THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,406 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,406 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Summer Collegiate  | Story | 9/10/2021

Knights on top in summer collegiate play

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Corvallis Knights (Logan Hannigan-Downs)

For a lot of folks who call one of the warm-weather southern states home, it may be difficult to accept the fact that one of the country’s baseball hotbeds is an unassuming university city in the Pacific Northwest.

Corvallis, Oregon is a quintessential college town that sits about 60 miles inland from the Pacific Coast and is the home of the Beavers from Oregon State University. OSU long ago established itself as one of the top programs not only in the Pac-12 Conference but nationwide, having claimed NCAA D-I College World Series championships in 2007, 2008 and 2018. It’s a place and program that demands respect.



Yet there’s something more to the Corvallis baseball scene that likely sits outside the periphery of the national lens, or at least until recently. While the Oregon State Beavers make a habit of doing at a lot winning during the NCAA D-I spring season so also do the Corvallis Knights, a summer collegiate organization that has held sway over the West Coast League (WCL) for more than a decade.

In late August, the Knights whipped the Yakima Valley Pippins 13-2, to capture their fifth straight WCL championship. It was also their seventh title since 2011 and eighth since 2008, which was head coach Brooke Knight’s first year at the helm.

This year’s Knights team finished 50-14 after the championship series win, which capped one of the most successful seasons in the team’s history. And today, the Corvallis Knights are being recognized as the 2021 Perfect Game National Summer Collegiate Team of the Year.

No one can ever look into a crystal ball and predict a season like this one would ultimately unfold, but Coach Knight had a gut feeling about this group right as the season was getting underway in June.

“The one thing I knew that we had early on was some athleticism,” Knight told PG during a casual telephone conversation this week. “Really across the board, position player-wise, we had some really, really good athletes and some guys with some versatility that could play a few different spots. We had some pitching depth [but] I wasn’t quite sure how good that front-line pitching would be.”

That depth proved to be just what was needed for the Knights to grind their way through a 64-game season that played out in a little over two months.

Five Knights were named to West Coast League all-league teams at season’s end, including first team selections in second baseman Travis Bazzana (Oregon State), outfielder Nick Vogt (UC Santa Barbara) and right-hander Ty Uber (Stanford).

Bazzana, a left-handed hitter who hails from Sydney, Australia, was named the WCL Most Valuable Player and its 2021 Top Prospect. Bazzana led the league in hits with 81 (18 2Bs, 5 3Bs, 1 HR) and set a league record with his .429 batting average. His doubles and triples totals were team-highs, as were his RBI (27) and runs scored (46) totals.

“He really had a heck of a summer,” Knight said. “He was barreling everything and he’s a high energy, kind of electric player; he’s going to have a great career at Oregon State.”

Vogt hit .351 with 47 total hits (5 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 2 HRs), 24 RBI, 25 runs and 23 stolen bases. Uber appeared in 11 games (8 starts) and went 4-0 with a 2.80 ERA while striking out 55 batters in 45 innings of work.

Corvallis left-hander Ethan Ross (San Jose State) and right-handed closer Nathaniel Mendoza (CS San Bernardino) were second team all-WCL picks. First baseman Kiko Romero (Central Arizona Coll., Arizona) and catcher Tanner Smith (Oregon State) were honorable mention selections.

In the aforementioned WCL championship game on August 20, Bazzana, Vogt, Romero and Briley Knight (Portland) went a combined 11-for-17 and drove in all 13 runs. Ross threw six innings to pick up the win, allowing one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

On the mound, the Knights also got valuable innings throughout the season from right-handed starters Brock Townsend (Oregon State) and Grant Taylor (Washington State). A bullpen that featured Jake Vargas (Cal State Fullerton), Sean Wiese (George Fox U.) and Colton Meyer (Linfield College) and anchored by Mendoza and Braden Boisvert (Oregon State) was also effective.

“With five all-leaguers out of 33 I thought that said something for our team,” Knight said. “Normally you might actually have a couple more on a championship-type team. We were pretty balanced across the board where numbers-wise – other than Bazzana and a couple of arms – we just didn’t have huge eye-popping numbers. It was really just a collective team effort.”

Brooke Knight was named the WCL Coach of the Year for the seventh time in his 13-year tenure and when speaking about the Knights from an organizational perspective, he is effusive in his praise of CEO Dan Segel, who Knight calls a “visionary.”

It’s telling, Knight said, that employees are given a 55-page handbook that details how the company would operate should anything happen to Segel: “He’s that kind of guy that sets the table and the expectations at the top,” Knight said.

He also had words of praise for Corvallis Knights President/General Manager Bre Miller who has been on board for 15 years and tends to run the day-to-day operations. And don’t get him started on his coaching staff, which this year included five-year assistant Youngjin Yoon and Ed Knaggs among others.

Yoon is a player- and fan-favorite who Knight called the Knights’ “secret weapon”: “Yoonie is our motivator; he’s a great inspiration,” the head coach said. “He’s been with us for [five] years now and, sure, we won before that but he just helped accelerate that chemistry piece and cultural piece...

“What we have is that collective trust amongst the leadership group, whether it’s the front office or the coaching staff,” Knight continued. “Yes, we have a great facility which is nice to show up at every day, but you’ve still got to play baseball and you’ve still got to create that energy within a team.”

There are challenges involved in turning a collection of players who are coming in from a wide variety of college programs into cohesive unit that can learn how to win together over the course of a two-month season. Turnover is an annual expectation and every team tends to be very different, especially from a personality perspective.

The Knights generally try to bring back a handful of players from the previous year’s team, something that was difficult to do this year since there wasn’t a season in 2020.

“Winning is hard,” Knight said. “We’ve had some success...but this is really hard to do and it takes a lot of focused effort. So when we’re trying to get those guys to quote-unquote ‘buy-in’...for me it’s really getting to know the players to the point that they know, hey, you are cared about. Really try to gain that mutual respect from the players to myself, the players to our coaching staff.”

The Corvallis Knights came into being as a 501c3 nonprofit organization in 1990 and the original benefactors were Phil and Penny Knight, the founders of Nike. There were some extended family ties between Corvallis Knights CEO Dan Segel and the Nike Knights, so that was the way the team got its nickname. It’s really just coincidence that the team is coached by Brooke Knight, who is not related to Phil and Penny.

In their early years, the Knights played home games at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., before relocating to Oregon State and Goss Stadium in 2007. With no offense intended toward Mt. Hood CC, having access to all the facilities available at a Pac-12 Conference university with a baseball program that has won three College World Series championships was a huge step up.

“The community has really, really embraced it and that’s where Bre Miller, our president, does a tremendous job,” Knight said. “I was born and raised in Corvallis and played football and baseball at Oregon State and I’m really familiar with the community, too...so we all are kind of connected. We do have a great partnership with Oregon State and they love it, too.”

Everyone associated with the Corvallis Knights takes great pride in all that has been accomplished, to this point anyway. Some college coaches tend to look at summer collegiate leagues as nothing more than a developmental piece of the overall college baseball puzzle, but that’s not how Knight views it.

Development and winning don’t have to be mutually exclusive, Knight believes, and he maintains that it’s easier for a prospect to learn more and make positive strides in his development if he is also doing a lot of winning in the process. And that’s what the 2021 Knights were able to experience and what future Knights players can expect to experience in the years ahead.

“Overall, we’re going to continue to just really look to enrich the lives of young student athletes through a competitive baseball atmosphere that allows them to understand what it’s like to be on a team and be held accountable,” Knight said. “Along the way, hopefully they’re getting better and when we send them back in the fall they’re a better player and definitely a better leader for their program.”
Give us your feedback
Summer Collegiate | Story | 9/26/2023

Cape Cod: Best of the Rest
Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Cape Cod Top 100 Prospect List | Cape Cod Top 2025 Prospects * indicates draft eligible sophomore ^ indicates incoming transfer Name Pos. Team School Hometown State Andrew Sundean C Hyannis UCF Lakeland FL Bradke Lohry^ IF Hyannis Tennessee Trinity FL Cam Schuelke^ RHP Hyannis Mississippi State Dorr MI Carter Lovasz RHP Hyannis William & Mary Midlothian VA Colby Shelton*^ IF Falmouth Florida Lithia FL Colin Tuft^ OF Orleans Tulane Vienna VA Daniel Corona^ IF Cotuit Missouri Brooklyn NY Derek Clark^ LHP Orleans West Virginia Petersburg MI Duce Gourson IF Falmouth UCLA San Diego CA Eddie Micheletti OF Orleans George Washington Wilmington DE Enzo Apodada^ OF YD Baylor Scottsdale CA Evan Truitt RHP Orleans Charleston Southern Berlin MD Finnegan Wall RHP YD UC Irvine Hesperia CA Garrett Coe RHP Falmouth Uconn Lakeside CT Ian Petrutz OF Bourne Maryland Mantua NJ Jakob Christian^ 1B YD...
Read More
Juco | Rankings | 4/15/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 15

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Another week of undefeated weeks for our top 4 ranked teams. Joining them in the top 5, coming off an undefeated week of their own, is Florence-Darlington, a team we have consistently had as a top 10 team all season long. Cloud County and Midland College continue to put together strong weeks and climb the rankings each week it seems. Jumping into the rankings this week on the strength of a 15-game winning streak is Seminole State (OK). And Linn Benton makes the top 25 for a 2nd consecutive week and looks like the top team in the NWAC this spring. Plenty of high-level matchups at the JUCO level for some of the top teams in the county this next week.  Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 42-2 2 Gaston (NC) 43-3 3 McLennan (TX) 34-7 4 Chipola (FL) 37-7 5 Florence-Darlington (SC) 40-8 6 Walters State (TN) 37-10 7 Blinn (TX) 31-11 8 Florida Southwestern (FL) 30-12 9 Southern Nevada...
Read More
College | Rankings | 4/15/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 15

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Welcome to this week's small school baseball rankings, covering NCAA Division II, the NAIA, and NCAA Division III. As the calendar turns toward the final weeks of the regular season, the urgency is real across all three levels — teams are running out of weekends to build their cases, and the extended postseason invitations that every program is chasing don't go to programs that peak in March. The next few weeks of results will carry more weight than anything that happened before spring break, and the postseason committees in all three divisions are watching closely. Every series dropped to a team you should beat, every road sweep you let get away — it all matters now in a way it simply didn't two months ago. What you'll also notice as you read through the breakdowns below is that the numbers are doing more of the heavy lifting in how these rankings are constructed. Run...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 4/15/2026

Perfect Game & Youth Prospects Team Up

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME AND YOUTH PROSPECTS ANNOUNCE   BROADCAST RIGHTS AND CONTENT PARTNERSHIP    Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, April 15, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with content platform Youth Prospects centered around broadcast rights, content collaboration and expanded visibility for elite youth baseball events.    As part of the agreement, Perfect Game will grant Youth Prospects broadcast rights to select games across its premiere events, including marquee matchups at the WWBA World...
Read More
College | Story | 4/14/2026

College Players of the Week: April 14

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
April 14th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Jaquae Stewart, INF/OF, Texas State  The Texas State Bobcats (24-12) are sitting in second place in the ultra-competitive Sun Belt Conference, and they have one of the most explosive offenses in the country.  They average right at 8-runs per game and can slug with the best of them, averaging almost 2-home runs per game as well.  Sitting in the middle of the order, Jaquae Stewart, is putting together a career year and is becoming the focus of opposing teams.  The 5-10/234 junior from Sinton, Tx is your classic lefthanded power hitter and is thriving in his move from Austin to San Marcos.  While it wasn’t the best week for his club, Stewart was sensational, collecting 8 hits in his 19 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, launching 5 home runs and driving in an insane 17 runs.  For the season, he is now slashing...
Read More
Showcase | Story | 4/14/2026

PG Announces Prospect Gateway Schedule

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
PG has announced the dates for Prospect Gateway events across the country - unique opportunities for young players to receive professional feedback and prepare for the next level. The Prospect Gateways are for players ages 13U-14U and serve as a qualifier for the National Showcase. Kevin Schuver, the senior director of showcases at Perfect Game, said these events are chances for players to step out of their comfort zone and show what they’re really made of. “Perfect Game Prospect Gateways aren’t just events. They’re doorways into something bigger. For young athletes, they serve as the first real step beyond their local fields, where raw ability begins to meet visibility and purpose.” At the event, each player is assigned a PG advisor who will watch and advise them individually. There will also be other scouts giving tips on how to enhance and develop a...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 4/13/2026

PG & MLB Clubs Offer Discount Tickets

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME PARTNERS WITH THREE MLB CLUBS TO OFFER EXCLUSIVE TICKET DISCOUNTS FOR YOUTH TEAMS    Sanford, Florida (Friday, April 10, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new fan engagement initiative in partnership with three Major League Baseball clubs — the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals — to provide exclusive discounted ticket opportunities for teams participating in Perfect Game events.    Through the collaboration, youth baseball and softball teams competing in...
Read More
College | Rankings | 4/13/2026

College Top 25: April 13

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
In a season where remaining in the Top 25 has become a war of attrition, the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (33-2) are making the game look much easier than it is in all reality.  Winners of 27-games in a row, this club continues to win games by any means necessary as they continue their historic run.  Beyond the incredible win streak, the Bruins have started off Big Ten play (18-0) by sweeping their first six conference weekend.  Adding to their resume, in Game 1 of their series at Rutgers, they won a 14-inning thriller by a score of 4-1where their pitching staff registered an eye-popping 30-strikeouts while only surrendering 1 walk and 4 hits throughout.  In most any other season, the No. 2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (30-5) would be sitting atop the poll as they are putting together a historic season of their own.  They swept Florida State (24-11) who was previously ranked...
Read More
Draft | Story | 4/10/2026

PG Draft: Favorite Position Group

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Every draft class has its strengths. Some years its a loaded group of prep infielders, some years its a deep collection of college arms. In this year’s class, certain position groups stand out above the rest to us. This week, the draft team dives into their favorite position groups. Groups that we believe are loaded with depth, upside, and big league potential. College Infielders It’s hard not to get excited about the crop of college infielders in this year’s class because of who is at the top. Roch Cholowsky alone makes the group exciting. He’s got gold glove potential at the next level and an offensive profile that should make him one of the Top 15 to 20 prospects in all of baseball the second he gets drafted. Justin Lebron is another player with as much upside in the class. He is a premium athlete that can really pick it at short and has big upside with the...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 4/10/2026

Perfect Game and vivenu Partner Up

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME PARTNERS WITH VIVENU TO POWER DIGITAL COMMERCE ACROSS YOUTH BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL    Sanford, Florida / New York, New York (Friday, April 10, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, has selected vivenu as its ticketing and commerce partner to unify revenue operations across its tournament ecosystem.    With 1.6 million tickets sold annually, 9,800 events in 40+ states and an immense social footprint, Perfect Game has built the most influential pipeline in amateur baseball. The organization has produced over 2,200 MLB alumni, and...
Read More
General | Blog | 4/10/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 64

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
What Do Barry Zito, Justin Verlander, Trevor Bauer, and Dallas Keuchel All Have in Common? By Ron Wolforth | Texas Baseball Ranch® | PG Arm Care Take a second and think about the question posed in the title before you read on. Four Cy Young Award winners. Four of the most decorated pitchers of their generation. What's the common thread? The first answer is obvious… they all won the most prestigious individual award in pitching. Most of you probably got there immediately. The second answer is less obvious… they all trained at the Texas Baseball Ranch® at some point in their development. Interesting, maybe, but not the point of this article. The third answer is the one I really want you to sit with, because it has direct relevance to your career right now: they all move completely differently. And they all attack hitters completely differently. Don't rush past that....
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.