For years, Hunter Purvis struggled to find his swagger on the baseball diamond.
Still, he grew up loving baseball.
His older sister, Rylee, was a standout softball pitcher for Colo-NESCO who went on to play at Simpson College. The game was in his blood, and he could not wait to go out onto the diamond and get a game in, whether it was competitive or just for fun with his friends.
His coaches always believed in him. He just needed to trust in himself.
That took some time.
Purvis started three games at pitcher as an eighth-grader, going 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA. As a freshman, he was 1-4 with an 8.27 ERA in 31 1/3 innings.
In 2025, Purvis finished 1-2 with a 6.59 ERA in 28 1/3 innings.
But even though he struggled with consistency, his potential had his teammates excited for his junior season.
“He’s been throwing since his eighth-grade year,” said Colo-NESCO catcher Landon Gjerde. “We knew this guy was going to be a stud.”
Purvis put in a ton of time working on his pitches during the offseason. He spent time with Colo-NESCO coach Travis Owens and received instructions from 3T’s Baseball Youth Pitching Academy coach Eric Bappe in Ames.
He worked on locating his pitches, getting better movement and more velocity.
He hit a bit of a snag before the start of the season when he got tendinitis in his throwing arm. But he fought through it, and through his nine appearances and seven starts on the mound, the results speak for themselves.
Through the Royals’ 5-3 victory over GMG on June 24, Purvis is 4-2 with a 2.52 ERA. He has 59 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 41 2/3 innings.
“People have pushed me hard enough that it always got in my head,” Purvis said. “This year something clicked and I’m having the time of my life.”
Purvis only gave up one hit in 6 1/3 innings against GMG. He finished the game with eight strikeouts and four walks.
Purvis has now thrown 13 1/3 innings against GMG on the season. He only gave up three earned runs with 19 strikeouts over the two games against the Wolverines.
“That’s a testament to all the work he did in the offseason,” Owens said. “The confidence factor is because of all the hard work.”
Purvis said his curveball has improved and his fastball is hitting its spots.
“I’ve always struggled with control,” Purvis said. “Being able to spot those has helped a lot.”
The June 24 win over GMG saw Purvis overcome four Royal errors in the field. But even with the mistakes, he still has full confidence in his teammates to make plays, which they did in the seventh inning to help close out the victory.
“It feels great having these kids behind me and being able to do well for them,” Purvis said. “It honestly just builds on the rest of the season.”
Purvis also went 2-for-4 with two steals and two runs at the plate during the June 24 victory over the Wolverines.
For the season, he has an on-base percentage of .323 with three doubles, eight steals and 14 runs as the team’s leadoff hitter.
“It’s a challenge, but I like to have it as my spot,” Purvis said. “I feel like I’m good at seeing what’s coming and pointing out to the rest of the team what he (the opposing pitcher) has got, and being able to start it off.”
As the regular season starts to wind down, Purvis is focused on helping Colo-NESCO finish with a winning record. The Royals are 7-9 with five games left before Class 1A district play begins.
Colo-NESCO is on pace to better its record from each of the past two seasons (7-14 and 8-15), and Purvis wants to help his team achieve its first winning season since 2022.
His sister set a high bar for him to follow.
“Just seeing her and all the accomplishments she’s had and the community she’s had behind her, I just wanted to take over that and keep it going,” Purvis said. “I think that’s really it, how everyone’s had confidence in her.”
Helping the Royals top the .500 mark as the team’s ace is a step in the right direction. If his game continues to grow at the same pace between now and his senior year, Purvis could establish himself as one of the best pitchers in Colo-NESCO history.
“His location is leaps and bounds better,” Gjerde said. “I think he’s got some records he’s going to be hunting in the next year-and-a-half.”
Joe Randleman covers high school sports for the Ames Tribune. Contact him at jrandleman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeRandleman
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: How Colo-NESCO baseball star Hunter Purvis built confidence on the mound
Reporting by Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
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By Joe Randleman, Ames Tribune | USA TODAY Network
