T-burg’s Ethan Fulton excels for St. John Fisher baseball

It’s no secret that Trumansburg has a passionate baseball community that has churned out plenty of collegiate talent over the years. One of the Blue Raiders’ most recent alumni is starring for one of the best Division III teams in the state.

Ethan Fulton is a sophomore at St. John Fisher University and has helped them get off to a dominant start in conference play. As of April 22, the Cardinals sit atop the Empire 8 standings at 12-2. But things weren’t always easy for them this season, as they had an incredibly challenging non-conference slate and faced multiple ranked opponents. Despite going 3-10 before their first Empire 8 game—which included an eight-game losing streak—the high degree of difficulty has helped them out in the long run.

“It prepared us really well,” Fulton said. “We played a few top 25 teams, and just knowing that we can compete with them really excels us for Empire 8 play, just knowing that we can compete with the top teams in the country… The team is coming together and knowing what we have to do. Our pitching staff is putting the ball in the strike zone, striking out a ton of guys, and then our hitters keep putting the ball in play and crushing it.”

Fulton has dazzled on the mound in just his second year of college ball. He leads all starters on the team with a 3.05 ERA and also ranks highly in the Empire 8 in strikeouts (49) and opposing batting average (.245). Fulton credited his teammates for helping him emerge as the Cardinals’ ace.

“The team is supporting me a lot and trusting me every time I’m on the mound and the energy they bring when I’m on the mound during the game,” Fulton said. “It really fuels everything and makes it a lot more fun.”

Fulton is in a much different role pitching-wise, as he exclusively came out of the bullpen last season. Now flourishing in the rotation, it’s safe to say the transition from reliever to starter has been seamless.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Fulton said. “In high school, I would start games and go pretty long. Last year, changing my role from going to the bullpen was definitely different. But now coming back to the role I was in high school, it’s just a lot more fun and changes the whole game really for me.”

Fulton has also had some solid production at the plate. While his .229 batting average is on the lower end of the lineup, he’s made up for it with great plate discipline, walking 15 times to just eight strikeouts. While being a two-way player is the norm in high school, it’s a rarer and tougher thing to do at the college level.

“It’s definitely different because in high school, I do it every day, and now I really gotta fight for that hitting spot,” Fulton said. “Trying to manage two of them [hitting and pitching] at once is pretty hard during the season.”

Fulton also talked through his decision to join St. John Fisher and what stood out about the school and the baseball program from others that he was looking at.

“The campus is really nice,” Fulton said. “[Head] coach [Brandon] Potter really wanted me to come here and excelled on my recruiting. I really fell in love with the place ever since my first visit.”

Fulton’s great college career is no surprise to the Trumansburg faithful given how outstanding he played in high school. Fulton was a two-time team MVP and IAC All-Star, and it was his junior season where he really shined. He was named IAC MVP in 2021 and helped the Blue Raiders win their first sectional title since 1999, pitching a complete game in the championship against Lansing. Fulton knows that his time with the Blue Raiders prepared him especially well for the college ranks.

“Being from a small town, you really gotta fight for everything and every opportunity,” Fulton said. “It taught me that I can’t take anything for granted coming up to the college level, because nothing’s really given to you at this point. You gotta fight for it all.”

Fulton also reflected on the strength of the baseball community in his hometown, from when he donned the blue and gold to this season’s team, featuring his younger brother Owen.

“It really comes along with the group of guys on the team every year,” Fulton said. “You look at the seasons when I was still there, we were all a close-knit group of guys and we loved playing every day, and you see it now with the group of kids there. They’re just having fun every day being on the field together. I think it really brings everyone together all in one.”

The regular season continues to wind down for Fulton and the Cardinals, as they look to win their fourth straight Empire 8 title and make a deeper run in the NCAA Tournament.