Ty Pedretti, a 6-foot-2 infielder from Merced (Calif.) Community College, has accepted a scholarship offer to play baseball at Hawaii this season.

A first-team All-Central Valley Conference selection in 2011, Pedretti said he talked to Hawaii coach Mike Trapasso on Tuesday, when he received the offer.

“He said they had someone sign at the very end of the deadline and I’d have a good opportunity to come in and battle for a spot,” said Pedretti, who was planning on attending Santa Barbara before the offer from Hawaii came.

“I was looking online and the idea of ohana, all the sports programs there really put an emphasis on how important family is, really appealed to me.”

Pedretti’s father, Chris, has been the head coach at Merced for 26 years.

Ty is expected to battle for a starting middle infield spot after Hawaii recruit Brett Harrison signed with the Detroit Tigers less than an hour before Monday’s draft deadline.

Pedretti visited UH once, as a 12-year-old, to watch his sister play softball for California. He said he never made it across the street to see the baseball stadium, but is aware of the crowds UH brings in.

“That was another thing that drew me in,” he said.

“I know it gets packed for every game and that’s something I want to be a part of.”

Pedretti played summer ball for the Cooperstown Hawkeyes in the Perfect Game Summer League, hitting .231 with eight doubles and three home runs.

Hawaii has also secured commitments from Billy Nottingham, a 6-2 infielder who also played catcher at Riverside (Calif.) Community College this year, and pitcher Jon Flinn, who went 8-4 with a 1.40 ERA at Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College.

Nottingham was teammates with Nic Cuckovich, a UH recruit who signed with the Kansas City Royals earlier this summer. He was named to the All-Orange Empire Conference first team in May.

Flinn, who earned All-Northern California honors as a sophomore, is 6-5 and joins incoming pitchers Scott Squier (6-6), Corey Macdonald (6-7) and David Longville (6-5) to give UH an imposing presence on the mound.

Joe Goldenberg, a 6-3 utility player from the College of San Mateo, and Kyle Dowdy, a 6-1 right-hander from Francis Parker H.S. in San Diego, are expected to walk on.

Former Kamehameha standout Kalei Hanawahine, who played at San Diego the past two seasons, will transfer to Hawaii, but has to sit out the 2012 season. An all-state first team selection after hitting .429 as a senior, Hanawahine hit .217 in 60 at-bats for the Toreros last season.