UT Martin senior outfielder Kaci Fuller has a long, strong background in softball. Now taking part in her fourth and final season with UT Martin, the Huntingdon native hopes to be a catalyst in bringing home an Ohio Valley Conference title.
Fuller has been playing softball since she was 5 or 6, and she comes by it honestly.
Her mother, Amy Fuller, was a softball coach for years, even coaching the Skyhawks in the 2000 and 2001 seasons. She also played at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for four seasons.
Her father, Jody (’02), played baseball for UT Martin and was a 1998 draft pick by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He is still the only Skyhawk pitcher to throw more than 100 strikeouts in a single season (118 in 1998) and ranks second in team history in career strikeouts (267).
Fuller credits her mother with teaching her several softball skills and her father with helping her with baseball skills that adapted into her softball life, as she played baseball until she was in fourth or fifth grade. However, softball is the sport that she likes best.
“I’m a very competitive person, so softball brings the competitiveness out of me, and I can put it into something good,” Fuller said.
“I love my teammates; I like being around everybody and getting those connections. I’ve gotten so many connections over the years through softball, and it’s really nice.”
On April 16, Fuller set a new school record for career hits, surpassing the former record of 237 set by Jenny Bain (’12) (2009-12). It took Fuller 184 games to reach the former record of 237 hits, while it took Bain 238 games.
Fuller had a great season last year, being named First-Team All-OVC and leading the team with a .404 batting average, ranking third in the conference. Her career batting average through the end of last season is .381, tops in Skyhawk history.
Fuller is majoring in accounting and plans on pursuing a master’s degree in accounting after graduating in May, then becoming a certified public accountant.
Fuller said what attracted her to come to UT Martin as a student was coming to campus often with her parents.
“I actually knew Coach (Donley) Canary (the UTM softball coach from 2002 to 2019) and his staff,” she said.
Over her three-plus years on the Martin campus, Fuller said she has enjoyed being a Skyhawk.
“I really love the environment,” she said. “I’m a real small-town, country girl. I like the academics part of it, but I also like the athletics. We all support everyone, and it’s really nice.”
