Zach Johnston thought he could be selected during the 20-round Major League Baseball amateur draft this past weekend.

That didn’t happen, but any disappointment the North Yarmouth native felt was short-lived.

Immediately after the draft ended Sunday, the New York Yankees called and offered a free-gent contract to the 6-foot-5 left-handed pitcher who starred at Greely High and spent four seasons pitching for Wake Forest.

Early Tuesday afternoon, Johnston was on a plane waiting for takeoff. His destination was Tampa, Florida, where the Yankees have their player development center and their Low-A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons.

“I sign officially (Wednesday),” Johnston said via text. “The Yankees contacted me about 90 seconds after the draft ended and I have not been assigned to a minor league team yet.”

Johnston said the next few days will include various testing before he learns his immediate baseball plans.

Prior to the draft, both the Yankees and the Seattle Mariners had contacted Johnston, saying he was a likely draft pick, based in part on his projectability. The tall 22-year-old lefty struck out 108 batters in 89 2/3 innings over his college career, appearing in 73 games, all in relief.

In summer ball, Johnston spent one season with the Sanford Mainers and saw limited action over two seasons in the Cape Cod League. Prior to the draft, he had appeared this summer in seven games for the Trenton Thunder in the MLB Draft League.

As a senior, Johnston significantly cut down on his walks and had his best season, posting a 2.77 ERA over 26 innings, with 32 strikeouts, eight walks and a 0.92 WHIP. The latter statistic was well below his college career mark of 1.472.

Asked what he thought he showed as a senior that led to the Yankees’ contract offer, Johnston said, “I think I showed more consistency and more confidence which allowed me to pitch better.”

As a freshman, Johnston was used sparingly, appearing in four games. He had a promising sophomore season (3.93 ERA, 36 2/3 innings), but his ERA ballooned to 7.77 as a junior.

“I definitely had to work on stuff, and Wake was a great place to do that,” Johnston added.