No baseball team, but UNI's O'Rear pro worthy

Lucas O'Rear kept getting chatted up as he walked around the Veterans Memorial Stadium field Monday afternoon.

These weren't  good luck wishes or anything like that. This was about his other sport: basketball.

"I'm walking around in the dugout, and the guys are like 'Aw, you ruined my bracket,'" O'Rear said with a chuckle. "I'm just like 'Sorry about that.' They're all 'You cost me money, you cost me money.' I just told them 'Well, I'm not paying you back. You should have had us in the first place.'"

O'Rear, of course, was a key member of a Northern Iowa team that Cinderella-ed its way to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16. The 6-foot-6 forward from Nashville, Ill., has been the Missouri Valley Conference's Sixth Man of the Year two straight seasons.

But you might not know O'Rear is a baseball guy, too. He was good enough to get invited to participate in Perfect Game USA's 2010 Pre-Draft Showcase, throwing off a side mound and pitching an inning in an elongated game.

"My arm isn't in tip-top shape right now," O'Rear said.

There are reasons for that. UNI's basketball season lasted longer than expected and the school has no baseball program, having it dropped by the school after last season.

That left O'Rear significantly behind most everyone else at the Showcase. He still flashed a fastball clocked consistently around 88-89, a couple of ticks slower than last year.

"It's like everyone has been asking me, 'How much preparation have you gotten?' Honestly, not a whole lot," he said. "I played a little long toss, played some catch, just tried to build my arm up."

Scouts are notoriously tight-lipped publicly about players. That was the case Monday as a couple were asked but declined to talk about O'Rear's prospects.

Major League Baseball's 2010 draft is June 7-9. Considering it's 50 rounds, you would think O'Rear will be selected by someone.

His father, Mike, played briefly in the minors for the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I was talking to a couple of scouts today, and they said anytime after the 20th round, anybody can go anywhere," O'Rear said. "There are so many different people. It's just a matter of who likes you more. That's just what's so crazy about baseball. You can be better than some of these people, but if a club or organization likes you ..."

"I don't know. I think a lot of the scouts know the situation I'm in."

That situation includes having one more season of basketball eligibility, which O'Rear would like to use. He'd also like to complete his education and get his diploma.

Then it'll be time to completely focus on baseball.

"Next year I'll pick up baseball and see where that takes me," he said. "I've never had a 1-2, I've liked all the sports. That's why coming out of high school, (colleges) were like either baseball or basketball. UNI had both, I talked to basketball Coach (Ben) Jacobson and he told me I could play both."

Cedar Rapids Jefferson senior Kellen Sweeney and Cedar Rapids Xavier senior Jon Keller also participated in Monday's Showcase. They also are almost certain to get drafted, possibly in the top five rounds.

A shortstop-second baseman Sweeney is No. 59 overall in Perfect Game's latest overall draft rankings. Keller, a pitcher, flashed a low-90s fastball during his two innings of game work Monday.

"Not terrible," he said. "My velocity is getting there. Hopefully it goes up a little more."