Ethan Petry, flurry of homers guide Gamecocks to revenge win over The Citadel
Ethan Petry glanced high and deep into the Columbia night.
The ball he mashed cleared just about everything Tuesday — The Citadel outfielders, the fence, the stadium lights illuminating Founders Park. His teammates exploded out of the dugout. Petry promptly began his sixth trot around the bases this season.
“He ended up hanging one,” Petry said postgame. “And I kind of got it.”
Tuesday’s 8-1 USC win dragged at times, but it was another efficient effort from a Gamecocks squad oozing with confidence as Southeastern Conference play looms.
Eli Jones was effective in five innings of work, striking out six and allowing just one run after an erratic first frame. Eli Jerzembeck in relief looked the part of the high-profile get he was — rolling through three perfect innings of relief.
But as good as the Gamecocks’ pitching staff was on Tuesday, it was the South Carolina offense — which also received homers from Gavin Casas, Will McGillis and Jonathan French — that continues to steal the show 13 games into the 2023 season.
“(Braylen) Wimmer just stays calm. McGillis stays calm. Casas stays calm (at the plate),” Petry said of the Gamecocks’ upperclassmen helping him pace the rampant output at the plate. “They’re down 0-2 to a really good pitcher, they’ll still stay in it. They’re not going to give up. I’ve kind of learned from that.”
That Petry mashed a homer in No. 20 South Carolina’s victory shouldn’t come as a massive surprise. The freshman has quickly endeared himself to the fans in Columbia via his propensity for blasting baseballs.
Tuesday was no different.
Lining up 2-2 offering from Bulldogs righty Conner Cummiskey, Petry’s smooth swing connected with the delivery. The ball carried out toward the bullpen, climbing skyward as the wind pushed it further and further. Finally, perhaps mercifully, it crashed into the Gamecocks’ bullpen for the first of four homers head coach Kingston’s squad clubbed on the evening.
“Nothing’s too big for (Petry),” Kingston said. “He’s a great team guy, so he doesn’t put too much pressure on himself because he’s more concerned with how the team is doing. And that’s a great way to not feel too much pressure. ... And he’s just talented. He sees the ball well. He’s got elite bat speed. You put all that together and you’ve got a kid that can help you right away.”
Whatever Kingston, hitting coach Monte Lee and the rest of the Gamecocks’ staff incorporated to their offseason regimen at the plate has worked this spring. South Carolina (12-1) ranked second in the country in homers (35), tied for 11th in runs (125) and 12th in scoring (10.5 runs per game) heading into this week.
Petry, in particular, has been a key cog in that renaissance.
The Florida native was rated the No. 31 player in the 2023 class by Perfect Game. In most years, he’s likely off to some remote corner of minor league baseball had his magic dollar figure been matched by a pro club during draft season. Instead, he’s demolishing pitches on a seemingly nightly basis in Columbia.
Petry is tied for second on the team in homers (six) along with McGillis — who smashed his own solo shot two batters after Petry on Tuesday night — and is one of five Gamecocks batters with at least four long balls this year.
“(Florida), Texas and California are the three most heavily scouted states,” Kingston explained. “And so when you have an elite talent in one of those states (like Petry), you sweat the draft. You do. But when you get one, then this is what you get.”
Nights like Tuesday shouldn’t be taken for granted. Sure, South Carolina drubbed a Southern Conference opponent it has beaten almost three times for every one Citadel victory in their 191-game history.
But on an evening that was almost exactly a year to the day the Bulldogs (7-5) beat the Gamecocks in Charleston, Petry’s power was part of a winning equation. It figures to be that way for the foreseeable future.
That’s worth celebrating.
South Carolina baseball schedule: Next 4 games
Wednesday: vs. USC Upstate (Fluor Field), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN Plus)
Friday: vs. Bethune-Cookman, 7 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Saturday: vs. Bethune-Cookman, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
Sunday: vs. Bethune-Cookman, 1:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)
This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 9:40 PM.
