Andy Loomis was too excited to be mad at himself. But his appetite did get in the way of his big day in the sun Friday.

Loomis thought he was safe to go grab a bite to eat with a friend Friday afternoon in Whiting, and wouldn't have to worry about missing anything on the TV or Internet with live coverage of the 2008 Major League Baseball draft.

Unfortunately, Loomis missed seeing his name flash across the screen.

"I figured I was going 30th (round) or later since I'm a (college) senior and they usually go late," the left-handed pitcher said. "Then my brother calls me and said I was drafted in the 16th round (by the Florida Marlins). I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me? I missed it.'"

The good thing is Loomis didn't miss the plate much this past season at Purdue.

The standout southpaw and Bishop Noll grad went 4-1 as a reliever for the Boilermakers. He finished with a 1.72 ERA and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 30-8 in 32 appearances. Loomis thought he might be a later pick because he's a senior and doesn't have options like underclassmen or high school seniors who get drafted.

"I'm just glad I got an opportunity -- that's all you can ask for," Loomis said. "Now I'm just going to worry about baseball. That's my main focus now."

Loomis, who pitched two seasons at South Suburban College before playing the last two at Purdue, thinks a big boost in going so early was the fact his velocity increased at the perfect time. He said he was topping off at 88 mph for most of the season, but hit 92 mph on the radar gun against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament championship game.

Next up for Loomis will be signing a contract and heading to one of the Marlins' minor league affiliates, most likely the Single-A Jamestown Jammers in the New York-Pennsylvania League, he said.