From a dairy barn to the pitcher’s mound

HUTCHINSON, Minn. — There is an adage in sports: There is no substitute for hard work. The same can be said on a dairy farm. For high school athlete Larkun Kurth, these lessons in hard work were learned at a young age on the dairy farm. Early morning chores and ensuring the job was not just done, but done right, taught him wisdom that translated to his athletic career.

A 3-sport athlete and 2-sport captain, Kurth recently capped off his senior season with the Hutchinson Public School’s baseball team, finishing fourth in the Class AAA state tournament.

“It was pretty cool,” Kurth said. “I was pretty excited that we made it in the first place.”

As a pitcher, Kurth was a big reason why they made it. He finished the season with an 8-1 record and 1.90 earned run average in 50 innings. The 6 feet, 2 inches tall, 225-pound right-hander became a force on the mound for the Tigers, who opened the tournament with a 5-3 win, thanks in large part to Kurth’s 6-inning performance.

“I knew that my job was to go out there and perform and do what I could to help us win,” he said.

They also got to state behind a stellar section performance from Kurth. After losing the first game of the playoffs, the Tigers rattled off four wins, including a 5-2 win over Little Falls Community High School behind a 7-inning gem from Kurth.

Hutchinson head coach Tim Thode credits Kurth’s success to his ability to locate pitches and attack the strike zone. He also credits the hard work he puts into his role as a pitcher.

“Larkun is one of the hardest-working kids we have,” Thode said. “He never gives up and competes like crazy. I was lucky to coach him the past seven years in baseball and two years in football.”

Kurth plays football in the fall and wrestles in the winter. All three sports take a level of dedication and commitment. However, this is not new for Kurth who grew up watching his parents, Bill and Leah, get up early seven days a week to make sure the work got done on the family farm.

“If they don’t work hard, it’s not going to get done,” said Kurth. “They taught me to work hard at what I am doing so I can succeed at it.”

When he was younger, Kurth worked mornings, nights and weekends on the farm. But as his athletics took up more of his time, his parents offered support and became his biggest fans. They adjusted his work schedule on the farm so he could fulfill his passions of playing sports and being with his teammates and friends.

“It’s pretty special to always have them in the stands and cheer for me no matter what,” he said. “It’s really fun after a big win to give them a hug. I just think it shows how much they care about me and want to be there for my stuff.”

Kurth and his teammates rise early and lift weights every morning at 6 before attending camps, practices and games. When Kurth is on the farm, he is usually helping in the freestall barn, helping with hay in the summer, and doing field work in the spring and fall.

In addition to hard work, overcoming adversity is also a trait Kurth learned at a young age, toiling on a dairy farm. Kurth discovered that same lesson on the field during his sophomore year of football.

“I didn’t get to start that year, but I learned to work hard and to compete to try and get that starting spot,” he said. “I saw that with my parents, them getting up early and doing chores and being in the fields and working hard.”

Instead of giving up, Kurth stuck it out and his team won the state championship during his junior season. In his senior season, he started on both sides of the ball as a defensive end and defensive tackle.

The work ethic he has learned has helped him on the mound as well. When he pitches, he often thinks about his father and how hard he works on the farm.

“There are people out there doing way harder things than I am,” he said.

Understanding that the work he has put in is going to benefit him every time he steps on the rubber perhaps helps to simplify the game for Kurth.

“Larkun believes wholeheartedly he will get the job done,” Thode said.

With elimination staring them in the face against Little Falls in the section playoffs, Kurth said nobody wanted the ball in his hand more than he did.

“There was no way I was going to let them lose that game,” he said.

It is that mentality that separates Kurth as a special player, Thode said.

“He brings a love for baseball, but a love for his teammates as well,” he said. “Larkun is a phenomenal teammate who wants his teammates to succeed just as badly as he wants to do well.”

Kurth pitched a masterpiece and the Tigers advanced. He said the performance was not for him; it was for the bigger picture. It was for his teammates.

“It’s like that on the farm all the time,” he said. “You have to do what you have to do to get the job done.”

While Kurth’s high school baseball career has come to a close, he has other opportunities at the next level if he wants to keep playing. Right now, he plans to go to Ridgewater College for farm operations management and to possibly play baseball.

Mark Klaphake contributed to this article.