For most CCBL players, their sophomore seasons are all about gaining exposure, having reps, and crafting goals for what comes next. However, for pitcher Ethan Foley, his sophomore year took a different turn — finding himself working in Whole Foods Market while recovering from Tommy John surgery.

If you would have told Foley two years ago that he would be a CCBL East All-Star, he most likely wouldn’t have believed you.

“Playing in the Cape League is every kid’s dream,” Foley said. “Everybody wants to come out here and play. I never thought it was going to be me, you know, coming from junior college.”

From high school valedictorian to junior-college standout to a CCBL All-Star pitcher, Foley has repeatedly shown that he is no stranger to defying the odds.

“The other day in the All-Star Game, it was just a full circle moment, and I kind of reflected on it,” Foley said. “It’s crazy going from not being recruited out of high school not having any offers, going the junior college route, dealing with injuries, getting to pitch in the ACC and now ultimately having a really good outing in the All-Star Game.”

It was anything but an easy journey for Foley to step on the mound in front of a packed Red Wilson Field on All-Star Saturday.

In fact, even his high school and collegiate baseball career has been anything but conventional.

Despite throwing a seven-inning no-hit game in high school, Foley’s heroics were soon silenced by the world around him shutting down. Being a junior in high school during the COVID-19 pandemic, Foley’s chances of getting exposure and recruited were almost nonexistent.

With no Division I offers and just a couple of Division III offers far away, Foley decided to take his talents to a junior college in Fremont, California — Ohlone College.

Even though he may have not received the same national attention that the baseball powerhouse programs did, Foley still found success within the program.

“I wanted to be part of a winning program,” Foley said. “We won our first two games of the season, lost our next two games of the season, and then we proceeded to win 36 games straight. It was the longest win streak in collegiate baseball during that time.”

Because COVID didn’t affect players' eligibility, Foley needed to work even harder to make his mark on an older roster.

“There were 17 or 18 20 years old, technically, would be third-year players, and I was one of the younger guys,” Foley said. “During the fall, I put my head down, was in the weight room a lot, and earned a starting spot. I got a lot of experience, and I learned quickly.”

But that would soon come crashing down. From a bone bleed to a UCL tear, Foley dealt with his fair share of injuries his freshman year.

“I took a comebacker off of my leg, and it was a bone bleed,” Foley said. “There was a partial hairline fracture in my leg, and I pitched on a swollen leg for the remainder of the season.”

However, that wasn’t the only injury that plagued Foley. In fact, it was a pitcher’s worst nightmare that occurred.

“In my first game of the season, I was anywhere from 91 to 93, and in the last game, I was 84 to 86,” Foley said. “I knew something was wrong.”

An MRI confirmed that Foley suffered a partial tear in the UCL. Requiring Tommy John surgery, Foley redshirted his sophomore year in 2023.

However, with the help of his family and girlfriend, he didn’t let that get the best of him. Embarking on a new journey to take his mind off the recovery, Foley joined the Whole Foods Market staff for almost two years.

“It taught me a lot of work experience and real life experience,” Foley said. “Credit cards, I learned a lot about credit history and basically got my credit up that way. Long story short, I realized that’s not what I wanted to do with my life, and no disrespect to anyone who does it. It kind of encouraged me to work harder.”

But Foley wouldn’t change what he took away from the experience.

“It taught me a lot about customer service, it taught me a lot about respect, and showing up on time,” Foley said. “I think working at Whole Foods taught me a lot about being a better person, always doing what’s right, and just trying to help people out.”

After redshirting in 2023, Foley went back to Ohlone College in 2024. Even though he had some offers after his freshman year, he wanted something bigger. And he thought Ohlone College was the best avenue to doing just that.

“I didn’t have the season I wanted to,” Foley said about coming back from his injury. “It was kind of hard. I finished with like 30 innings on the year. We didn’t have the best year compared to my freshman year.”

That didn’t stop Foley though from making an impact in summer ball for the San Francisco Seagulls.

And soon enough, everything seemed to click for him.

“I contacted the coaches at Cal,” Foley said. “I really wanted to go to Cal, and we were able to come up with an arrangement. We were able to get the deal done, and so then I committed to Cal.”

Finishing valedictorian in high school, Foley knows what it takes to succeed at a prestigious academic institution like Cal. And he praised his parents for pushing him academically over the years.

“They pushed me to do my homework, whether I wanted to or not at the time,” Foley said. “I had super good grades in junior college, so pushing me academically all those years, it really helped me as a student athlete. Being able to stay on top of schoolwork teaches you a regimented schedule, it just helps throughout life.”

Outside of the classroom, Foley also experienced some success in his new environment. During his first season at Cal, Foley notched a 5.96 ERA with 56 strikeouts in his 48 1/3 innings pitched.

“Pitching in the ACC this year, I had my fair share of ups and downs,” Foley said. “I started off pretty well. I earned a starting roll, and I was doing alright for a junior college transfer.”

Despite the Golden Bears ending their season 9-21, Foley experienced what it takes to thrive at the Division I level.

“I had a lot of success out of the bullpen, basically earned my roll, and became one of the more dominant bullpen arms,” Foley said. “We didn’t have the season we wanted to, but ultimately, we learned a lot this year, learned how to pitch to hitters and faced a lot of good hitters.”

Looking back on when his pitching coach told him he was going to the CCBL, Foley reflected on his time with the Birds.

“Going into my last year at Cal, this is probably the best-case scenario,” Foley said about his time in the CCBL. “It’s taught me a lot, given me a lot of experience, a lot of reflection, and a great group of guys. I’m probably gonna have some lifelong friends, great coaches and great mentors.”

When asked what advice he would give to his younger self, Foley hasn’t lost track of what led him to Orleans.

And it’s all the more fitting given everything Foley has overcome to be the pitcher he is today.

“I don’t think I would have done anything differently,” Foley said. “Everything happens for a reason, it’s all going to work out the way it’s supposed to, just keep your head down and keep working. At the end of the day, ‘why change anything if we’re here now?’”