Ed Fulton served as Averett's baseball coach from 1996-2017. He was the program's second coach after taking over following one seasons of varsity play. In 20 seasons at Averett, Fulton's teams won more than 400 games and one USA South Conference championship.
Fulton guided his teams to 11 20-plus win seasons. His 2015 squad finished 25-13, and set a program record for conference victories with a 19-11 mark in the USA South. In 2013, he led his team to a 24-16 record after going 26-18, 22-19 and 25-17 the previous three seasons.
Over his final 14 seasons as coach, the Cougars posted a 369-345-1 record under Fulton’s direction, including a 2003 USA South Conference Tournament championship and a 2007 team that went 31-12. The 2003 championship team he built is a far cry from the 10-24 season he endured his first year on the job in 1997.
In 2003, Averett finished tied for third in the league with a 6-6 record. However, Fulton guided his fourth seeded Cougars to five wins in six games en route to his first USA South Conference Tournament Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional in Hickory, N.C. The Cougars posted a 27-14 overall record that season against one of the toughest schedules in the country. The late season run also lifted Averett to their first top-10 national ranking (seventh) in the program’s history. Fulton’s squad was also considered the top team in the region following the tournament championship.
Well-versed in all aspects of the game, Fulton’s specialties are no doubt in the areas of hitting and catching. Averett held a team batting average of .322 and averaged 7.5 runs per game in 2003. If you also consider that 6.5 of those runs per game were earned runs, then Fulton’s credibility as a hitting coach becomes very apparent.
Behind the plate, Fulton is arguably one of the best teachers in the nation. He helped develop Greg Stevens into one of the best catchers in the south region and into a current professional ballplayer. In addition to Stevens, Fulton has also coached pitcher Gene Yost, a 20th round selection by the Nationals in 2004, and outfielder Eddie Guessford, as well as countless others, to successful professional careers. Due to his professional background, Fulton has made many contacts with professional players, scouts, coaches and managers.
Before bringing the Cougars to national prominence, Fulton spent nine years in the minor leagues, six of those seasons at the AAA level. The St. Louis Cardinals picked him in the 16th round during the 1987 draft. Fulton’s professional career included stints with the Cardinals, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox.
Fulton played collegiate baseball at Florida State University under legendary coach Mike Martin, where the Seminoles won 230 games during his college career. He helped guide FSU to berths in the College World Series in 1986 and 1987. In 1986, Fulton was selected to the USA National Team and earned All-America honors in 1987.
A native of Danville, Va., Fulton earned his bachelor’s degree from Averett in 1998. He and his wife, Christie, reside in Danville. The couple has three children: Justin, Kenna and Camden.
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| Â ED FULTON'S YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RESULTS |
| Season |
Overall |
USA South |
Finish |
Postseason |
| 1997 |
10-24 |
2-10 |
7th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 1998 |
13-26 |
2-10 |
7th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 1999 |
12-27-1 |
2-10 |
6th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2000 |
28-12 |
7-5 |
2nd |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2001 |
22-13 |
7-5 |
4th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2002 |
26-15 |
5-9 |
5th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2003 |
27-14 |
6-6 |
3rd |
USA South Conference Tournament Championship;
NCAA Tournament |
| 2004 |
22-21 |
11-10 |
3rd |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2005 |
6-31 |
1-17 |
7th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2006 |
13-27 |
3-15 |
7th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2007 |
31-12 |
6-6 |
4th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2008 |
14-22 |
2-10 |
6th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2009 |
14-24-1 |
4-6 |
5th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2010 |
25-17 |
5-7 |
5th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2011 |
22-19 |
5-7 |
4th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2012 |
26-18 |
5-7 |
6th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2013 |
24-16 |
14-10 |
3rd |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2014 |
16-23 |
8-18 |
9th |
— |
| 2015 |
25-13 |
19-11 |
3rd |
— |
| 2016 |
19-22 |
7-11 |
8th |
USA South Conference Tournament |
| 2017 |
9-26 |
4-14 |
9th |
— |
| Totals |
404-422-2
(.488) |
125-204
(.380) |
|
|
| Â COACHING HIGHLIGHTS |
|  • 1997 USA South Conference Coach of the Year |
|  • 2003 USA South Conference Tournament Championships |
|  • Coached 1 National College Baseball Writers Association National Pitcher of the Year |
|  • 3 Major League Baseball Draft Picks |
|  • 2 All-America Selections |
|  • 2 USA South Conference Player of the Year Selections |
|  • 1 USA South Conference Pitcher of the Year |
|  • 2 USA South Conference Rookie of the Year Selections |
|  • 1 USA South Conference Rookie Pitcher of the Year |
|  • 13 All-Region Selections |
|  • 1 Region Player of the Year |
|  • 1 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State Player of the Year |
|  • 14 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State Selections |
|  • 71 USA South All-Conference Selections |
|  • 13 USA South Conference All-Tournament Selections |
|  • 1 USA South Conference Tournament MVP |
*Last updated on 5/9/2016
