The Corvallis Knights have already located some of the building blocks in their quest for their fourth consecutive West Coast League West Division championship.

President Dan Segel announced Tuesday that the Knights have received verbal commitments from 2009 all-league pitchers Liam Baron and Kyle Kraus, and from four other players from the record-setting 2009 WCL runners-up.

A left-handed starter/reliever who will attend Gonzaga this year, Baron was 3-2 with a 2.25 ERA and six saves. A rising sophomore at Portland, Kraus was 6-2 with a 2.04 ERA.

Also returning are right-handed pitchers Trevor Smith (6-1, 2.68, 1 save) of Oregon and Eric Young (0-1, 4.00, 1 save) of Riverside, Calif., Community College; infielder/outfielder/left-handed pitcher Dylan Jones (.274, 1-30; 2-0, 4.15, 1 save) of Oregon State, and first baseman D.J. Johnson (.298, 0-13) of Western Oregon.

Baron and Johnson also played for the Knights' 2008 championship team.

"Returning players are important," said Segel, who had eight 2008 holdovers this past summer. "They accelerate the expectation curve, set a tone for the club and are typically your leaders. We're pleased that (the six 2009 Knights) are coming back. All were a key contributors."

Attendance update

The Knights ranked third in the WCL in overall and in league attendance.

They drew 31,536 overall, including a designated home game in Klamath Falls, and 27,198 for WCL games, a 1,007 average. Total WCL attendance increased by 17 percent from 2008, to 152,606 (799 average), and to 186,361 for all games.

Bend led the WCL overall (44,465) and was second in the league play (30,022). Wenatchee was first in league games (35,434) and second overall (42,991). Kelowna was fourth overall (16,994), followed by Bellingham (15,854), Kitsap (13,614), Moses Lake (13,349) and Spokane (7,608).

Cowlitz Black Bears

The new franchise in Kelso-Longview, Wash., will be named the Cowlitz Black Bears, general manager Grant Wilson said. The team's primary logo will be a "C," with a black bear inside the letter.

"We wanted a nickname with an edge, but a name that ties into the area and that youngsters can associate with," Wilson said.

Cowlitz will join the league for the 2010 season and play at Story Field at Lower Columbia College. Klamath Falls and Walla Walla may also join the league next summer.