Kyle Hess and Nick Lucky reunite as Cedar Rapids Kernels teammates

CEDAR RAPIDS — Their respective parents came to town this weekend from Pennsylvania because of course they would wind up randomly deciding to visit at the same time.

Kyle Hess and Nick Lucky are teammates with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Hess is an outfielder and Lucky an infielder.

Their baseball relationship goes back. Way back.

To youth travel ball on a 14U team in Mount Joy, Pa. To another travel ball team when they were juniors and seniors in high school.

Separate high schools, as Lucky is from Denver, Pa., and Hess from Mount Joy. They’re about 40 miles apart.

College separated them from the same diamond for five years. Hess went to the University of Pittsburgh, Lucky to Coastal Carolina.

“When we were playing together, it was like every weekend we were literally together,” Lucky said. “So as we got older and were on the road, we were kind of the two kids from the same area. Obviously we grew close. Then when we went to college, he was in still in Pa. and I was in South Carolina, but we’d still talk on the phone and stuff.”

Then this season happened.

The pair worked out together over the winter with a coach from the Lancaster Stormers, an independent professional team from the Atlantic League back home in Lancaster, Pa. Eventually they were offered and accepted contracts, teammates with former major leaguers like Isan Diaz.

“It was cool to see guys like him, that you naturally look up to because they’ve been in the big leagues, approach the game the right way,” Hess said. “But also they’re good people, too.”

Hess tore it up for Lancaster, earning a contract from the Minnesota Twins on May 13. He spent two weeks in low-A ball with the Fort Myers Miracle and was promoted to the high-A Kernels on May 27.

Lucky continued to toil with the Stormers, but eventually got himself an affiliated baseball offer as well. It came June 10 from ... the Minnesota Twins.

“When he got picked up by the Twins, it was like my right-hand man left,” Lucky said. “But I was happy for him. Then for me, it didn’t matter if it was the Twins or anybody, I was just hoping to get a shot to play somewhere. When I found out it was the Twins, he was one of the first guys I texted. I was like ‘Man, check this out.’”

“I think both going through what we went through in college, we both played five years of college ball ...” Hess said. “To go through that, to go from where we were to start this year, to not only both of us getting picked up, but both of us getting picked up by the same team is just insane. Pretty cool.”

The coolest part was yet to come.

Lucky got sent July 31 to Cedar Rapids. The longtime friends and youth baseball teammates were teammates again.

This time as professionals. Unbelievable.

“When Lucky came up here to Cedar Rapids, we played catch for the first time, and it was funny because three months earlier, we were playing catch in Lancaster,” Hess said.

“That was kind of the thing that we talked about as soon as I got here,” Lucky said. “When we were playing travel ball together, even when we were young, 16 or 17, we joked about it. Joked about playing professionally together. What are the odds it actually happens? ... Then for it to happen to two kids signed out of indy ball is kind of crazy to me.”

Hess is 25 years old, Lucky 24. They’re getting pretty regular playing time for the Kernels, who hosted South Bend this week.

They are both determined to make the most of this opportunity. Determined to savor their time together again.

“Put your head down and grind and see what happens,” Lucky said.

“Never take a day for granted,” Hess said.

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