South Carolina Baseball: Gamecock named top outfielder in college baseball

South Carolina baseball fans were not happy with one of college baseball's premier media outlets just a few weeks ago. D1Baseball picked the Gamecocks as the 25th-best team in the country in their preseason poll, and it was a significantly lower ranking for USC than the ones they received from most other outlets.

However, D1Baseball has made amends a bit with the Gamecocks' fan base since then. When Kendall Rogers, Aaron Fitt, and company ranked the top catchers in the country, they put Gamecock backstop Cole Messina at the top of the list.

Now, this week, they've made Carolina fans happy again. D1Baseball's top outfielder in the country is none other than South Carolina baseball's Ethan Petry.

Petry's place in the rankings comes on the back of his powerful right-handed swing. As a true freshman in 2023, he exploded onto the scene as one of the nation's top players. Big #20 hit 23 home runs and drove in 75 runs while slashing a ridiculous .376/.471/.733/1.204 on the season. All of those numbers (except batting average) were South Carolina baseball freshman records. His home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and OPS are all top-10 numbers ever for Gamecock hitters.

Petry is expected to play right field again for the Gamecocks, but he did take some ground balls at third base this offseason. Third base is his natural position, but he moved to right field last year to make room for his bat in the lineup. He adapted well to the new position and was a serviceable player in the corner outfield by the time the season ended.

All offseason, Petry has been on preseason All-American teams and watch lists for the Golden Spikes Award. It would be no surprise if he repeats as a 1st-team All-American and Golden Spikes semifinalist in 2024.