PEMBROKE – In one of the most memorable moments of the program’s recent history, Ethan Baucom walked up to the plate for the Richmond Senior High School varsity baseball team in the bottom of the seventh inning with his team trailing West Forsyth High School 7-6 in game two of the 2014 4A state title series at UNC Greensboro.
The Titans had won game one 6-3, so the Raiders were down to their last outs and needed a little magic to keep from going home early. Baucom delivered when he blasted a solo shot over the left center fence to tie it up. Teammate Cody Leviner had a walk-off single later in the inning to force game three.
The Raiders would end up falling in game three of the series, but Baucom’s success throughout his junior season in 2014 helped him earn a place on the all-conference team and an opportunity to sign with the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
After making a commitment to the Braves in the fall of 2014, he showed the UNC-Pembroke coaches that they had made a great choice by putting up some impressive numbers during his senior season with the Raiders in 2015.
Baucom once again snagged all-conference honors after finishing the season with a .338 batting average and recording three home runs.
These days, Baucom continues to be hot at the plate as a Brave. After redshirting in the spring of 2016, he lit up the scoreboard during his sophomore year.
“My favorite moments as a Brave would the 10 home runs that I hit as a (redshirt) freshman,” Baucom said reminiscing about his 2017 season. “Another favorite was hitting two home runs in one game against Wingate.”
Baucom’s accomplishments at the plate were not limited to just home runs. He finished the 2017 season with a batting average of .358 in 176 at-bats, recording 63 hits, 49 RBIs, and 52 runs scored. He also recorded 14 multiple-RBI games, which was a team best.
Baucom was named as the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week after going 8-for-14 at the plate in a three-game series with Armstrong State in late April 2017. In that series, he had a homerun, three doubles, four singles, and nine RBIs. He also went on to be named to the All-Peach Belt Conference team.
This season, Baucom has continued that success. Following the very first week of play, he once again received the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Week honors after batting .500 in a three-game series against Shepherd, recording a home run and 10 RBIs in the process.
Currently, the No. 25 ranked UNC- Pembroke Braves are 18-5 on the season, and Baucom has had at least three at-bats in all but one of the team’s 33 contests. He currently has a batting average of .359 with five home runs and six extra-base hits. His 30 RBIs this season are currently the second-most recorded by anyone in the Peach Belt Conference.
Much of Baucom’s success has been the result of his smooth transition into the program and the camaraderie developed with his teammates.
“Some of my closest teammates are my roommates Seth Hartings, Luke Jackson and Henry Simpson,” Baucom said. “Seth lives in Lake Norman and in the summer, the four of us have quality times at the lake on the boat and jet skis.”
Baucom has also developed a respect for his coaches. “Coach (Paul) O’Neil is the most straight-forward person you will ever meet,” Baucom said. “He always tells it how it is and gives great advice.
“Coach (Jeff) Jefferson, our recruiter and assistant coach, always does a great job of making sure everyone is involved and doing what they are supposed to be doing,” Baucom continued. “All of our coaches are very self-motivated and love being at the field everyday helping us out however they can on and off the field.”
Baucom’s excellent work ethic and personality have not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff.
“Ethan has made himself into a special player here at UNC Pembroke,” Jefferson said in a statement to the Richmond Observer. “His makeup and work ethic are off the charts, both on the baseball field and off. He’s a standup human being that is a key component to our baseball program here at UNC Pembroke, and I think his best days are still ahead of him.”
Off the field, Baucom is maintaining a 3.0 GPA and has been accepted into the National Honor Society. Even though he still has plenty of time left on the diamond for the Braves, he has given a lot of thought to what he wants to do when it all ends.
“My plans after college is to start a landscaping business,” he noted. “I want to work my way into designing golf courses and owning my own business.”
Baucom and the Braves return to action this weekend when they travel to Georgia College for a three-game series. Their next home series begins next Tuesday against Chowan. If you’d like to see Baucom in action, but cannot make it to the game, many of the home games are streamed live on UNC Pembroke’s website.
