Ethan Petry blasts two homers, South Carolina wins big to take series vs. Miami (Ohio)

Jordan Kaye

Rest in peace to Ethan Petry’s sophomore slump.

What a life it lived. A young life, sure. But a life that gripped South Carolina fans for hours — 21 long hours.

The headstone should arrive at Founders Park any day now.

HERE LIES ETHAN PETRY’S SOPHOMORE SLUMP

Born: Feb. 16, 2024 at 4 p.m.

Died: Feb. 17, 2024 at 12:57 p.m.

The sophomore destroyed two home runs in No. 25 South Carolina 11-4 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Saturday afternoon, helping the Gamecocks (2-0) notch their first series victory of the season.

It was an emphatic way to turn down any noise that Petry’s freshman campaign couldn’t be repeated, that an offseason full of accolades and attention hadn’t changed him, or his swing, in the slightest.

After mashing 23 home runs last season, breaking South Carolina freshman home run and RBI records in the process, the first 11 innings of his sophomore season came without a highlight.

“I was seeing the ball good yesterday but they were making some good pitches,” Petry said., “I just have to stay more patient and get balls in the heart of the plate instead of getting jammed inside.”

Is it silly to worry about the first 11 innings of a months-long baseball season? Absolutely. But baseball folks are superstitious and “sophomore slump” is one of those phrases that quickly elicits fear mongering.

Through 11 innings, Petry did not have a hit. He was 0 for 4 with a walk and no hard-hit balls.

Then, on the 18th pitch of his sophomore season, Petry got a low fastball headed right over the plate. He did a little toe tap, then whipped his hips around. The swing was so effortless, as if he were 100 yards out from the green making an easy swing with his pitching wedge.

But simple swings are effective swings.

The ball jumped 114 mph off Petry’s bat and landed in the trees 420 feet from home plate. Perhaps that’ll be the home of the sophomore-slump grave.

“I got my fastball and I was able to inside-out it and hit it to center,” Petry said.

Two innings later, with South Carolina already up 5-1 on the Redhawks, he got another fastball right over the plate. This one was a 90-mph meatball at his waist.

Petry clobbered it into the Gamecocks’ bullpen just past the left-center fence. South Carolina kept the party rolling and scored another four runs to blow the game open.

“His swing just looked shorter and quicker,” USC coach Mark Kingston said. “I thought he was a little long yesterday. When you can hit the ball like him, sometimes you try and hit it 800 feet.”

The Gamecocks are now 2-0 in this young season. The bats, as many figured, are just fine. And, more surprisingly, the pitching has been solid.

On Opening Day, junior Eli Jones tossed six solid innings to snag the victory. Then in Saturday’s matinee, starter Dylan Eskew battled through early command issues and was impressive.

“His ball moves so much that it takes a little time to calibrate it,” Kingston said. “Once he did, it was really good.”

The right-handed junior went five innings, allowing just one hit and one earned run while striking out six. The problem was his accuracy.

He walked four batters and, through two innings, just over half of his 48 pitches were strikes. But he was resilient, keeping five runners on base in those opening two innings.

“I wasn’t nervous. I was just really fired up,” Eskew said. “When we went up 4-1, it kind of just settled me down. I was like, ‘OK, let’s go. Go right at these guys.’”

Sometimes it takes a few innings to get comfortable in a new season. Just ask Petry.

Schedule: Next four South Carolina games

  • Sunday vs. Miami (Ohio), 1:30 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

  • Tuesday vs. Winthrop, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

  • Wednesday vs. Queens, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

  • Friday vs. Belmont, 4 p.m. (SEC Network Plus)

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