“It was kind of always George Fox because they were the first (program) to really show interest,” he added.

Poulin made his decision official by signing his letter of intent during a ceremony Thursday at Gallatin High.

“I don’t think it’s fully set in,” he said. “But it definitely feels good to know that I’m going to play on the collegiate level.”

Bozeman Bucks head coach Sean Potkay said Montana can feel like “a black hole” with the lack of collegiate options; Division II MSU-Billings, Miles Community College and Dawson Community College are the only schools in the state that offer baseball programs. That leads to a stressful recruiting cycle and later signings for Potkay’s players.

“It’s just hard to get visibility up here,” Potkay said.

“So it takes a lot of effort on their part to get out there and be seen and really promote themselves. It just happens to be a later cycle for a lot of these kids than it is if you’re in a southern state that’s got a lot of schools around and more exposure.”

The Bucks work with scouting services to get video and advanced statistics for each player, along with reaching out to college coaches. Potkay added that the Bucks try to balance what’s best for each player on and off the field.

“I’m trying to understand what these kids want from a scholastic standpoint, kind of where they fit in,” Potkay said. “And then the evaluation standpoint with the college coaches, kind of giving them an idea of what we see out of the player and the ways that they’re going to be able to go out there and help those teams in their college careers.”

Poulin — currently a pitcher and outfielder for the Bucks — said he’ll continue playing outfield for the Bruins. He added that he relied on support from friends and family throughout the recruiting process, along with a Bucks program that helped him improve daily.

“They all said, ‘Go where you believe will make you better and where you’re happy,’” Poulin added.

As he takes this next step, Poulin said he’s most excited about the competition and seeing how coaches operate at the collegiate level. Potkay added that Poulin is a hard worker in both the classroom and on the baseball diamond, and will be motivated to do what’s required to compete in college.

“He fits in well with the players, good teammate,” Potkay said. “He’s not super high-strung and he’s a pretty soft spoken, easygoing kid. That type of personality with baseball ends up being a pretty good fit a lot of the time, so I think it’s a good fit for him.”