Thomas Blomme can “rake.’’
By “rake,” one means to hit a baseball, and Thomas Blomme, senior standout at Camanche, Iowa’s Camanche High School, can hit.
He is a laser show waiting to happen.
The numbers – a .473 batting average as a sophomore and .383 as a junior – are proof Blomme’s bat-to-ball skills are beyond exceptional. That his baseball career will continue at Division III Carroll University at Waukesha, Wis., proves his future on the diamond is North Star bright.
What the numbers do not show is that Blomme is engaging, bright, beyond courteous, and the kind of young person you believe is destined for greatness on and off the field.
In August of 2024, the 6-foot-3-inch righty swinging strongman – who also was the Storm’s top pitcher a season ago – felt pain in his right elbow.
The pain, beyond normal post-pitching soreness persisted.
Blomme, while searching for answers, sought Dr. Brian Wolf, MD, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine. A prep All-State and Division I basketball player in his playing days, Dr. Wolf serves as the Director of University of Iowa Sports Medicine and Head Team Physician for University of Iowa Athletics.
It was Dr. Wolf who discovered a tear in Blomme’s ulnar collateral ligament.
Tommy John Surgery – ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction – soon followed, with Wolf harvesting a healthy ligament from Blomme’s hamstring and attaching it as a new UCL. Dr. Wolf also repaired a bone avulsion, a small fracture in the area that caused the ligament to break away from the bone.
The surgery with the famous name – first performed by Dr. Franklin Jobe – is commonly called “Tommy John,” for the star pitcher of the Los Angeles Dodgers who had his baseball career saved in the 1980s by the procedure.
Post-surgery, Blomme, a five-year member of the Storm varsity who can play multiple positions, turned to those he trusted, seeking rehab with Rock Valley Physical Therapy (Clinton, Iowa) and Taylor Cavanaugh, a gifted and compassionate Occupational Therapist.
Truth-be-told, Blomme and Cavanaugh are an exceptional team.
Take a caring and knowledgeable therapist with a forever-upbeat attitude, mix it with a motivated, hard-working athlete, then add a common goal of returning that athlete to the sport he loves, and you have a winning combination.
“Surgery on Aug. 15, so shortly after – while he was still in his brace – is when we began,” Cavanaugh said of when the two started Blomme’s return-to-play journey.
“The strides Thomas has made have been through hard work and determination,” Cavanaugh added. “He continues to push and is always willing to go beyond as we stay within the protocols set down by Dr. Wolf. His grip strength in his right (throwing) hand is 180 pounds and that is amazing. His grip strength in his left hand is 198, also amazing.’’
Today, just four months into his rehabilitation, Blomme, who harbors hopes of playing baseball professionally, is hitting off a (batting) tee, has great scar sensation with no swelling, and is improving his posterior shoulder strength every day.
There is hope Blomme can compete on the Camanche Bowling team (using a two-handed delivery) sometime in the next two-plus months, but the primary focus is to be ready to play a position – and throw – for the Storm’s season-opening contest in late May.
The state of Iowa plays its high school baseball season in the summer.
“Posture,” Diesch says with a smile. “We have worked to improve Thomas’s posture and used cupping and manual massage on the scar areas. He has started throwing and by throwing, we mean a tennis ball into a rebound machine at 10 feet.”
“Thomas does all that is asked – and more – and is constantly pushing to do more and get better,” continued Cavanaugh. “He never shorts anything we do, and leaves fatigued in a terrific way, always working up a sweat. His work ethic is tremendous, he asks great questions, gives great feedback, and is always working outside therapy to get better. He is ahead of schedule, which is a testament to his hard work and a positive mindset.’’
Blomme, who smiled widely when Cavanaugh addressed the merits that cupping has had in his progress, wants to be ready immediately. It is human nature to want everything today. He also has great understanding that he is in tremendous hands, is in the right place to get better and his back-in-action day will come.
“Awesome,” Blomme said when asked about Cavanaugh and her approach to helping him achieve his goals. “She knows what she is talking about, always has a plan so that I am challenged and whatever we do that day is done to make me better. She is great to talk to and she makes me stay on the task. I really appreciate that she cares and does not ever let me take a step back. It’s nice that she understands the goals I have and works hard to help me get there.’’
Blomme has been told he will play a corner infield spot (first or third base) in college. And while he is excited that playing at the next level will bring, he is focused on being the best teammate he can be in his last high school season.
“I really like this team and believe we can have success,” he said. “I know that my job is to get ready for the season and contribute in any way I can. I am the manager of the basketball team and that will be fun. I was the manager of football, and it was fun. And I am hoping to get to bowl as well, but I am excited to be taking the right steps to be ready for baseball.’’
And Thomas Blomme has. And will.
Pitchers beware…
By: Johnny Marx, Rock Valley Storyteller