Pine Creek graduate Riley Cornelio is bound for the major leagues.

The Washington Nationals are calling up the right-handed pitcher from Monument up from Triple-A Rochester, New York, as first reported by The Athletic.

Cornelio, 25, will join the Nationals in Chicago on Friday as the team takes on the White Sox.

Washington has not yet officially announced the transaction.

When Cornelio debuts, he will join a short list of Colorado Springs-area products to pitch in the major leagues. The group is headlined by Hall of Famer Rich “Goose” Gossage (Wasson) and includes longtime pros Brandon McCarthy and Dave Mlicki (both of Cheyenne Mountain).

Cornelio, who will become the first Pine Creek alum to reach the majors, did not follow a certain path to reach this point. A touted high school player who was selected for a national team that included the likes of Bobby Witt Jr., he went undrafted after making it clear he intended to pitch for TCU.

With the Horned Frogs a mix of COVID-19 and injuries limited Cornelio to 24 appearances (20 starts) over three seasons — most of that coming in his final season. The Nationals saw enough to draft him in the seventh round (201^st overall) in 2022 following his junior year, with Cornelio signing a bonus announced at $241,600.

Cornelio’s first full season in the minor leagues saw him go 4-8 with a 4.68 ERA at Low-A Fredericksburg. The next year he went 9-11 with a 5.56 ERA at High-A Wilmington.

The breakthrough came last year, when Cornelio was named the organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Year as he climbed three levels and posted a 3.28 ERA over 134 1/3 innings.

He carried that success into this year as he was 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in four starts, striking out 27 in 18 1/3 innings.