UH baseball recruit Omura hurts knee

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

University of Hawai'i baseball recruit Isaac Omura of Mid-Pacific Institute said he will miss at least 4-6 weeks after suffering a minor tear of the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee Sunday in the Mililani tournament.

Omura, an all-state second baseman as a junior last year, signed a letter of intent to play for the Rainbows during the early signing period in November. He said he had a magnetic resonance imaging of the knee Monday and was told rehabilitation would take 4-6 weeks.

"No surgery is required," he said last night.

The left-handed hitting Omura said he swung at a pitch and heard his knee pop. He already had a right ankle sprain, but said it had no effect on the swing that caused the knee injury.

Another major injury occurred during the tournament when Iolani junior catcher Kala Ka'aihue broke his foot. Ka'aihue will miss an undetermined number of games, he said.

The Interscholastic League of Honolulu season opens Saturday.

In other news regarding UH recruits, Poway (Calif.) High third baseman/first baseman Tyler Wightman has made huge strides since signing with UH in November. He bolted from being unranked to No. 95 in the latest Prospects Plus' top 500 high school players.

Wightman gives UH three recruits in the top 500 by Prospects Plus, a scouting report service. Also ranked are No. 202 Keahi Rawlins, a first baseman/pitcher from Moloka'i High and No. 306 Drew Jackson, a catcher from Standley Lake High in Colorado.