South Carolina Baseball: Petry brings home another award; Is he the best freshman in college baseball?
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina baseball is off to one of the best starts in school history. Their 26-3 record is tied for the best mark in the country, the 8-1 SEC record is the best in the conference, and the Gamecock bats are leading the country in home runs.
Arguably the biggest cog in the YardCock offensive machine has been true freshman Ethan Petry. The 6’4″, 230-pound 18 year-old has been dominant in his only season of collegiate ball. Petry leads the country’s best offense in hits (8 more than second place), RBI (6 more than second place), total bases (7 more than second place), batting average, slugging percentage, sacrifice flies, and OPS; he is also second on the team in home runs and on-base percentage. He is top-20 nationally in hits (17th), home runs (8th), and RBI (11th).
Petry leads all freshmen in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, OPS, and total bases. He is second among freshmen in hits (1 off the lead), batting average (only behind a redshirt freshman), and sacrifice flies (one off the lead). The Georgia native also is in the top-5 among freshmen in on-base percentage and runs scored.
It comes as no surprise that Petry was selected for his third straight SEC Freshman of the Week award, this time sharing the honor with Vanderbilt’s Chris Maldonado. Petry scored six runs, drove in five more, hit his 13th dinger of the season, and added a double while hitting over .400 with a .700+ slugging percentage during the weekend series against Mississippi State. He also hit another home run during the mid-week victory over The Citadel.
Defensively, Petry is improving. He was an infielder (shortstop and third base) prior to arriving in Columbia. Yet, he has primarily played right field for the Gamecocks. Things were bumpy in the beginning, but the longer he plays the outfield, the better Petry gets. He leads the team in outfield assists and has been getting more comfortable out there (though he was the DH last week). When Carson Hornung returns to action, Petry will likely move back into the corner outfield, and his early season experience will be vital for his return to playing defense.
Other freshmen have had great seasons. Other freshmen are important parts of good baseball teams. But no freshman has been as good as Ethan Petry while also leading a great team. #20 in garnet and black should be considered the front-runner for the SEC Freshman of the Year and, if his dominance continues, he will be in the running for National Freshman of the Year.