BOSTON — At almost the precise moment that Curt Schilling was losing his bid for a no-hitter, some 3,000 miles away from Fenway Park, the Red Sox’ baseball operations staff was getting ready to make its first selection in yesterday’s amateur draft.

“It was an interesting day,” said general manager Theo Epstein last night. “We were trying to do two things at once.”

Minutes after Shannon Stewart’s single ended Schilling’s no-hit effort, the Sox selected left-hander Nick Hagadone from the University of Washington with the 55th selection of the draft.

The Red Sox didn’t have a first-round pick, having forfeited it after signing free-agent shortstop Julio Lugo last winter.

Hagadone, 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, spent most of his junior season closing for the Huskies, but the Sox project him as a starter. He was 6-1 with 11 saves and a 2.77 ERA while earning All-Pac-10 honors.

The Sox had Hagadone on a short list of three or four players they had targeted for their selection at 55, but first had to sweat out whether the hometown Seattle Mariners would choose him first.

“I’ve been hearing a lot from the Red Sox, especially earlier in the year,” said Hagadone. “I had some idea there was a chance I could get picked (by them), but it wasn’t anything for sure.”

Hagadone, who has improved his velocity significantly, throws in the low 90s and also features a decent slider. He’s been working to improve a changeup and a split-finger fastball.

Asked if he perceives himself as a starter or reliever, Hagadone said: “Honestly, I don’t have a preference for either one. I’m glad to get my opportunity, and whatever the Red Sox want me to do, that’s what I’ll do.”

Said a scout from another organization: “He’s a power lefty, a big kid. He can touch 96 mph, but he’s mostly 90-93. He has good arm strength and reminds me a little of Billy Bray (of the Cincinnati Reds, who has battled injuries in the last year but was a first-round pick in 2004).”

Hagadone is a one-time teammate of Tim Lincecum at Washington. The two combined on a no-hitter, but Hagadone dismissed any comparisons between the two. Lincecum was the 10th pick in last summer’s draft by San Francisco and is already part of the Giants’ starting rotation.

“I think Tim is a once-in-a-lifetime player to be around,” said Hagadone. “I can’t set my expectations as high as his. I want to get to Boston as soon as I can, but that’s something out of my control.”

With their next selection, 62nd overall, the Sox chose 18-year old shortstop Ryan Dent from a Long Beach, Calif., high school.

Baseball America rated Dent as the 21st-best position player in the draft and the 46th-best overall prospect. Dent is speedy and athletic, with 28 steals in 35 games. He has a scholarship offer from UCLA, but Red Sox scouting director Jason McLeod believes the Sox have an excellent chance to sign him.

Dent has great raw tools and blazing speed. Another organization had him at 4.05 seconds from home to first, and he has drawn comparisons to Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal.

A scout who saw Dent extensively praised his ability and athleticism, but questioned his patience at the plate and wondered if he might project somewhere other than shortstop.

The Sox say they have no such questions.

“He’s a very gifted guy athletically,” said McLeod. “We have every intention of starting him at short and leaving him there. He’s certainly athletic and versatile enough that if something were to happen, he could handle ( a position change). But we drafted him as a shortstop and plan on leaving him there.”

Later in the day, the Sox chose Alabama high school infielder Hunter Morris in the second round (84th overall); right-hander Brock Huntzinger, a high-schooler from Indiana, in the third round (114th overall); Southeastern Louisiana University right-hander Christopher Province in the fourth round (144th overall), and Liberty-Eylau (Texas) High School infielder/right-hander William Middlebrooks in the fifth round (174th overall).

smcadam@projo.com