STARKVILLE — Chris Pulliam was scouring through the seats at Baum-Walker Stadium. In a sea of Arkansas fans taking in the final game of the series against Mississippi State baseball, the father of Bulldogs second baseman Ethan Pulliam was on a hunt.

His son had just launched a three-run home run – the first blast of Ethan’s collegiate career. Chris, ready to negotiate a deal, wanted to find the fan who caught the ball.

He succeeded, eventually finding a young boy in possession of the prize. A signature moment for the Pulliam family came at one of college baseball’s cathedrals, and they returned home with a souvenir to remember it by.

For Mississippi State, the ball represented a glimpse into the potential of a freshman.

“(Ethan) is a super competitive kid,” coach Chris Lemonis said Monday. “He’s young but he’s also a kid (who’s) going to be a great player here in the future because he just keeps getting better.”

The talent is showing as Ethan is hitting .283 heading into a series between Mississippi State (34-18, 15-12 SEC) and Missouri (22-30, 8-19) at Dudy Noble Field.

The three-game set, which starts Thursday (6 p.m., SEC Network+), will wrap the regular season. As MSU prepares for its first postseason appearance since 2021, Pulliam has emerged a key component.

How Ethan Pulliam balances football, baseball

Ethan picked up football as a sophomore at Starkville High School. After playing soccer and baseball throughout his life, he added another challenge by becoming the Yellow Jackets' punter.

To see how he matched up against others, Chris took Ethan to a Kohl’s kicking camp. In Ethan’s first camp, he placed atop the field and later became the No. 9 punter in the 2023 class, according to rankings from Kohl’s.

“It was just a natural ability,” Chris said.

Along with his commitment to baseball, which came in 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down sports, Ethan earned an opportunity to play football at Mississippi State − a place he knows well. His father has worked at MSU for nearly two decades and currently serves at the associate director of construction administration.

Ethan got to campus in August and has put his talents on display. This spring he typically worked with the football team in the morning before taking classes then shifting to baseball. That balance of obligations wasn’t new.

“When he was a senior and we were on the road, he would take his laptop to and from trips,” Chris said. “If we’re leaving out Thursday or Friday, he’s on the passenger side working trying to get caught up. … Just using his time wisely.”

Ethan Pulliam avoided a scary injury at Dudy Noble Field

As a punter, the risk of injury in a game for Ethan is minimal. Despite wearing a helmet and pads during spring practices, Ethan’s scariest moment came in a baseball game a week before his memorable day at Arkansas.

Mississippi State held a 5-1 lead against Alabama on May 4. With runners on first and second, Ethan stepped into the batter’s box looking to advance both runners with a bunt. Instead, on the third pitch of the at-bat, Ethan took a 92-mile per hour fastball to the face.

He immediately fell to the ground.

Because the ball tipped off his bat and made contact with his helmet before hitting his face, the velocity had dipped enough to leave him only with a black eye. Ethan returned to the field the next day, but he went hitless across his next 10 at-bats.

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That skid ended with his three-hit, four-RBIs performance against the Razorbacks.

"He's a freshman, but he doesn't play like a freshman," Lemonis said. "You don't feel like you've got a freshman up there. He's just very mature. The moments don't bother him."

Stefan Krajisnik is the Mississippi State beat writer for the Clarion Ledger. Contact him at skrajisnik@gannett.com or follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, @skrajisnik3.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ethan Pulliam succeeding for Mississippi State baseball and can punt