VIRGINIA BEACH (WTKR) — On Wednesday morning, former Ocean Lakes pitcher Blake Dickerson found himself where he usually does. The 6-foot-6 left-hander was out on the baseball diamond at Princess Anne High School.
Unlike most trips to the field during the summer however, Dickerson was watching from the dugout as a few friends played.
"Taking it all in," he said.
Those visits to the local baseball stadiums coming to an end this weekend, when the pitcher will head out to the West Coast and sign a contract with the San Diego Padres. He was selected on Tuesday in the 12th round by the organization during the final day of the MLB Draft.
"I've been growing up thinking of playing professional baseball my whole life," Dickerson said. "Now that it's here, it's kind of crazy."
A Virginia Tech commit, his baseball accomplishments have already started growing. From a first-team all-state performer for the Dolphins as a junior to becoming a member of a Team USA squad that won a gold medal in the U-18 Baseball World Cup.
All of that work showing in rise up the prospect rankings and now in an early start to his professional journey.
"It's unexplainable," Dickerson said. "You get that call from your advisor and he's like, 'Hey, they can make it work. We're going to San Diego.' A big relief off your back and you're just like, 'Wow, I did it.'"
Part of his choice to move towards the professional path means making sacrifices like not heading to Blacksburg and moving far away from his home in Virginia Beach.
While it was tough, Dickerson says he's not looking back.
"Ready to get to work a be a pro ball player."
Now he takes the final days in Virginia Beach to see family and friends who have been with him along the journey, often times taking strolls down memory lane.
"Going from throwing a perfect game when I was 11-years old to being in Cooperstown when I was 12, hitting home runs," Dickerson remembered.
A game that started as a passion now becoming Dickerson's livelihood.
"Let's just go chase my dream," he said.
