As Blaze Koali’i Pontes started stringing together quality starts during the Big West season, the idea of playing professional baseball began to enter his mind.

Those dreams became reality on Wednesday when the University of Hawaii right-hander and Kamehameha alumnus was selected in the 16th round by the Oakland Athletics in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Pontes, a 6-foot right-hander, was made the No. 484 overall selection and became the second UH pitcher to get drafted after right-hander Cade Halemanu was picked in the 10th round by the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday.

Pontes said he was at home with his parents when he got the call from the A’s.

“Just an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “When it was coming down to the last few rounds of the draft, as everybody would probably feel the same way, I was anxious and nervous. I didn’t know what was going to happen.

“Then I got that phone call.”

The Athletics were one of the teams Pontes had talked to before the draft, but he thought he might end up with the Minnesota Twins.

Instead he’ll be putting on an A’s uniform as soon as this weekend. Pontes, who did have a year of eligibility remaining, has already agreed to a deal and will fly to Arizona, where Oakland’s spring training facility is, on Thursday. He’ll take his physical on Friday and will be back playing baseball by the weekend if all goes well.

“Just been long tossing and lifting and enjoying the summer since it’s my first one home in four years,” Pontes said.

The All-Big West first team selection really shined in the second half of the season with the ‘Bows when he moved into the starting rotation.

In seven starts, he was 4-1 with a 2.09 ERA and averaged 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

“When I got my confidence back in the middle of the year was kind of when I realized, hey, this is something I could do post-college,” Pontes said. “At the end of the year the stats were what it was and I felt good where I ended things. When I got that phone call today it was another step in what I’ve going in my life.”

Pontes’ selection gives Hawaii multiple draft picks in the same season for the first time since 2018, when catcher Kekai Rios was taken in the 28th round and right-hander Dylan Thomas went in the 38th round.

Thomas didn’t sign and returned to UH for the following season.

Pontes and Rios are two of 21 Kamehameha alums who have been selected in the MLB draft, which is the most of any high school in Hawaii.

“That’s awesome. It’s fun to keep the legacy going,” Pontes said. “It’s pretty refreshing to hear. They have a good coaching staff up there so there will be more good players coming out, 100 percent.”

Three players with local ties were taken in the 20-round draft this year with recent Saint Louis graduate Aiva Arquette going in the 18th round (No. 528 overall) to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Arquette, who signed with Washington and is currently playing summer ball for the Wenatchee Applesox in the West Coast League, said Monday evening that he was likely going to college, regardless of if he was drafted.

As of Tuesday afternoon, nothing had changed.

Teams have until Aug. 1 to negotiate with and sign their drafted players.

2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft

Players selected with Hawaii ties:

Cade Halemanu, RHP, Hawaii (Pearl City), Round 10, No. 314, Tampa Bay Rays

Blaze Koali’i Pontes, RHP, Hawaii (Kamehameha), Round 16, No. 484, Oakland Athletics

Aiva Arquette, SS, Saint Louis, Round 18, No. 528, Arizona Diamondbacks