By Erika Humpage and Megan Moore
IV Leader Staff
Mike Fulkerson, who is originally from Princeton, has been
hired as the new baseball coach for IVCC.
Fulkerson is no stranger to IVCC or its baseball program.
He started off as an assistant coach in Riverforest for about
two years, and then he lived in Rochester, N.Y., and coached at the University
of Rochester for three years. Fulkerson finished his grad work, paid for
schooling, spent one and a half years at Morton College, and then came back to
the Illinois Valley.
Fulkerson originally played at IVCC with Coach Bob Koopmann.
He said that this was the only job he wanted around the area.
Fulkerson added that much has changed since he went to school
here. He said when he left it was “very dark and dingy.” Now, everything is
different. IVCC has finished projects that renovated the main buildings and
their lighting.
Fulkerson said because of the timing in his hiring, he was
able to recruit for this year’s team. Former baseball coach Mark Tellkamp
resigned in December 2007, and Fulkerson did not get the job until March-April;
therefore, he wasn’t able to recruit.
“There are a lot of freshmen, 17 on the roster [and], 12 of
them are freshman,” he says.
From his playing days, Fulkerson said he remembered women’s
softball coach Cory Tomasson and athletic secretary Sue Harding.
As for the season goals, he said that they never change. This
year he wants to put IVCC back on the map. He wants to win the conference,
regional, and the World Series. Fulkerson says that IVCC baseball fell off the
map when Koopmann left and now it is time to get IV’s reputation where it should
be.