Two draft picks, a Gold Glove junior college transfer and the son of a former big leaguer make up Hawai'i's incoming recruiting class that is ranked 37th nationally by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.

"It's just a recognition for the hard work our staff put in and really a tribute to our kids we brought in," UH coach Mike Trapasso said. "It remains to be seen how hard they work and develop and what they're able to do in the spring. It's a good feeling to have Collegiate Baseball feel the same way we did when we brought this class in."

The 14-player class includes nine freshmen and five JC transfers.

Kamehameha-Hawai'i's Kolten Wong, an infielder/outfielder/catcher, was drafted in the 16th round by the Minnesota Twins and catcher Nick Croce, of Mission Bay High in California, was picked in the 45th round by the Atlanta Braves. Wong's contract negotiations with the Twins went down to the Aug. 15 deadline. Corner infielder Daniel Howell, of San Luis Obispo, Calif., was a summer sign. His father is former Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Roy Howell.

The other freshmen are infielders Russell Doi, of Mid-Pacific Institute, and Jesse Moore, of Mission Bay (Calif.) High, and outfielder Chase Koissian, of Cypress (Calif.) High. Other first-year players are Lenny Linsky, of Peninsula High, Matt Sisto, of Cypress High, and Connor Little, of Rancho Bernardo High — all from California.The JC transfers are outfielder Christian Johnson, an 'Iolani School graduate from Central Arizona, infielder Joshua Chevalier from Salt Lake City, catcher Jack Hall from East Los Angeles, and pitchers Ryan Davis from Bellevue (Washington) and Nathaniel Klein from Santa Barbara City. Johnson was named to the NJCAA Rawlings Gold Glove team.

"There are a few guys in this class that will have an immediate impact," Trapasso said.

Sisto was touted as a high draft pick, but an elbow injury limited him to seven innings, although he was able to play first base his senior year. He pitched in the Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League over the summer.

"Had he not been injured, he would've been a decent draft," Trapasso said of the 6-foot-5 right-hander.

Little, who is 6 feet 7, was a summer sign. Trapasso said shortly after he committed to UH, the Kansas City Royals offered him $100,000 to sign as an undrafted free agent.

Early signee Colby Ho (Kaiser '06), who played at Palomar JC in California, and summer signee Kirby Yates (Kaua'i '05), who pitched at Yavapai JC in Arizona, were short on credits to transfer. Yates said he was short on a math class and has returned to Yavapai, where he has a season of eligibility because he sat out his true freshman year with an injury.

Arizona State is rated No. 1, College World Series and Western Athletic Conference champion Fresno State is No. 10 and Oregon State, national champions in 2006 and 2007, is No. 12. No other WAC teams are ranked in the top 40.