— Jarrard Poteete could spend Christmas break in a nice, sunshiny place if all this traveling could amount to frequent flier miles.

The Hilldale Hornets’ senior is playing on the Dallas Yankees, a college prepatory baseball squad, on what wil be a 55-game cross-country schedule by the time it all ends in several weeks. He’s one of six from Oklahoma on the team, five from Owasso and another, Locust Grove’s Adrian Houser, who signed with the University of Oklahoma but was also been drafted by the Houston Astros with the 69th pick in Major League Baseball’s amateur draft in June.

“Honestly I can’t tell you how exactly how I wound up here,” he said. “I’ve played competitive ball all my life and I guess after a time of doing that, your name gets out to people.”

Thom Bloodworth, the Yankees coach, actually got a tip on Poteete from a former All-Phoenix baseball MVP, Billy Waltrip, now at Seminole State.

“He was a four-year member of this team,” Bloodworth said. “We’re not just looking for ball players but quality individuals. As much time as we spend traveling the country with just a few adults, we don’t have time to baby-sit kids with maturity issues. Like Billy, Jarrard fits both the profile of a player and a person we wanted.”

A few weeks ago, Poteete was playing at the Los Angeles Angels’ Triple-A team’s stadium in Arizona. He’s made stops in Denver, all over Texas, and was in New Jersey last midweek as well as New York for a couple of days.

“It’s about as quality as you can get in terms of competition,” Poteete said.

He recently became the team’s No. 1 catcher, ahead of a player recruited and signed by Rice University, Bloodworth said. Through 27 games, he’s hitting in the mid-.300s.

“He’s got great catching skills, great hustle and his hitting ability is solid. He’s a very good hitter from the left-side of the plate,” Bloodworth said.

Poteete’s success hasn’t been restricted to summer ball. He was the 2009 All-Phoenix Newcomer of the Year, hitting .402 with five home runs and 26 RBIs. He made the team for a third consecutive season as a junior in spite of being sidelined with a broken thumb. He returned at midseason at hit .414 in 41 at-bats with five doubles, two triples and two home runs. He threw two runners out attempting to steal.

Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Dallas Baptist and Arkansas have watched Poteete closely with “significant” interest, Bloodworth said.

Poteete knows about another Owasso player — Dylan Bundy, and a one-time Muskogee Rougher in Archie Bradley who did this traveling thing on a similar level and where they wound up, drafted in top 10 of the June draft.

“I’d add that he’s probably a mid-round draftable kid at this point,” Bloodworth said. “Not quite in Dylan and Archie’s league, but for a high school kid, you’re not going to get much higher than mid-round unless you’re a 90-mph pitcher. He’s got a good future ahead of him.”

But there’s another sport. Soon after Poteete returns home to stay later this month, he’ll grab a helmet and join the Hornets’ football squad where last season he caught 40 passes for 803 yards and five touchdowns.

At some point, there could be a decision to be made, but is the summer investment a hint?

“Ideally, my dream since I was young was baseball out of high school, but I don’t, I mean that’s not even here yet,” he said. “When football rolls around, my heart is in football. When its baseball season, my heart is in baseball. If and when a decision time comes, I’ll make it then.”