TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Kniginyzky departs Naturals for IBAF World Cup team

Published on September 2, 2009 under Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


Springdale, AR - One current Natural and a former Natural will be playing baseball alongside several Texas Leaguers on a worldwide stage this September.

Right-hander Matt Kniginyzky, the 26-year-old hurler from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, departed the team Wednesday to join Team Canada in advance of the September 9th start of the World Baseball Cup competition in Europe. He has been placed on the Naturals' Temporary Inactive List.

Kniginyzky is in his first season with the Naturals, posting a 5-10 record and 5.48 ERA in 26 games (24 starts). He departs ranked second on the club with 24 games started; only Anthony Lerew has started more games this season. Kniginyzky made his final Texas League start Tuesday night, getting tagged with the loss as the Naturals fell to the Arkansas Travelers. Kniginyzky was the Royals' 23rd round selection in the 2005 draft.

There are twenty-two national teams - including the USA - beginning first round play of the IBAF World Cup at five different European locations next week. One other player participating is former Naturals' infielder Irving Falu, who will compete on the Puerto Rico squad. Falu, who batted .301 with five homers and 42 RBI in 101 games with the Naturals in 2008, was a fan favorite in Springdale and an offensive catalyst for the Naturals down the stretch last season. This year, for Triple-A Omaha, Falu batted .269 with two homers and 40 RBI in 122 games. Serving as Omaha's primary leadoff hitter, the 26-year old from Carolina, PR posted a .342 on-base percentage.

Several other players who have seen time in the Texas League this season are also participating: LHP Trevor Reckling (Travelers), 2B Daniel Descalso (Cardinals), C Jason Castro (Hooks), LHP Kasey Kiker (RoughRiders), and LHP Corey Leubke (Missions) all will represent Team USA, as will infielder Tug Hulett, a teammate of Irving Falu's with Triple-A Omaha.

To fill Kniginyzky's spot on the Naturals roster, right-hander Jason Godin was transferred back to Northwest Arkansas from Triple-A Omaha. Godin has seen action at three levels of the Royals' farm system this season, including an earlier six-game stint with the Naturals. The Royals' fifth-round selection in the 2006 draft out of Old Dominion University, the 24-year old Stafford, VA resident had spent the majority of the 2009 season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, the Royals' Advanced-A Carolina League affiliate before his promotion to Double-A in late July. This season, Godin has a 4-1 record and a 2.22 ERA in 24 games (four starts) with Wilmington, Northwest Arkansas, and Omaha.

After the moves, the Naturals' roster stands at the Texas League limit of 24 active players.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. The Naturals have a toll-free ticket hotline (1-877-444-2637) for fans to purchase Naturals tickets. Our website, nwanaturals.com offers fans the opportunity to purchase tickets online and avoid lines at the ticket windows by printing their tickets at home or at the office.

Check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Texas League Stories from September 2, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central