Herb Koch Jr. (3B), Kent Koch (SS), Nick Koch (pitcher), Herb Koch Sr. (2B), and Kirby Koch (1B)

Herb Koch and his four boys will all be on the same baseball field together for the first time Fiday 6/13 in Loretto.

Herb Koch Jr. (3B), Kent Koch (SS), Nick Koch (pitcher), Herb Koch Sr. (2B), and Kirby Koch (1B)

Herb Koch and his four boys will all be on the baseball field together for the first time Friday 6/13 in Loretto

LORETTO — To say baseball runs in the blood of the Koch family, of Loretto, may be the understatement of the century.

Herb Koch and his wife, Shelly, have five kids — four boys, ages 16-26, and a girl, age 11 — and they all play ball.

That throwing, catching and hitting a ball (a baseball for the boys, and a softball for the girls) is a part of the Koch family, should come as no surprise to anyone who knows Herb and Shelly, who met at Delano High School, and went on their first date in 1974.

Herb was born and raised in Loretto, where he grew up playing baseball — first with the youth teams, then at Delano High School until his graduation in 1978, and finally with the Larks, Loretto’s amateur town team. His talent as a shortstop earned Herb an extended tryout with the Montreal Expos, but he didn’t pursue the dream for too long, instead opting to earn a living at Klaers Oil, while fixing his baseball addiction by playing with the Larks.

That Herb met and fell in love with Shelly is a story made in baseball heaven.

Shelly grew up in Delano as a Ditty, which, in Delano, is another word for baseball player. The Ditty family has a long-standing tradition of producing and reproducing great baseball talent, like Shelly’s father Rich, and brothers Rick, Mike and the late Perry — so much so, that Herb often gets ribbed about his true purpose for marrying Shelly.

“It kind of runs in the family. The Ditty side was all good baseball players,” said Kent, the Koch’s third son. “My dad always jokes that we got all of our baseball talent from my mom’s side.”

“We always joke that I married a Ditty because the Dittys were big into baseball, and it would allow me to get away with all this stuff,” said Herb after a recent Larks’ game.

That’s right, Herb is still with the Larks, for his 33rd season.

Thirty-three seasons; but, at 48 years of age, Herb probably just sits on the bench and manages, right?

Sort of.

Herb does, indeed, manage the team, as he’s done since 1983, but anyone who has played against the Larks or just seen them play knows sitting quietly on the bench is not Herb’s style. He can be seen aggressively coaching third base, or sprinting after foul balls, and, oh yeah, he still plays, and does it well.

“He’s always been an athlete,” Shelly said of her husband. “Since I’ve known him, baseball has been his life. That’s what keeps him going.”

Physically, Herb doesn’t show many signs of middle-age. Think of Paul Molitor in his later years, and that is Herb, except Herb plays the field, too.

When third son Kent, now 20, joined the Larks at the age of 16, Herb moved over to second base so Kent could get more work in at shortstop in preparation for high school varsity baseball. The two have been double-play partners ever since.

When Kent joined the Larks, Loretto fans and opponents were already familiar with Herb and his pedigree. Oldest son, Herb Jr., 26, was already with the Larks as a third baseman, and Nick, 25, was already one of the team’s best pitchers.

Herb, Herb Jr., Nick and Kent all joined the Larks when they turned 16, which meant, when youngest son Kirby hit his 16th year of life, the final Koch boy was added to the team, and the puzzle was complete with a father and four sons.

“He always seemed so young before, but now he has grown up so much. That made a big difference,” Shelly said of Kirby. “We thought maybe we would do it last year, but he was announcing games. Now he finally gets to play.”

Having his four sons in uniform with him is something Herb doesn’t take for granted. He admits he was waiting for it to happen.

“I think we realized it four or five years ago. We started thinking that everybody plays baseball. Sometimes you think somebody will play golf or something, but, once we realized everybody was going to be a baseball player, we started thinking about it, and we were kind of looking forward to this day,” Herb said of he and Shelly. “We were hoping I would be able to stay healthy enough to play in three to four years. We are really excited. I think it is a tribute to all the hard work our family has put into this facility. I literally got to build this field with pull-tab money.”

The “day” Herb referred to is Friday, when, in honor of the rare occasion of having a father and four boys on the same team, the Larks will take to Arnold Klaers Field against Rockford with all five Koch’s penciled into the starting lineup.

It won’t be difficult to spot each one. A quick glance around the infield will reveal each Koch boy. Kirby will be at first base, Herb at second, Herb Jr. at third, Kent at shortstop, and Nick will be on the mound.

“Having four sons, and me being able to play at this age, I think it’s pretty cool that we are all infielders, or will all be in the infield,” Herb said. “I just don’t know how many opportunities we will have, especially to start a game. Kirby is young, but it’s kind of neat how it turned out with our positions, and that he plays first, and I’m an infielder, Kent’s an infielder, and Herbie has been playing third for us for years.”

To make it even more of a family affair, Herb’s nephews Brandon and Ben Scanlon will also be in the starting lineup, at catcher and center field, respectively.

And don’t forget about the girls. Shelly will throw out the first pitch, and then man her usual posts in the concession stand and announcer’s booth. And Kalley will sing the National Anthem with some friends. Kalley is a softball pitcher, but Herb joked that maybe she can catch for one game.

“This is pretty cool. This has been a dream come true to see them all play together,” Shelly said. “We’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. You don’t get that too often.”

Herb knows the day will be special for Shelly and the kids as much as it will be for himself.

“It will be a fun day. I think people need to realize that our whole family has done so much for the athletic club and the community,” Herb said. “I think it’s going to be a fun day. I think we will get a decent crowd.”

Mom and dad Koch aren’t the only two excited about Friday’s game.

“It’s something I am looking forward to,” said Kirby. “It will be a memorable night, and, hopefully, we get a win, too.”

Nick agreed with his youngest brother, then taking the time to jokingly question the defense that will be behind him.

“It’s pretty cool knowing everybody is going to play,” said Nick, the pitcher. “I hope nobody makes any errors. I think it will go good. I will have to strike out some people so they don’t hit it to them.”

Herb Jr., the third baseman, responded to Nick’s wishes.

“He’s gotta throw strikes, first of all,” he said.

The idea of having Herb and his four boys on the field at the same time almost didn’t become a possibility, due to Nick’s early fear of the baseball.

Herb explained that, when Nick was 11 or 12 years old, he was hit by so many pitches that he became scared of the ball, and quit baseball. Herb and Shelly let their son sit out a season, and, much to the delight of his baseball-loving parents, Nick began playing again — as a pitcher.

Good thing, because now Nick will be a part of some kind of history, for sure.

Kent, who just finished his red shirt-freshman season at St. Cloud State University, noted that his most memorable moment in baseball that appears on the team’s web site will have to be altered after Friday’s game against Rockford.

“Mine was actually playing with my dad at second, Herb (Jr.) at short and Nick pitching,” Kent explained. “Now it kind of changed, adding Kirby at first base. For sure, that’s one of the coolest things I’ve encountered in my baseball career.”

So, will Kent get emotional when the Larks take the field for the top of the first inning Friday night?

“I don’t think so. It will be fun just playing baseball, like we’ve been doing all of our lives,” he said. “It will be cool.”

Herb agreed the instincts for playing the game will take over each of the Koch boys, but can foresee himself taking a moment to appreciate the significance of what is happening when he steps on the field.

“When you go out there to play the game, you play the game, but you also sit back and you look to the positions, and you think, that’s pretty cool,” said Herb, who has played with all four sons already, just not at the same time. “For me, personally, I’m going to soak it in. With my experience, I will still be able to play the game and do what I have to do, but I’m going to soak it in.”

Herb’s sons all appreciate what he has done for them, and they seemed happier for their dad that they will all play together than for themselves.

“This will be a good thing for dad to see. He’s looked forward to this for a long time,” Herb Jr. said. “To have that many boys who can actually play a sport, and who are actually good at it is a huge deal for him.”

“For sure,” Kent said in response to Herb Jr. “I think that’s kind of why he’s been hanging on. People always ask him why he’s still playing and stuff like that. He’s still got it, and he knows that, but I think (for a chance to play with his four sons is) why he is playing now.”

Herb and Kent may be right.

“It might get a little emotional for me, just because of all the hard work and dedication we’ve put in to get to this point,” Herb added. “Everyone of my kids has worked here since he was a baby. The community service part means a lot to us.”

Herb’s commitment to the community and to Loretto baseball prompted the city to name one of its youth fields Herb Koch Field.

Herb and Shelly seem to be a match made in baseball heaven.

“(Baseball) is what our family does. Our family days are at the ball park. I don’t get sick of it, I love baseball,” Shelly said. “We just live at the ball park. It’s fun for me. I guess that’s because I grew up that way.”

Shelly’s not exaggerating much when she says her family lives at the ball park. The Kochs have spent countless hours maintaining and upgrading Arnold Klaers Field, often eating their dinners at the field so they could get more work done.

All that work, so they could play the game of baseball — together.