Two young local high school baseball standouts recently represented Illinois in a national summer showcase for the sport. 

Luke Blackwell of Valmeyer and Brody Landgraf of Columbia, both incoming juniors for their respective high schools, participated July 24-28 in the Prep Baseball Future Games at LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Ga.

Since the event’s inception in 2011, the Prep Baseball Future Games has evolved into one of the biggest college scouting events in the country with more than 375 college coaches in attendance.

Blackwell and Landgraf played for Team Illinois at the showcase against teams from Kansas, Wisconsin and Missouri. Team Illinois went 2-1, beating Kansas and Missouri and losing by just one run to Wisconsin.

Blackwell plays summer baseball for RBC Recruits National.

Landgraf plays summer baseball for the U.S. National Scout Team. 

Players are selected for this exclusive showcase by Prep Baseball Report scouts and staff in each state. Drew Locascio and Diego Solares are the Illinois scouts.

Blackwell, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher and hitter, was reported as reaching 90 miles per hour on a few of his fastballs in solid mound duty during the showcase.

He went 7-1 with a 0.93 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 45 and one-third innings pitched this season for the Valmeyer High School baseball squad. At the plate, he hit .365 with 13 extra base hits and 30 RBIs. 

Landgraf, a 6-foot-5 left-handed hitter, was named the Dick’s Sporting Goods Player of the Game for one of the contests after going 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two stolen bases. 

He hit .291 with 15 runs scored this past spring on the Columbia High School baseball squad.