The baseball futures of right-handed pitchers Cade Halemanu and Blaze Koali‘i Pontes might be shaped in the next three days.

Halemanu and Pontes were the University of Hawaii’s top starting pitchers this past season, and both are hopeful of being selected in the 20-round Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The first two rounds are today, the next eight rounds on Monday, and rounds 11 through 20 on Tuesday.

“I think both those guys are in the mix,” UH coach Rich Hill said.

Halemanu, who completed his fourth UH season, received free-agent offers after not being selected in last year’s 20-round draft. “I decided not to take them, and better myself by coming back to school,” Halemanu said.

Hill, who was hired in June 2021, installed Halemanu as the ace of the pitching staff. In 15 starts, Halemanu was 4-5 with 4.69 ERA while averaging a strikeout an inning. Halemanu was particularly sharp against Big West opponents, going 4-3 with a 2.68 ERA in 10 league starts. Halemanu, whose out pitch is a darting change-up, developed a fastball that topped at 97 mph. He is viewed as both a next-level starter and reliever.

“This past season was not even close to my best form,” Halemanu said. “Everything happens for a reason. I’ll leave it at that. But that’s nowhere close to what I can do.”

Halemanu harbors no regrets about returning to UH. The Pearl City High graduate, who was a walk-on his first three UH seasons, was on scholarship the past year. He earned a degree in health and sports psychology in May.

“We don’t necessarily know how that turned out yet,” Halemanu said of the decision to play for UH in 2022. “But the experience I got this year and the mental toughness I gained are priceless.”

Halemanu entered the transfer portal this month, and will play at Oregon in 2023 if he is not drafted or signed to a free-agent deal. He said he opted to train in Hawaii ahead of the draft. He resumed throwing off a mound a week ago.

Pontes also opted to remain in Hawaii ahead of the draft. To complement his training, he has been long-tossing and throwing bullpen sessions.UH’s Blake Hiraki was Pontes’ training catcher until going to the mainland for summer ball. Jaren Banis of Kamehameha is catching for Pontes.

“I was definitely feeling the wear and tear after the season,” said Pontes, who amassed a career-high 701⁄3 innings in 20 appearances. “That was the most innings I’d thrown in a collegiate season. It was something I wasn’t used to. But right now I feel 100% ready to go.”

Three MLB teams have expressed interest in Pontes. An area scout for a fourth team watched Pontes throw a bullpen session.

“I’m ready to fill any role they give me, to be honest,” Pontes said. “I’m just looking for an opportunity to play at the next level.”

Pontes was dominant after moving into the starting rotation. In seven starts, Pontes was 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA and 1.14 WHIP. He averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

UH signee Zach Storbakken, a third baseman with Madison Community College in 2022, is projected to be drafted on the third day. He hit .319 with a 1.010 on-base percentage and 15 steals in 17 attempts. Madison reached the final round of the 2022 NJCAA Division II World Series. But Storbakken has indicated he wants the NCAA Division I experience and would likely honor his UH commitment.