It was a dream-come-true day for a lucky few baseball players in Hawai'i.

Recent Mililani High graduate Dustin Antolin was the first of 11 with ties here selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft yesterday. The hard-throwing right-handed pitcher was taken in the 11th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.

"When I was a kid, I dreamed about playing on TV," said Antolin, who is 6 feet 2 and 180 pounds and was an Advertiser all-state selection as DH/utility as a junior.

Two rounds later, he found a future teammate, as University of Hawai'i right-handed pitcher Matt Daly also was snagged by the American League East team.

"I feel I'm that much closer to the big leagues now and that's been my lifelong dream, so I'm going to try and fulfill that," Daly said.

Daly, who still has a season of eligibility, and Antolin, who signed with Central Arizona JC, both said they are going to sign.

"This is only going to happen once in a lifetime, so I decided to go for it," Antolin said.

Daly has displayed a mid-90 mph fastball during his UH career, but has struggled with command.

Antolin was the first of three local prep players to be drafted. Kamehameha-Hawai'i's Kolten Wong, an all-state catcher as a junior, was drafted as a second baseman in the 16th round by the Minnesota Twins, and 'Aiea right-handed pitcher Randy Castillo went in the 31st round to the Seattle Mariners.

Wong signed with UH as a second baseman and outfielder, but said he will sign if the price is right.

"We're asking above the slot," said Wong in reference to MLB's recommended amount for the 16th round. "The slot is $50,000 and we're trying to see if we can get about $80,000."

Twins area scout Dan Cox, an 'Aiea alumnus who is based in Southern California, said that three years at UH would improve Wong's stock.

"But the kid wants to play," Cox said. "I think he's ready."

Like Antolin, Castillo said he will turn pro.

"Baseball has been my dream," Castillo said. "I have a chance to play straight from high school."

'Aiea coach Ryan Kato said Castillo's fastball is in the 90 to 92 mph range.

Three other Rainbows joined Daly in the draft.

Jon Hee was picked as a second baseman by the Boston Red Sox in the 21st round, center fielder Brandon Haislet went in the 23rd round to the Phillies and catcher Landon Hernandez went in the 50th round to the Detroit Tigers.

"I give Coach Dunn (Muramaru of MPI) a lot of credit," Hee said. "He set the foundation to get me ready for the college level. The UH coaches did a good job of preparing me for the next level. Coach Meij (Keith Komeiji) worked with all parts of my game."

"I'm glad I came back for my senior year," Haislet said. "It helped me work on certain things."

As for Hernandez and Wong, UH coach Mike Trapasso said it is a "wait-and-see" situation.

Left-handed Kaimi Mead was the first Hawai'i Pacific player drafted since Bryce Uegawachi in 2001.

"It feels amazing," said Mead, an 18th-round pick by Cleveland. "But it's just the beginning of a lot of hard work."

Mainland college players from Hawai'i picked were Cal Poly left-handed pitcher Derrick Saito (Baldwin '05), a 16th-round pick by Kansas City and San Diego State shortstop Troy Hanzawa (Mid-Pacific '03), a 16th-round selection by Philadelphia.

Hanzawa led his team with a .370 batting average. His coach was Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn.

"He was a great source of knowledge whenever I had a question," Hanzawa said.