Knights Tame The Jaguars

After a disappointing split on day one, the Knights took care of business with two convincing wins on day two.

In game one lefty, Corey Sartor, was let down by a shaky Knight's defense. In the bottom of the first Sartor was forced to record 5 outs after 2 defensive miscues took his first inning pitch count from 12 to 26.

The Knights jumped to an early lead in the first but quickly gave it back on 3 unearned runs. The Knights were tied after the first two inning then gave up the lead in the 3rd before putting up 5 in the fifth and 9 in the 6th to end the game in run rule fashion

For the Knights, Justin Keithley, went 4-5 with 4 runs and 2 RBI. Justin Coats, Adam Humes, and Shane Bagley all chipped in with three hits a piece.

In Game two junior righty, Garret Randle, threw a gem, giving up just 2 hits in five innings of work while striking out 4. Jeff Sakowski, Thomas Huggins, and Shane Bagley all had 2 hits a piece. For the third time on the weekend, Senior Humberto Miranda scolded a would be home run only to be knocked down once again by the strong north wind.

The Knights outscored UHV by a count of 33-10 and it could have been much worse had the Knights offense not been hampered by tough hitting conditions as several Knights outs would have sailed over the Jaguars outfield wall.

The Knights are back in action on Tuesday in their home opener vs Austin College. The double header is slated with a 1pm start time. The Knights will send freshman and Houston native, Brendan Fleming, to the mound in his first collegiate start.

Box scores
http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/Team/TeamPage.aspx?association=10&sg=MBA&sea=NAIMBA_2010&team=1745

Knights Split

Opening day for the 2010 Knights ended in a slit with the University of Houtson-Victoria. The theme of the day was pitching and a 20mph north wind blowing straight in from left field.

In game one Knight's pitcher Trent Montgomery set the tone as he pumped strikes inning after inning. He took a shutout into the last inning, finally getting broke up by way of a balk call. The Knights were able to turn four double plays, aiding Montgomery in his debut.

Offensively the Knights put together a five run inning, aided by UHV miscues. The Knights six hits were spread throughout the line-up.

Senior, Tyler Rucker came on in the seventh to finish up Montgomery's outing as the Knights held on for a 5-1 victory.

Game two saw a combination of great pitching and a great wall of wind hold the Knight's offense to 2 runs on just 2 hits. Senior Humberto Miranda saw two of his blasts caught harmlessly at the base of the left field wall.

On the mound Junior Kane Kimrey threw 5 solid innings. Junior Sean Ayala came on in relief to finish out the game as the Knights fell 2-3.

The Knights play two more today, beginning at 1pm. Both games will be webcast.

Box Scores
http://www.dakstats.com/WebSync/Pages/BoxScores/BoxScores.aspx?association=10&sg=MBA&sea=NAIMBA_2010&team=1745&compID=102361

Webcast Games

Today's games at UHV will be webcast. You can access the webcast by clicking on the stats link followed by the "w" beside the game on the schedule.

All of the Knights games will be webcast this year. Game one at UHV begins at 2pm.

Knight's Season Preview

The 2010 season is right around the corner and the Knights are ready to begin their crusade towards the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.

This years Knights have several new names and faces. For the first time in several years, the Knight's depth may be it's strength.

In the outfield the Knights return 2nd Team All Conference performer, Jeff Sakowski. Jeff will hold down right field while also serving as a go to guy out of the bullpen. Justin Keithley, a transfer from Sam Houston State, will join Sakowski as an everyday outfielder. Keithley will hit at the top of the order, in the leadoff or three hole. Also looking to push for playing time in the outfield will be senior, Anthony Washington, and a pair of junior transfers in Darby Walker and Anthony Lymberopolous. Washington played sparingly in 09 as he was stuck behind RRAC Player of the Year, RJ Harris. Junior Darby Walker will be available in March and will push for time in center and at thirdbase. Walker will also be a key contributor out of the bullpen. Lymberopolous has come on strong of late, as the fastest man on the roster, he is honing in his superb natural ability.

Thirdbase has a lot of depth as four guys have a legitimate chance of logging big innings. The front runner is freshman, Adam Humes. Humes, has moved across the diamond from firstbase and has settled in nicely. Humes got the opportunity to make the move after senior, Second Team All Conference Player, Humberto Miranda has suffered arm problems. Junior Darby Walker will also compete at third when he becomes available in March. Senior, Randy Richter can also slide into third as he logged significant time there in '09.

Shortstop will see a familiar face in senior, Shane Bagley. Bagley has held down the position the previous two years and has continued to improve coming into this spring.

Secondbase will have senior Justin Coats as the mainstay. Coats was unavailable defensively in '09 as he was coming off of shoulder surgery. He served as the teams designated hitter while Humberto Miranda garnered Second Team Honors at second.

At firstbase the Knight's are thankful to have junior, Thomas Huggins, back after a season ending leg injury in 2009. Huggins is a great defender and brings a lot of power to the line-up. In '09 Huggins earned First Team All Conference honors for his play. Freshman, Adam Humes will move across the diamond to spell Huggins at times.

Behind the plate, a trio of Knights will compete for innings. Leading the way is junior transfer, Johnny Aldaz. Aldaz is a very good catch and throw backstop, he will also add power to the middle of the Knight's order. Senior Matt Redding, will likely share time with Aldaz. Redding is a very talented catcher who may also see time as the Designated Hitter when he is not catching. Also fighting for innings is freshman, CJ Gilbert.

The pitching staff is completely revamped with several new faces. Leading the way in the starting rotation will be sophomore, Trent Montgomery, and juniors, Kane Kimrey, Corey Sartor, and Garret Randle. Junior transfer, Frank Abbl is expected to eventually fit into the rotation as he continues to recover from shoulder surgery. Abbl was selected by the Diamondbacks in the 2009 MLB Draft. Expected regulars in the bullpen are Josh Matthews, Tyler Rucker, Darby Walker, Jeff Sakowski, Chase Campbell, George Isabel, Nick Coronado, Sean Ayala, and Brendan Fleming.

The Knights come into the season as the 25th ranked team in the country and open the season January 29th in Victoria, TX as they take on the University of Houston-Victoria. The Knights play in Grand Prairie, at QT Ballpark(home of the Grand Prairie Airhogs) on February 5th as they take on the defending NAIA National Champions, Lubbock Christian University.