Owasso Star Leads Oklahoma Contingent In Baseball Draft

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Pete Kozma provided another first Thursday for an Owasso High School program that has seemingly accomplished almost everything. <br/><br/>The shortstop became the first player from

Thursday, June 7th 2007, 7:09 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Pete Kozma provided another first Thursday for an Owasso High School program that has seemingly accomplished almost everything.

The shortstop became the first player from the tradition-rich program in suburban Tulsa to be chosen in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft when the St. Louis Cardinals took him with the 18th overall pick.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Kozma led the Rams to the Class 6A title this spring, hitting .522 with 11 home runs, six triples, 21 doubles, 14 stolen bases and 55 RBIs. His first-inning solo home run was the difference as Owasso beat Edmond Memorial 1-0 in the state championship game, giving the Rams their sixth title in 10 years.

``It's pretty incredible, no doubt about it,'' Owasso coach Larry Turner said of the hoopla surrounding Kozma. ``Our program the last 10 years has been amazing, with the great players that we've had and the run that we've had. This just adds to it and takes it to another level.''

Turner called Kozma ``the best player I've ever coached,'' a number that includes former major-league pitcher Jamie Bluma. Turner said that 10 minutes before the draft started Thursday, Kozma was at Owasso's ballpark practicing his hitting.

``He is just so unassuming,'' Turner said. ``He's not flashy, he plays the game for the right reasons and respects it. Now he's going to get paid for it.''

Jeff Luhnow, the Cardinals' amateur scouting director and farm director, told MLB.com that the team has been following Kozma all year.

``He's a guy that sort of came on a little bit late, so not a lot of teams knew about him,'' Luhnow said.

He said Kozma's ability to hit, combined with the position he plays, gives Kozma ``a lot of flexibility'' for the future. Luhnow said that Kozma projects as a shortstop, ``but a lot of things can happen.''

Kozma has signed to play collegiately with Wichita State, but team officials believe the defending World Series champions will have a good chance of signing Kozma to a pro contract.

It's the second time in recent years the Cardinals have used a first-round pick on an Oklahoma product. In 1996, the Cardinals chose Braden Looper, a Wichita State pitcher from Mangum, Okla., third overall.

Three Oklahoma college players were chosen with compensatory picks between the first and second rounds.

The San Francisco Giants took Oklahoma catcher Jackson Williams with the 43rd overall pick. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound junior from Broken Arrow received second-team All-Big 12 Conference honors from league coaches after hitting .344 with 15 doubles, four home runs and 44 RBIs. The Sooners finished 34-24 and did not make the NCAA tournament.

No Oklahoma catcher had been drafted so high since John Russell went in the first round of the 1982 draft to the Philadelphia Phillies. Williams said he had expected to be drafted between the second and fifth rounds.

Going higher than that was ``quite the pleasant surprise,'' Williams said. ``They've got a good ballclub. They've got some good young guys on the mound. I'm looking forward to hooking up with them and hopefully playing in San Francisco someday.''

Williams said it was likely that he would forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and sign with the Giants.

Two Oklahoma State juniors, third baseman Matt Mangini and outfielder Corey Brown, went with the 52nd and 59th overall picks to the Seattle Mariners and Oakland A's, respectively.

Mangini, in his first season with the Cowboys after transferring from North Carolina State, is hitting .343 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs for Oklahoma State, which is 41-19 entering this week's NCAA super regional at Louisville. Brown is hitting .339 with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs.

The draft will continue through Friday.