In the 5A baseball arms race, La Cueva's arsenal is second to none

And they all expect to continue to stay in close contact once they’ve gone their separate ways.

For his part, Feist said it’s been instructive to spend time with, and absorb tips from, both Blomker and Burdett.

“These guys, they’re really smart and they really have that drive,” Feist said. “They’ll go on to do great things, and it’s amazing to be able to pick their brains and learn more.”

There is a forensic advantage for Feist, too, he said.

“In 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,” Feist said. “They’ve helped me learn new grips and philosophies, and I’ve carried them over to this year.”

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.

“When you start comparing different eras … comparing these guys to guys 20-25 years ago is not easy because the game has changed,” Pineda said. “You see the depth of talent in the state has increased all across the board.”

Of course, pitching is not necessarily the be-all, end-all to a team’s 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’s 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’t score a single run the entire weekend.

There are many top-notch 5A arms still on the board.

Cleveland’s 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’s 24 games.

Piedra Vista’s effective southpaw, JW Bayless, is capable of shutting down most anyone. Same with Rio Rancho junior Matthew Cook, and Carlsbad’s hard-throwing sophomore righty, Wade Cozart.

Las Cruces senior Gunnar Guardiola, the Bulldawgs’ 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’s starting pitching depth might prove to be the single biggest ‘X’ factor this week as the bracket shrinks to the final two come Saturday night at Santa Ana Star Field.

“It’s kind of a little bittersweet that it’s our last rodeo together,” Blomker said. “But at the same time, it’s cool, because we’re all moving on to bigger and better things.”

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.