FOND DU LAC (NBC 26) — When pitcher Ethan Cole graduated from Winnebago Lutheran Academy High School in 2022, he never imagined he would one day have a shot to play Major League Baseball. Well, he has a shot now. On Monday, he saw his name called in the 2025 MLB Draft on his television when he was selected by the Colorado Rockies.
“Honestly, I was just super surprised. I thought I would get a phone call beforehand, but I didn’t,” Cole said.
Cole, who had been pitching for his hometown Northwoods League team, the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders, didn’t expect to get drafted. However, his advisor told him there’s always a chance. In Round 20, the final round, he was selected.
“I was texting one of my buddies, and he was like, ‘You have to look,’ and I was shocked. I just started running around the house, and my sisters were all crying. It’s super cool,” he said.
The Fond du Lac native had the best college offers coming out of high school to play at the Division II level, so he chose Augustana in South Dakota, where they immediately tapped into his raw potential.
“Going into Augustana, I was throwing like 83-84, not throwing very hard. Then they got me in the lab, they put me to work, and by that spring, I was throwing 90-91. I was pretty wild my first year or so, but once I got that dialed in, I became a pitcher. I know how to pitch to guys, and it’s all gone well since then,” Cole said.
He saw his ERA improve over the last three years at Augustana finishing 2025 with a 3.68 ERA. He averaged an impressive 11 strikeouts per nine innings thrown, both in college and in the Northwoods League. He says he can throw six pitches but attributes his strikeouts to:
“Probably my changeup. I set it up with my fastball pretty well, so that worked out well,” he said.
In his college career, he spent time as a starter and a reliever, but for the Rockies he just wants to do whatever they need.
“I don’t care; I’ll do whatever. But it’s going to be a blast. I’m not going to take any moment for granted," said Cole.
Cole was supposed to pitch in the Northwoods League All-Star Game on Wednesday night, but the Rockies said that’s a no-go. He’s going to watch the game and then report to the Rockies on Friday in Arizona.
