Ethan Petry is first current Gamecock selected in 2025 MLB Draft
Ethan Petry made his name at South Carolina clubbing baseballs and becoming an All-American slugger.
Now one of the program’s best-ever power hitters has his first professional baseball home.
Petry was taken in the second round of the 2025 MLB Draft (49th overall) by the Washington Nationals, becoming the first Gamecock off the board. The 6-foot-4, 235 pounder was drafted by the Nationals as an outfielder.
This is the first time Petry, a junior last season, has been drafted. Although he does have the option to return to school, players taken as high as Petry almost always turn pro.
The slot value for the 49th pick is $1,984,200.
The burly Land O’ Lakes, Florida product exploded onto the scene as a freshman, slugging a school freshman record 23 home runs while hitting .376. He was part of a Gamecocks team that made the program’s first super regional trip since 2018.
Petry followed up with another 20-home run season (21) in 2024, driving in 53 runs and hitting .306. He managed to increase his walk numbers significantly (51 in 61 games) but also struck out more. He was a key part of a team that reached the NCAA tournament in the program’s final season under Mark Kingston.
What was likely be Petry’s final year in Columbia featured a quieter offensive performance as the team also struggled around him. Petry hit .321 with 10 home runs and 34 RBIs, limited to 44 games by a shoulder injury. The team finished 28-29 with a 6-24 SEC record.
Petry closed his time in garnet and black with the second-most home runs in program history (54), coming up eight short of Justin Smoak’s USC record. He finished with two of the 10 best home run seasons in program history.
He also leaves with the sixth-best slugging percentage for any Gamecock.
Gamecock MLB Draft picks
2nd round (49) Ethan Petry, Washington Nationals
5th round (153) Nathan Hall, Arizona Diamondbacks
19th round (569) Matthew Becker, Minnesota Twins
This story was originally published July 13, 2025 at 9:24 PM.