Pulliam Loving Punting And Playing Hardball
April 26, 2024 | Baseball, Football
Starkville native staying busy as a two-sport athlete for State.
STARKVILLE – Whether it's driving in runs at Dudy Noble Field or punting footballs in Davis Wade Stadium, Ethan Pulliam has been as busy as a bee this spring.
The Mississippi State freshman has seen a recent emergence in the Diamond Dawgs' lineup at second base all while balancing time for his classes and his first spring camp with the football team.
The heavy workload is nothing new to Pulliam. Down the road at Starkville High School, Pulliam was an All-State baseball player and punter, he was scoring hat tricks for the Yellow Jackets' soccer team and he took on the academic challenges of some college courses.
"All throughout high school I played football, baseball and soccer," Pulliam said. "I had to juggle three sports in high school while taking colleges classes online and in person. I kind of got myself used to that routine of staying ahead of your schoolwork because schoolwork is always first."
This spring has been an absolute grind for Pulliam with football practices in the morning, classes in the middle of the day and baseball in the afternoon, but it hasn't slowed him down one bit. His hard work and dedication have allowed him to earn a spot starting at second base in Mississippi State's last five games, and he's taken that opportunity and ran with it.
During those five starts, the 6'1" freshman has collected seven hits and has three multi-hit games, bringing his season batting average to .412. In his first career start against Alcorn State, he found the outfield grass for a pair of base knocks before proving he was ready for the SEC with a big series during the Bulldogs' sweep of Auburn on Super Bulldog Weekend.
Pulliam nabbed his first two SEC base hits in the 8-1 Friday night victory and ignited the Bulldog offense in the first leg of Sunday's doubleheader with an RBI single in the fourth inning to give State a 1-0 lead before they'd go on to win 3-1.
"I just told myself to take a deep breath," Pulliam said. "It's the same game you've been playing forever, it's just a different stage. I just kept my composure. I thought I kept my composure well all weekend. I did my job. I just told myself to take it all in. No matter what happens, have fun and do your job."
The opportunity was one that the talented right-handed hitter was ready for. He's soaked up the knowledge of some of his older teammates like Hunter Hines and Connor Hujsak, and translated that into a productive spring training which made him equipped for the bright lights of the SEC.
"I had a feeling coming into [the series against Auburn] I was going to get another opportunity," Pulliam said. "I just told myself to stay ready because curveballs are always thrown at you in life. You have ups and downs, so you have to expect the unexpected. I knew I was ready for this weekend."
In the middle of his breakout weekend, Pulliam dressed out with the football team for Saturday's spring game. Had Saturday night's baseball game not been rained out, Pulliam could've followed the example of one of his idols, Deion Sanders, who played two games in the same day for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and MLB's Atlanta Braves.
"One day in the summer, me and my dad were having a summer ball tournament and we went up to Atlanta with each other," Pulliam said. "My dad told me to watch the Deion Sanders documentary. We watched it, and this was before I had football in mind. Everybody was pushing me to go play football in high school. Every time I play, every time I come to football practice in the morning and baseball in the afternoon whether it's a game or practice that's always sticking to my mind like Deion or Bo Jackson."
Every time Pulliam suits up to take the diamond or the gridiron for Mississippi State, he's living out his dreams as a Starkville kid who grew up wearing maroon and white and it's the positivity from his peers that has gotten him this far.
"It's been a dream come true," Pulliam said. "I can't find the words. I'm blessed. I thank God every day for this opportunity. I thank my coaches and everybody just staying in my ear, all the positives. It just makes me keep going."
