinic from 12:30 to 4 p.m.
Those in attendance also can buy a ticket for $10 and watch the game, a movie and stay the night at Goss Stadium.
For more information about the free clinic, contact Segel at dan.segel@corvallisknights.com.
The team is coached by Brooke Knight, who is in his second year as coach and general manager.
So for those looking for something to do this summer, a night with the Knights is an increasingly popular idea.