South Carolina baseball star Ethan Petry is no stranger to winning trophies.
The rising Gamecock junior won the Cape Cod Baseball League Home Run Derby last weekend and followed it up with a strong week of play. After a CCBL Player of the Week Award, Petry took over the top spot in the league's home run standings and then received a big-time honor on Sunday when he was given the Robert A. McNeese Most Outstanding Pro Prospect Award.
The McNeese Award is given to the player who, as evaluated by professional scouts, best combines on-field tools, intangibles, and production during the summer Cape Cod Baseball League. Petry's dominance of the CCBL made him an easy choice for the honor. He leads the league in home runs, slugging percentage (.760), OPS (1.240), and total bases (76) and is ranked in the top-10 in runs scored, RBI, hits, batting average, on-base percentage, and intentional walks.
The strong summer has South Carolina baseball fans hopeful that Petry can keep up his strong play into fall practice and, more importantly, into the 2025 college baseball season. Petry was an All-American in 2023 and was nearly as good in 2024. His production in garnet and black has made him a top-5 MLB Draft prospect for next summer, and his return to the middle of the order is a huge boon for Paul Mainieri's first year as the USC head coach.
The big right-hander is expected to be the anchor of the Carolina offense and should slot in as the team's starting right fielder or first baseman. Coming out of high school, he was a third baseman who was believed to be a first base prospect, but as the team's primary right fielder the last two seasons, he has gotten much better in the outfield and is perfectly capable of staying out there moving forward.
Petry and the Gamecocks will have the talent to compete in the SEC in 2025, and if their best hitter gets consistent help from the team's strong transfer portal and freshman classes, the first year of the Paul Mainieri era will see the YardCocks as a dangerous player in the landscape of college baseball.