Ethan Petrowski was really looking forward to showing what he could do during his senior baseball season at Tipton-Rosemark Academy.
He played well in the first four games of the season, then we all know what happened to the high school seasons for all spring sports student-athletes.
Because Petrowski was a second-stringer for his sophomore and junior seasons, he was depending on college coaches seeing him play last spring.
Two months ago, partly to help out players like Petrowski, TRA hosted a showcase where players worked out and college coaches watched.
Thanks to that, the coaching staff at Jackson State Community College watched the lefty pitch and liked what they saw. On Saturday Petrowski committed to the Jackson, Tenn. school.
Petrowski is a good outfielder, but he’s expected to primarily be a pitcher at JSCC.
“He’s very athletic and can track down balls really well,” said Jacob Cole, a former TRA assistant who was named head coach last month. “He’s a left-handed pitcher who doesn’t throw a straight ball. Every pitch he throws has got movement, it’s got run.”
Petrowski said his former TRA coach, Brad Smith, played a big role in helping get him to JSCC.
“I know they (JSCC) didn’t get to see me play much, so I think they took his word on it,” Petrowski said. “I know he talked to them for me. One of the things I liked about Jackson State is they expect a lot of the same things that Brad did. They talk about all the same things Brad talked about.”
Petrowski was one of the best athletes at TRA. He played basketball on the TRA team that made postseason runs the last two seasons and was also an all-state defensive back for the Rebel football team.
“I think, given a shot at the next level, he’s going to be successful,” Cole said. “I’m happy for him. This is something he’s always wanted to do and he just needed a shot. I’m thankful for Jackson State for giving him that shot.”
Petrowski is the third Class of 2020 TRA baseball player to make a college commitment. Tyler Byrd is headed to Northwest Mississippi Community College and Jacob Dodson will play for Southwest Tennessee Community College.
