Top prospect commits to UH baseball team

By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

One of the top 100 high school pro prospects in the nation said he has verbally committed to play baseball at the University of Hawai'i starting in the 2005 season.

Greg Burns, a center fielder at Walnut (Calif.) High in Southern California, said he will sign with the Rainbows in November, the early signing period for baseball. The left-handed hitting and left-handed throwing Burns recorded the fastest 60-yard dash of 6.64 seconds at the Perfect Game National Showcase June 13-15 in Lincoln, Neb. There were more than 100 prospects at the event.

"I felt it (UH) was a good fit for me," said the 6-foot-3, 180-pound Burns. "It's a good baseball program."

Burns, ranked 92nd by Perfect Game USA's Top 400 high school prospects, is the second high school senior to verbally commit to play for UH. On Monday, Mid-Pacific Institute all-Interscholastic League of Honolulu right-handed pitcher Harrison Kuroda verbally committed to play for the Rainbows.

(Perfect Game USA is a scouting service.)

Burns said he also was being recruited by Arizona State, Long Beach State, UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount, Cal State-Northridge and UNLV.

• Rainbows get two: Catcher Creighton Kahoali'i, brother of former UH-Hilo softball player Kristine Kahoali'i, is one of two players transferring to UH for the 2004 baseball season, the school announced.

Kahoali'i (6 feet and 205 pounds) will be a senior. He played in 11 games last year for California. He batted .154 with a double. He played a cumulative 49 games between the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

According to a UH press release, Kahoali'i's family is originally from Hawai'i.

With two catchers returning — sophomore Matt Inouye, who played more games in the outfield last year, and redshirt freshman Steve Bell-Irving — Kahoali'i gives the Rainbows some depth at the position.

Joining Kahoali'i is outfielder Greg Kish, who transfers from Oklahoma. He batted .306 with 16 RBIs for the Sooners, starting in 31 of the 41 games he played this past season. He will be a junior.

Kish (6-0, 185) played for Mira Costa High in California.

• Hawai'i players ranked: Two players from Hawai'i are ranked in the Perfect Game USA Top 400. Waimea High third baseman Leonard Zalopany is ranked 164th and 'Aiea High catcher Aaron Asher is ranked 174th. Both will be seniors.