SAN MARCOS -- Bobby Shore is used to seeing pro scouts at his games. But they were usually there to see someone else.

At Oceanside High, the scouts came to see Shore's former Little League World Series teammate Matt Cerda, who was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round last year and is being converted from shortstop to catcher.

As a freshman pitcher at Palomar College last year, the scouts attended to evaluate Shore's opponents.

But if Friday afternoon's rainy intrasquad scrimmage is any indication, this season will be Shore's time.

"We recruited Bobby hard," said Palomar baseball coach Buck Taylor. "In high school, his fastball was 86-88 mph. Tyler Kincaid (Palomar's pitching coach) made a little adjustment to Bobby's front side, and Bobby gained 2-3 mph. …

"Now, with his fastball at 88-91, a good slider and really good secondary pitches, he's a prospect."

That's why 10 major-league scouts were sitting in a steady drizzle Friday to watch the right-handed Shore and left-hander Shawn Sanford throw. And it's why Shore has signed to play next year at Oklahoma.

After helping Oceanside National to the Little League World Series in 2001, Shore turned into a fine player at Oceanside High.

As a senior, he was the North County Times' Player of the Year and first-team All-CIF San Diego Section after going 11-1 with a 2.03 ERA and hitting .360 with a pair of homers.

"Bobby was an interesting guy, but not a draftable guy in high school," said one scout. "But he was a guy you didn't want to lose track of.

"We followed him to Palomar, and now he has matured into a guy we all need to see more of.

"Is he a first-round pick? No. But is he a draftable-type kid? This season will tell us that."

It was in Little League that Shore said he learned his No. 1 pitch.

"(Coach) Daryl Wasano wouldn't let us throw curves in Little League," the 6-foot-1, 185-pound Shore said. "So I learned the change-up."

While he's basically a fastball/change-up pitcher, he calls his slider his "out" pitch.

After starting last season as a reliever, Shore moved into the starting rotation about midseason. He finished 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA for a team that was 26-21 and advanced to the Southern California playoffs. In 65 1/3 innings, he walked 24 and struck out 65. Opponents hit .261 against him.

Those numbers not only got him a college scholarship, but earned him the right to start Palomar's season opener. The Comets, ranked No. 5 in Southern California by Collegiate Baseball, open at No. 2-ranked Cypress on Tuesday.

Taylor said Matt Strom will start Thursday's 2 p.m. home opener against No. 1-ranked Santa Ana. Sanford, who has signed to play at San Diego State, will start Friday against Golden West in the Bakersfield Tournament.

"For a young man, Bobby has made some good choices," Taylor said. "He had a chance to go to UC Irvine as a walk-on out of high school. They would have redshirted him, and he would have been a year behind.

"Instead, he came here, threw about 100 innings (including winter ball) and matured as a player and a person."

Shore admits he was a babe in the woods last year at Palomar.

At Oceanside, he was a star, one of the heroes of the Little League World Series team. At Palomar, he was one of many good players.

"It took me a while to figure things out," Shore said. "This is like playing on an all-star team.

"I wanted to be a starting pitcher, but I didn't have any endurance. It took a while, but the coaches stuck with me and I figured it out.

"This year I'm in shape. I know what to expect, and I know what is expected of me.

"Certainly, my main goal is to win every game I pitch. More importantly, the goal is to put the team in position to win the game."

His ultimate goal, he said, is to play professional baseball. So seeing numerous scouts at a scrimmage was a great sign.

"The scouts are coming to see me, but I have a scholarship to Oklahoma, which is a great fallback," he said.

That offer, he said, came out of the blue.

"The Oklahoma coaches saw me in a scrimmage, liked what they saw and asked me to visit the campus," Shore said. "When I did, I loved it. It was a good fit, and they have my major (communications).

"It came down to Santa Clara and Oklahoma, but the lure of playing in the Big 12 was big.

"I've been lucky along the way. I've had great coaches. The coaches here at Palomar are awesome. Daryl Wasano was a great Little League coach. Coach (Dave) Barrett is the greatest. I learned a lot about baseball from him, but just as much about life. I'll always have roots at Oceanside High.

"Now Matt Cerda and I are the only two guys left playing from that Little League World Series team.

"Baseball has always been my passion, and his, too. Hopefully, someday I'll face him in the big leagues.

"Or better yet, he could be my catcher."

Contact staff writer John Maffei at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.