STATE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
In the 5A baseball arms race, La Cueva's arsenal is second to none
Bears meet Carlsbad in Thursday's quarterfinals
This is not a universal truth, but let鈥檚 just say it鈥檚 got a foothold in the 95th-percentile: At the end of a high school baseball season, it becomes an arms race as much as anything else.
Who has the pitching to survive the upcoming three-day sprint to the finish?
The Class 5A state tournament, which renews on Thursday, is a fascinating case study. This bracket is stocked with elite front-line starters and a good number of outstanding No. 2鈥檚 behind them.
But the third-seeded La Cueva Bears own an edge no one else can quite match. The Bears have three bona fide aces.
And not just any three, but three Division I signees 鈥� historically, this is practically unheard of for any high school program in New Mexico 鈥� in Dylan Blomker, Everett Burdett and Luke Feist. Two of them, Blomker (LSU) and Burdett (Oregon State) are bound for power conference programs; Feist is staying home to be a Lobo.
鈥淚t鈥檚 awesome to be a part of this group,鈥� Burdett said.
This imposing trio combine to give La Cueva (25-3) nearly 19 feet of gifted right-handed pitching as Week 2 of the playoffs begins on Thursday at Santa Ana Star Field and the Riordan Complex.
鈥淭hese guys each have a different piece to them,鈥� Bears coach Gerard Pineda said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really nice group to have, but they鈥檙e a little different in how they approach the art of pitching.鈥�
Blomker, Burdett and Feist have 21 combined victories, but the data pulls back the layers.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Blomker, who could very well turn pro before this summer is over, has been handed the pearl for many of La Cueva鈥檚 highest profile games. He鈥檚 8-0 with a 1.73 ERA, an 0.82 WHIP, and his lively fastball (90-94 mph) and slider are responsible for 104 strikeouts in 48.2 innings.
The numbers for Burdett (6-2, 195) are similarly striking. He also is 8-0, an ERA of 0.89, a WHIP number of 0.99, and he鈥檚 surrendered just five earned runs in nearly 40 innings of work.
Feist (6-2, 190), who鈥檇 likely be the staff ace at just about any school that isn鈥檛 named La Cueva, is 5-1 with a 1.48 ERA. He鈥檚 walked just seven in 33 innings, with 53 strikeouts, and his only loss came to Cleveland, a team the Bears could face in Friday鈥檚 semifinals if both win their Thursday quarterfinal games.
鈥淔or the past four years, we鈥檝e always been pushing each other,鈥� said Blomker. 鈥淓very day at practice, during games, during live ABs, the offseason, in the gym 鈥� it鈥檚 cool to have these guys to work with.鈥�
And, as Blomker noted, 鈥渋ron sharpens iron.鈥�
It鈥檚 been a solid support system, added Burdett, the latest in a line of sa国际传媒官网网页入口 prep pitchers who have chosen Oregon State.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to have that feedback, that all of us give each other, pitch grips or pitch shapes or what the hitter is seeing, that you may not see on the mound,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to get constructive criticism to build upon.鈥�
And they all expect to continue to stay in close contact once they鈥檝e gone their separate ways.
For his part, Feist said it鈥檚 been instructive to spend time with, and absorb tips from, both Blomker and Burdett.
鈥淭hese guys, they鈥檙e really smart and they really have that drive,鈥� Feist said. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l go on to do great things, and it鈥檚 amazing to be able to pick their brains and learn more.鈥�
There is a forensic advantage for Feist, too, he said.
鈥淚n the offseason, we got together and they helped me form some new pitches and pitch grips and kind of almost form me into a new guy,鈥� Feist said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e helped me learn new grips and philosophies, and I鈥檝e carried them over to this year.鈥�
Arguably, the last time La Cueva had this type of hyped starting pitching was 2004, the days of James Parr and Jordan Pacheco, who both eventually reached the majors.
鈥淲hen you start comparing different eras 鈥� comparing these guys to guys 20-25 years ago is not easy because the game has changed,鈥� Pineda said. 鈥淵ou see the depth of talent in the state has increased all across the board.鈥�
Of course, pitching is not necessarily the be-all, end-all to a team鈥檚 championship chances, but at the 5A level, a championship game appearance on Saturday is hugely dependent on the quality of the starting pitching on Thursday and Friday.
Effective, if not dominant, pitching dictates so much of everyone鈥檚 fate.
Case in point: the Centennial Hawks, who pitched brilliantly in their first-round series last weekend against No. 12-seed Las Cruces. The Hawks combined to limit the Bulldawgs to just 10 hits and three runs over 14 innings. And Centennial lost both games.
Not only that, but the fifth-seeded Hawks didn鈥檛 score a single run the entire weekend.
There are many top-notch 5A arms still on the board.
Cleveland鈥檚 1-2 tandem of Xavier Vasquez and Treven Polanco have been simply terrific for the Storm, and that tandem has combined to win 17 of Cleveland鈥檚 24 games.
Piedra Vista鈥檚 effective southpaw, JW Bayless, is capable of shutting down most anyone. Same with Rio Rancho junior Matthew Cook, and Carlsbad鈥檚 hard-throwing sophomore righty, Wade Cozart.
Las Cruces senior Gunnar Guardiola, the Bulldawgs鈥� wildly successful quarterback, fired a complete-game shutout against Centennial in Game 1 last weekend, and it could be him opposite Bayless on Thursday night as most everyone is expected to send their ace to the bump in the quarterfinals.
But La Cueva鈥檚 starting pitching depth might prove to be the single biggest 鈥榅鈥� factor this week as the bracket shrinks to the final two come Saturday night at Santa Ana Star Field.
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a little bittersweet that it鈥檚 our last rodeo together,鈥� Blomker said. 鈥淏ut at the same time, it鈥檚 cool, because we鈥檙e all moving on to bigger and better things.鈥�
James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at .
