-1745819772711.png){kind=logo}
When Ethan Petry was selected as the Nationals’ second-round pick a month ago, he had no idea he would stick out like a sore thumb among the organization's first five picks. The University of South Carolina product was the only player of the Nats’ top-five selections to play in college.
The Nats’ first five picks all landed in both MLB Pipeline’s and Baseball America’s latest rankings of the organization's top 30 prospects. But the experienced Petry (No. 8 per Pipeline, No. 6 per Baseball America) has been the only one to get his professional career rolling, making his Single-A Fredericksburg debut on Tuesday with a hit, a run and a walk as the designated hitter.
“I'm really excited to start my career here with the Nationals,” Petry said Wednesday on the “District Chat” podcast. “Last night, got the win for Fredericksburg and just really excited to have the opportunity to play for the Nationals.”
Petry’s experience at South Carolina helped put him on a faster track to the pros than his high school draft classmates. The 21-year-old hit .321 with 10 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 34 RBIs, 26 walks and 30 runs scored in 44 games for the Gamecocks in 2025. He posted a .437 on-base percentage and a .590 slugging percentage while leading the team in home runs and ranking second in RBIs and walks.
Facing pitchers with similar or less experience in the Carolina League hasn’t been too hard.
“Been great. It's been a little bit of an adjustment,” he said. “But college baseball got me ready for pro baseball. The hotels and all that stuff. The long practices. The lift after practice or before practice. So you get ready for things like that when you experience the college baseball world.”
Petry had a long track record of success in the college baseball world, which also just so happened to come in the country’s toughest conference in the SEC.
The 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-handed power hitter was named a consensus All-American, an All-Southeastern Conference First-Team selection and the Perfect Game National Freshman of the Year in 2023 after he hit .379 with a South Carolina freshman record 23 home runs and 75 RBIs.
During his sophomore season in 2024, Petry added 21 more home runs while hitting .306 with eight doubles, a triple, 53 RBIs, 51 walks and 57 runs scored. He was named to the All-NCAA Raleigh Regional team after he was 3-for-7 with a pair of doubles.
“It's the best college baseball conference in the country, so it prepared me to face the best,” Petry said. “You face guys like Hurston Waldrep, Paul Skenes, Brandon Sproat. I mean, you got guys like that you're facing almost every Friday night, you have the opportunity to get prepared for guys like that in pro ball. But they obviously get more polished when they get into pro ball. But I think it's good preparation as an amateur to get to experience that before going into pro baseball.”
In fact, Petry got the best of Skenes as a freshman by hitting a towering home run off the LSU right-hander and that summer’s No. 1 overall pick. The highlight resurfaced on this past draft night when the Nats selected the outfielder/first baseman with the No. 49 overall pick.
“Yeah, yeah. But he got me right after, so …,” the humble Petry said. “He's a great pitcher, obviously. He's tearing it up in the major leagues. He has a (2.13) ERA right now, so he's got the upper hand right now.”
But surely he remembers that at-bat well?
“I remember seeing Skenes just walking around, and it's like a mammoth of a human,” he said. “And we're like, 'We really gotta face that guy tomorrow.' And I remember going up for scouting report, and it's 101-102 (mph) and you were all like, 'Gosh, we gotta really face this guy and we're 18 to 20 years old?' So yeah, it was a good at-bat. I got into an advantage account. So I just kind of sold out heater, and he gave me a pitch I could really handle. And I did what I did with it.”
The college junior was used to playing with guys older than him. But now, he’s the grizzly veteran in a Nats draft class that is top-heavy with high school prospects. And he got a good look at their talents during his brief time at the team’s facility in West Palm Beach before being promoted to Fredericksburg.
“I think we have the one of the best draft classes character-wise,” Petry said. “And I think they did a really good job with who they selected in Coy James, Miguel Sime, Eli Willits. I mean, Eli Willis is an absolute stud. One of the best shortstops I've played with and he's a 17 year old. The kid is just unbelievable. Barrel accuracy. He plays the game with his head on fire, steals bases, causes chaos on the basepath, he's very fast. He's a great kid, too. Very humble. Just a guy that you really want in your organization. Same goes with the rest of the other guys.”
Now as a second-round pick and with his college experience, Petry can pave the way for his new, younger teammates as they prepare to take their first steps into their professional careers.
“Lay the foundation,” he said. “You get the hit out of the way. You get your first getting on base out of the way. So it's a good thing to do. Time takes the pressure off yourself. I mean, at this point, there's really no pressure, in my opinion, because you worked up to your dream all your life. All the pressure was in college and high school. And now you get drafted, now you're just going out there, playing, having fun and doing what you do best.”
You can check out our full conversation with Petry on “District Chat” by watching it here or listening to it on your favorite podcasting platform here.
