In Jett Bandy's mind-set, baseball has never been a "me" sport. The Thousand Oaks High senior catcher has tailored his skills to winning games.

"That's definitely a big part of being a catcher," Bandy said. "You can have an off day at the plate, but it doesn't matter, you've got to forget about it and do your job behind the plate.

"No matter what you do with the bat, you can help your team win by working hard and handling the game at catcher. The important thing for me is helping the team win."

The selfless Bandy just might take his turn in the spotlight today.

The 6-foot-4, 215 pound senior, blessed with a strong arm and a quick bat, rates as the prototype catching prospect. He could be chosen inside the top five or six rounds when Major League Baseball conducts its annual amateur draft beginning at 11 a.m. PDT.

Bandy is one of several Ventura County high school seniors who figure to be selected in the two-day event.

Cutter Dykstra, Westlake High's sterling outfielder and the son of former Mets outfielder Lenny Dykstra, is considered among the nation's top high school prospects and a possible first-round pick.

St. Bonaventure infielder Casey Serna, Thousand Oaks pitchers Chad Smith and Jeff Johnson, Royal pitcher Matt Magill and Tanner Peters and Westlake infielder Shane Kroker and pitcher Graham Johnson top the list of area hopefuls.

County graduates could have an eventful couple of days, too.

Oxnard High graduate Edwin Quirarte, now a junior pitcher at Cal State Northridge, is among area graduates who could be taken by professional organizations.

Ventura College slugger and Ventura High product Jose Vargas will be following the draft from his home on Ventura Avenue.

"I've had a couple of scouts tell me I'd go in the top 10 rounds, but they can't promise me anything," said Vargas. "I don't really have any expectations right now."

Vargas' teammate, pitcher Zach Thornton of Oak Park, shares his relaxed attitude.

"I'll just be hanging out with friends, trying to take it easy and not think about it," said Thornton, who has signed with the University of Oregon.

Former Oxnard College slugger Erik Komatsu, who could be selected inside the top five rounds today, will also have his mind on other things today. Komatsu will be preparing with his teammates at Cal State Fullerton for this weekend's NCAA Super Regional. The Titans host Stanford Friday.

"I'm going to be at practice," said Komatsu.

Other local college products whose names could be called include the Moorpark College battery of catcher Steve Domecus and pitcher Chris Notti, as well as former Royal High and Oxnard College catcher Tyler Diamond, who earned NAIA first-team All-America honors by leading The Master's College in seven offensive categories.

The baseball draft itself is making the transition from low-key status to spectacle.

The two-day event is staged at The Milk House, a 70,000-square-foot facility at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Fla. Day 1 is televised by ESPN2 and carried on MLB.com.

For the region's top prospects, the draft could bring both high achievements and hard choices.

Bandy has committed to playing college baseball at the University of Arizona. The right circumstances could send him instead to the minor leagues.

"It's really exciting," said Bandy, who batted .373 with 26 RBIs and a county-high nine home runs this spring. "Anybody who plays baseball dreams about being drafted by a major league team. But I also have signed to play at the best college baseball program in America.

"For me, it's a total win-win situation."

Serna, also the quarterback on St. Bonaventure's CIF-Southern Section championship team last fall, has signed his letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Oregon.

He said the possibility of being selected in the MLB draft seems mostly dreamlike.

"It's kind of surreal to me," Serna said. "You dream about it as a kid, but I almost can't believe it could happen for me in the next couple of days."

Serna, who batted .500 with 44 hits and a region-best 16 doubles, also is thrilled to have his scholarship for Oregon.

"I can't wait to get there and play," he said. "It would take a lot for me to give that up."

Smith, Thousand Oaks' star pitcher who finished 7-1 with an earned run average of 2.01, is trying to downplay his excitement. In fact, he will be attending his college orientation at USC on draft day.

"It's a big event," Smith says of the draft. "But I've tried to not get too excited as I think about it. If you don't get drafted, or you don't get drafted very high, it could be a letdown. What happens will happen.

"I've got my scholarship to USC. For me whatever happens is a win-win situation."

In the months leading up to the draft, Bandy has been contacted by a host of major league teams. Enough so that it doesn't matter who might select him.

"I'd be excited to play for anybody," he said.

Bandy's meteoric rise as a catcher is a tribute to his athletic ability.

A year ago, with senior Chris Hannick (now at Cal State Northridge) entrenched at catcher, Bandy played a variety of positions.

He shifted fulltime to catcher last summer, and made a seamless transition.

"I like it a lot," he said. "You're at the heart of the game on every play."

By midseason, coach Frank Mutz allowed Bandy to call the pitches. He also terrorized opposing baserunners by throwing out 18 of 20 who attempted to steal a base.

"He's a great catcher who's going to do well in college or as a professional," said Smith.

Among the collegians who be chosen, Quirate has been waiting three years for this chance.

After his senior season at Oxnard High in 2005, Quirarte was taken by the Cincinnati Reds in the 39th round. Instead of signing, Quirarte chose to play at Cal State Northridge.

"I've got no regrets," said Quirarte, who posted eight saves this past season. "I had time to get used to the speed of the game at the college level. I've become a lot better pitcher."