Reds grab
Loo again

The third baseman from Molokai
goes in the ninth round

Three Hawaii players -- Milton Loo, Kea Kometani and Isaac Omura -- and one University of Hawaii Rainbow recruit, Cody Allen, were selected yesterday on the first day of the Major League Baseball First-Year-Player Draft.

The 30 major league teams completed 18 rounds yesterday and are expected to complete the final 32 rounds today.

Milton Loo, a Molokai graduate who played at Yavapai College in Prescott, Ariz., this year, was selected by the Cincinnati Reds for the second consecutive year. He was picked in the ninth round (272nd overall) as a third baseman this season.

Last year he was chosen as a shortstop in the 17th round (498th overall). Loo and the Reds were unable to reach an agreement on contract terms prior to midnight Eastern Daylight Time on May 30, the final time a team could sign a draft-and-follow pick from the 2004 draft.

"I was definitely happy to be drafted again and to be drafted higher," said Loo. "I had talked to them before the draft and told them I didn't mind if they picked me again.

"Right now I'm looking toward going back to school and playing another year, but if the Reds offer something really good, I might sign."

If Loo returns to Yavapai, he would be a draft-and-follow selection again.

Isaac Omura was the only 'Bow picked yesterday, taken in the 17th round (521st overall) by the Oakland Athletics.

The soft-spoken second baseman, who plays with quiet emotion, was antsy yesterday.

"I was just kind of pacing around all day hoping I would get lucky. My mom (Beverly) was watching the Internet and she told me," said Omura, who only found out he was on Oakland's draft board a week ago.

"I was very surprised. I wasn't expecting to go until the 30th round or higher. I was really happy," Omura said. "I think this is a pretty good opportunity and I hope it works out for me."

The three-year starter at second base led the 'Bows with a .369 batting average. He had 19 doubles, six home runs, 47 runs batted in and 36 walks, 12 of which were intentional. The two-time All-Western Athletic Conference honoree struck out just 26 times in 250 plate appearances.

Omura, who is scheduled to leave Sunday for Massachusetts to play for the Orleans Cardinals in the Cape Cod League, will meet with Oakland officials later this week.

"We were pleasantly surprised and happy for Ike," said UH coach Mike Trapasso. "It will be tough replacing him if he decides to sign, but it is a great day for him and caps off a great season."

Kometani, a senior right-hander from Pepperdine who prepped at Punahou, was taken in the 15th round (459th overall) by the Texas Rangers.

"I wasn't watching the draft and my teammates came up and told me," said Kometani. "I was really excited. All the hard work finally paid off."

Kometani, who was disappointed at not being drafted a year ago after moving from the bullpen to a starting role for the Waves, is glad he returned to school.

"It was a good experience and I've graduated with a degree in economics," Kometani said. He will sign after meeting with a Texas scout later this week.

He pitched 127 2/3 innings in 2005, a career high, and was 10-5 with a 3.17 earned-run average.

"My arm feels pretty good. A week of rest will help," said Kometani, who throws a fastball that tops out at 90 mph, a slider and his best pitch, the splitter.

He expects to be assigned to the Spokane Indians in the short-season Class A Northwest League.

"I'm not sure if the Rangers want me to be a starter or a reliever. I will do either one," said Kometani.

Allen, signed as an outfielder and right-handed pitcher by the 'Bows, was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 10th round as a third baseman.

"They called me and said they were going to make an offer. That's pretty much how I woke up this morning," said Allen from his Elk Grove, Calif., home.

"They called back with an offer about 1 p.m. We're going to sit down and discuss it as a family. It is a good offer, we're not far apart and I'm pretty sure I'm going to sign."