Manheim Township’s baseball players can’t say exactly how far the home run traveled. It felt like it was sent into another area code.
The ball landed on the JV field, well beyond the right-field fence. It hit the ground where the shortstop normally stands.
“When I was out there,” Township junior Nolan Peters said, “I would peek over at home and see how far it was. It’s pretty far.”
The day Nick Kurtz came home to take batting practice is legendary among the Blue Streaks. It’s the kind of story a high school athlete will tell for the rest of his life.
READ: Athletics promote former Manheim Township baseball standout to major leagues
A few days before the Athletics made Kurtz the No. 4 pick in the MLB Draft in July, he took some swings at Westfield Insurance Park in Neffsville. The first baseman stood near the backstop and launched pitches into orbit.
“I’ve never seen someone hit a ball that far,” junior Alex Derderian said.
“He was hitting bombs,” Peters added. “I’ve never seen the ball come off the bat like that.”
Kurtz has been promoted to the major leagues, according to published reports. He’ll join Cam Gallagher as the only Township players to reach the sport’s highest level.
This is a proud moment for the Blue Streaks and a reminder that MLB talent can come from anywhere. Even if the weather isn’t warm until April or sometimes May.
Kurtz grew up in the same circles as Derderian, Peters and the rest of the players who wear the blue and white cap with the “T” on the front. Kurtz played in Township’s youth program and in the LNP Tournament.
There’s a photo in the Lancaster Newspapers archives showing Kurtz connecting for a home run at cozy Kunkle Field when he was 12. One can only imagine how far over the fence that one went.
News of Kurtz’s promotion spread to Township’s players minutes after they finished a non-league game against Northeastern Monday. They were excited to hear it.
“It was pretty cool seeing a guy who went here get called up,” Derderian said. “It’s gonna be fun to watch his career.”
Kurtz spent his freshman season at Township before transferring to Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee and later becoming an all-American at Wake Forest. He wore the Blue Streaks uniform long enough to create a few memories.
The 6-5, 240-pound first baseman hit four home runs as a ninth-grader. He belted a walkoff grand slam against McCaskey on the same field where he took his now-famous BP. That game-winning blast, presumably, didn’t land on the JV field.
Kurtz is an inspiration to today’s Township players. He allows them to dream their own dream, whether it’s playing in college, playing pro or just making the varsity.
“When he was talking to the guys, he was great,” Peters said. “He was saying how you have to stay focused and invest in the game. Put the work in.”
That summer get-together turned into a celebration of Township baseball both past and present.
“He was very personable,” junior Jack Kenneff said. “He liked to interact with us and always had a smile on his face.”
Manheim Township pitcher Nick Kurtz connects for a homerun in the first inning against Mountville as the 2015 LNP Tournament kicks off at Kunkle Field Monday evening.
Kurtz tore through the minor leagues with 11 home runs in 147 plate appearances across 32 games. He’s the A’s No. 1 prospect and a consensus top 40 prospect in all of baseball.
Township’s boys said they were going to check out the schedule to see when Kurtz and the A’s will be close to Lancaster. They play at the Washington Nationals and Baltimore Orioles from Aug. 5-10 and at the Pittsburgh Pirates Sept. 19-21. The A’s don’t play in Philadelphia this season.
Derderian said he hoped to watch Kurtz’s debut, which will likely come Wednesday. It will be difficult because home games are in Sacramento, California and the first pitch is scheduled for 10:05 p.m.
“I’ll try to see his first at-bat,” Derderian said. “I’ll probably fall asleep after that.”
After Kurtz’s final batting practice ball fell from the sky last summer, everyone who was there stood together for a photo with their arms around each other’s shoulders.
Kurtz, as you might imagine, towered above most of the Blue Streaks.
“It’s very cool to say I have a picture with an MLB player,” Kenneff said. “Someone who grew up in our program.”
Someone who hit home runs here as a freshman and came back to hit a few more.
