Shelbyville was playing its rival, New Palestine High School, a school they had not defeated in 12 years.
The 6-foot-2 center fielder looked toward the pitcher as he started his delivery.
In a flash, Kuhn struck the ball, an outside pitch, sending it sailing over the right field fence for the first home run of his career, giving Shelbyville a 3-0 lead.
Shelbyville would go on to win 5-3, thanks to the heroics of its junior five-tool Trine University commit, now a freshman for the IU track and field team.
“We went on to win a conference title for the first time in 59 years my senior year,” Kuhn said.
Kuhn played all four seasons on the varsity team.
Kuhn had a .408 batting average, the best in the Hoosier Heritage Conference, with an on-base percentage of .517 during his senior season.
He finished as the 33rd best high school baseball prospect in Indiana, according to MaxPreps.com.
But Kuhn doesn’t play baseball anymore.
“There was one day in strength class, we had these tests that we got graded on based on improvement,” Kuhn said. “One of the tests was the 800.”
Kuhn ran his test in tennis shoes and gym shorts and still finished in two minutes flat.
The time was good enough to qualify for the Indiana High School State Finals that season.
“I decided then that I was going to run track my senior year,” Kuhn said.
Taking on a heavy workload, Kuhn decided to participate in baseball and track while still keeping his job as night manager at a local pizza place, Bellacino’s.
Kuhn was active during baseball practice until his shift began at 6 p.m., going until 10 p.m. on weeknights and even longer on ?weekends.
He didn’t train with the team, only ran in the meets.
“I think it pissed a lot of people off,” Kuhn said about his on-track success despite missing practice. “I was just going out there and doing my thing, while a lot of other guys put so much time into the training and practice.”
Kuhn won the 2014 state title for the 800-meter run with a time of 1:50.91, the first Shelbyville state victor since 1931.
His academics never faltered, though, despite his heavy workload. His GPA rose to a 4.3 in his final high school semester.
“I owe it all to my parents for raising me perfectly and always pushing me, and to God for blessing me with these abilities,” Kuhn said.
The now-freshman middle distance runner turned down IU several times during his senior season because he was committed to another school for baseball, a sport he had played since he was five years old.
After seven rejections, though, Kuhn finally ?answered yes.
“I didn’t want to regret not trying to see if it worked out 15 to 20 years down the road,” Kuhn said. “The opportunity being offered was worth at least trying, and it has definitely worked out perfectly.”
The true freshman has set the fourth-best indoor 600-meter time in IU history with 1:18.29 and the third-best outdoor 800-meter time with 1:47.80.
Kuhn has won six races in his inaugural season and finished seventh in the Big Ten Indoor Championships with his performance in the 600 meters.
“I try not to think about how I rank against other people,” Kuhn said. “I just stay humble, give it all I have and let the opportunity come to me.”
He often trains side-by-side with sophomore Tre’tez Kinnaird, who owns three indoor school records and the fourth-best outdoor 800-meter finish.
“It’s awesome,” Kuhn said about training with Kinnaird. “I couldn’t imagine training without him. He really makes you push yourself, and if I want to be really good then I’ll have to train with other really good people.”
Kuhn’s goal this season is to qualify for the outdoor World Junior Championships. Last summer, Kinnaird competed in the Junior Championships.
Perhaps Kuhn’s most commendable trait is his humility, as he refuses to take full credit for his accomplishments as a runner.
“I owe most of it to my teammates and my coach,” Kuhn said. “I just believe in what I am told and trust that it’ll take me to where I want to go.”
