The Corvallis Knights, founded as the Aloha Knights, are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Corvallis, Oregon. Founded in 1990 in Beaverton by Dan and his brother Joe Segel, the Knights moved to Corvallis from Gresham in 2007.[2] They play in the West Coast League, a college summer wood-bat league where college players and prospects prepare for the pros. The league comprises teams from British Columbia, Oregon and Washington. Corvallis plays its home games at Goss Stadium, also the home of the Oregon State Beavers.[3][4]
| Corvallis Knights | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | West Coast League (South Division) |
| Location | Corvallis, Oregon |
| Ballpark | Goss Stadium |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Nickname(s) | "The Evil Empire" |
| League championships | 10 (2008, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Division championships | 14 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023) |
| Former name(s) | Aloha Knights (1990-2006) |
| Former ballparks | Mt. Hood Community College (1990-2006) |
| Colors | Cardinal and Gold |
| Mascot | Mack the Knight and Lil' King |
| Manager | Brooke Knight[1] (Head Coach) |
The Knights are named after Penny Knight, their top sponsor. Penny is married to Nike co-founder Phil Knight.[5]
History
edit2014
editThe Corvallis Knights put up 35 wins and 19 losses in the 2014 WCL season. The Knights tried to retake their WCL Championship throne but fell short of the title by one game. Corvallis forced the third-ever Game 3 of the WCL Championship Series. The Knights put up Michael Lucarelli and Grant Melker for 54 games tying the WCL record for the most games with a batting appearance—tying Mitchell Gunsolus of the Wenatchee Applesox from 2012 and Cole Norton from the Kitsap Bluejackets in 2011. Also, Grant Melker set the WCL record for the most bases stolen by one player in one season with 29 steals. The Corvallis Knights hit 95 doubles in the 2014 season, setting the record for the most doubles by any one team in one year. They also set the record for the most sacrifice flies and stolen bases, hitting 39 flies and stealing 119 bases in one season, respectively. The Knights kept the records rolling with Jackson Lockwood winning eight games, tying the record of Eli Morgon of the Yakima Valley Pippins in the same year. Corvallis sold 43,938 tickets in the season and hosted 1,292 fans one night.
2015
editOn February 12, 2015, the Corvallis Knights held a re-branding party and unveiled the new logo for the club.[6] According to logo designer Jason Klein of the San Diego graphic design company Brandiose, the new team logo includes a head of grain as a tribute to the agricultural heritage of the Willamette Valley and the regional affinity for craft brewing.[6] Concurrent with the change, the team officially adopted two new team colors in addition to its traditional cardinal — gold and a pale maize tone described by team officials as "Corvallis cream."[6]
2022
editThe Knights finished the 2022 regular season first in the South Division with a 39-15 record, the best in the league.[7] The Knights defeated the Pippins 2-1 in the South Division Semifinals and will host the Raptors in the South Division Final.[8] Kiko Romero is sixth in the WCL in runs batted in (34) while Sean Wiese has five wins on the mound.[9] The Knights have seen 61,390 total fans go through the gate. [10][11][12]
2024
editOn June 10th, infielder Kevin Takeuchi was selected as the league's player of the week after batting in ten runs and reaching base seventeen times.[13]
On June 17th, Takeuchi once again won the award after batting in and scoring sixteen runs while making base seventeen times.[14]
On July 9th, Brandon Cabrera, James DeCremer, Tyler Horn, Kaden Segel, Kevin Takeuchi, Blake Wilson, and Ty Yukomoto were selected to represent the Knights in the 2024 all star game in Bellingham.[15]
Former Knight Travis Bazzana was selected as the first overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Guardians on July 14th.[16]
The Knights made the playoffs for the seventeenth straight season after winning the first half. The Knights swept the Raptors 2-0 in the South Divisional Series but were upset in the South Division Championship Game 1-4 by the Pickles ending their bid at an eighth straight WCL Championship.[17]
Season-by-Season Record
edit| Season | League | Division | Finish | Wins | Losses | Win% | GB | Postseason | Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 36 | 16 | .692 | Matt Dorey | |||||
| 2006 | 31 | 16 | .659 | Brooke Knight | |||||
| 2007 | West Coast League | West | 38 | 20 | .655 | Lost Championship (Pirates) | Brooke Knight | ||
| 2008 | WCL | West | 39 | 16 | .709 | Won Championship (AppleSox) | Brooke Knight | ||
| 2009 | WCL | West | 49 | 13 | .790 | Lost Championship (AppleSox) | Brooke Knight | ||
| 2010 | WCL | West | 1st | 31 | 17 | .645 | 0 | Lost Division Series 0-2 (Elks) | Brooke Knight |
| 2011 | WCL | West | 1st | 37 | 17 | .685 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-1 (Elks) Won Championship Series 2-0 (Sweets) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2012 | WCL | West | 1st | 32 | 22 | .592 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-0 (Black Bears) Lost Championship Series 1-2 (AppleSox) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2013 | WCL | South | 1st | 37 | 17 | .685 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-0 (Rogues) Won Championship Series 2-0 (AppleSox) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2014 | WCL | South | 1st | 35 | 19 | .648 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-0 (Elks) Lost Championship Series 1-2 (Bells) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2015 | WCL | South | 2nd | 32 | 22 | .592 | 4.5 | Lost Division Series 0-2 (Elks) | Brooke Knight |
| 2016 | WCL | South | 1st | 34 | 20 | .630 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-0 (Pippins) Won Championship Series 2-1 (Bells) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2017 | WCL | South | 1st | 34 | 20 | .630 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-1 (Pippins) Won Championship Series 2-1 (HarbourCats) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2018 | WCL | South | 2nd | 36 | 18 | .667 | 1 | Won Division Series 2-0 (Pickles) Won Championship Series 2-0 (Falcons) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2019 | WCL | South | 1st | 42 | 12 | .778 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-1 (Sweets) Won Championship Series 2-1 (HarbourCats) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2020 | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||||||||
| 2021 | WCL | South | 1st | 37 | 11 | .771 | 0 | Won Division Series 2-0 (Raptors) Won Championship Series 2-1 (Pippins) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2022 | WCL | South | 1st | 39 | 15 | .722 | - | Won South Divisional Series 2-1 (Pippins) Won South Division Championship Game 4-2 (Raptors) Won WCL Championship Game 5-0 (Bells) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2023 | WCL | South | 1st | 39 | 15 | .722 | - | Won South Divisional Series 2-1 (Black Bears) Won South Division Championship Game 4-1 (Pickles) Won WCL Championship Game 5-0 (HarbourCats) |
Brooke Knight |
| 2024 | WCL | South | 1st | 41 | 13 | .759 | - | Won South Divisional Series 2-0 (Raptors) Lost South Division Championship Game 1-4 (Pickles) |
Brooke Knight |
| League Champions | Division Champions | Playoff Team |
Alumni in Major League Baseball
edit- Adley Rutschman (2016)
- Tyler Anderson – LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Matt Andriese – RHP, Boston Red Sox
- Matt Boyd – LHP, Detroit Tigers
- Matthew Duffy – IF, Chicago Cubs
- Mitch Haniger – OF, San Francisco Giants[18]
- Jace Fry – LHP, Chicago White Sox
- Nick Madrigal – IF, Chicago Cubs
Media
editThe Knights are broadcast live on Corvallis' KEJO 1240 AM.[20]
Footnotes
edit- ^ Corvallis Knights. Front Office Staff.
- ^ "About the Knights". Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ^ "Goss Stadium at Coleman Field". Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ^ "West Coast League - Corvallis". Archived from the original on 18 August 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2010.
- ^ "Corvallis Gets Collegiate All-Star Team". 22 November 2006. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
- ^ a b c "Knights Enter Golden Era: Corvallis Unveils Refreshed Brand," Archived 2015-02-13 at the Wayback Machine corvallisknights.com, Feb. 12, 2015.
- ^ "West Coast League - standings".
- ^ "Corvallis Knights - West Coast League - team schedule".
- ^ "West Coast League - leaders".
- ^ "West Coast League - attendance".
- ^ "West Coast League - attendance".
- ^ "West Coast League - attendance".
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/takeuchi-and-rembisz-earn-wcls-moss-adams-weekly-honors/ [bare URL]
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/takeuchi-and-canfield-receive-wcls-moss-adams-weekly-accolades/ [bare URL]
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/wcl-all-star-game-rosters-announced/ [bare URL]
- ^ https://westcoastleague.com/bazzana-selected-first-overall-in-2024-mlb-draf/ [bare URL]
- ^ https://baseball.pointstreak.com/schedule.html?leagueid=145&seasonid=33877 [bare URL]
- ^ "Former Knights Outfielder Mitch Haniger Hits Way to Big Leagues: Sets Franchise Records in Big League Debut with Arizona," corvallisknights.com, Aug. 17, 2016.
- ^ "In The Pros". Corvallis Knights Baseball. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
- ^ "Corvallis Knights Replace Seattle Mariners on KEJO". 20 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2010.