A busy, and important, summer for La Cueva's Dylan Blomker

A year from now, Dylan Blomker may face a life-changing decision.

The next several weeks will surely impact which path he chooses.

Blomker, the incoming La Cueva High School senior right-handed pitcher, and LSU commit, has several events on his schedule this month that could influence what he does in the summer of 2026. The two options: go to Baton Rouge, or turn professional.

First up for the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Blomker is the prominent Area Code Games, Aug. 6-11 in Long Beach, California, the annual get together of the country’s top prep talent. It’s an event that attracts scouts from every one of the 30 Major League Baseball franchises as they evaluate and dissect players ahead of next summer’s draft.

After that for Blomker, a pair of high profile games: The MLB High School All-American Game at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Aug. 12, followed by the Dick’s Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park in San Diego, which is hosting the game on Sunday, Aug. 17.

“It’s an honor,” Blomker said. He is ranked 55th nationally by Perfect Game, and No. 12 among pitchers. “At the beginning of the summer, I had my eyes set on games I wanted to get invited to, and those two were two big ones I had circled.”

Blomker noted his pleasure in how quickly he has arrived on the national radar.

“Freshman year,” he said, “I wasn’t ranked in anything. The last two years, (I) shot up the rankings. For me, I’ve worked really hard to get here.”

Blomker committed long ago to LSU, which in June won the national championship. The Tigers know how to pick ‘em from New Mexico. Alex Bregman from Albuquerque Academy played at LSU, and former Centennial High star Steven Milam was a sophomore standout for the Tigers this year.

“The three things that I always said I wanted was, one, winning; No. 2, a program that will develop me to be a big leaguer; and the third one was a school that my family was comfortable with me going there,” Blomker said. “LSU checked all those boxes.”

LSU left-hander Kade Anderson, for example, was the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, going to the Mariners.

Blomker also reflected on his recent USA Baseball tryout in Cary, North Carolina.

He did not make it through to the second stage of 42 players; there is a final cut later this month ahead of a trip to Japan at the end of August.

“I didn’t have my best outing,” Blomker said, adding, “They flat out told me I was the 43rd guy.”

There is, he said, a slight chance USA Baseball will invite him back to North Carolina for the second stage if one of the pitchers they selected backs out.

“My stuff was great,” he said. “They told me, my stuff was about as good as it can get in the country. (But) what they need at USA Baseball is strikes.”

His control was not where he wanted it in a couple of short outings, Blomker noted, with a strike percentage of 61%, as opposed to the 71% he said he had been registering before the trip. But, backed by his stellar stuff, which includes his lively fastball, he did strike out six batters in three combined innings of work.

“What I told myself was, even I don’t make Japan or the next phase, it (was) a great chance to learn,” he said. “I felt I got a lot better when I went to that camp.”

Classes for Blomker’s senior year at La Cueva begin next week.