In 2024, the Kentucky Wildcats had possibly the best season in their program’s history. The team went 46-14 overall and 22-8 in SEC play, which was enough to make them co-champions for the regular-season conference title. This was their first SEC title since 2006.
The program got even more buzz as it excelled through the NCAA tournament by hosting a regional and super regional. Their super regional win came against a tough team in Oregon State, which featured the first overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, Travis Bazzana.
Thus, Kentucky made it to the College World Series for the first time.
This historic season was in large part due to Émilien Pitre and what he was able to do in 2024. He had a .301 batting average and a .420 on-base percentage. He drew 47 total walks this past season, doing that more than striking out, which plays into Kentucky’s unique style of small ball under head coach Nick Mingione.
This, in turn, led to 26 stolen bases for him as he was Kentucky’s leader in this category and was also in the top five in the SEC. His fielding was also some of the best it has been, as he had a career-high 0.992 percentage.
His efforts throughout the season led to him gaining loads of draft stock heading into the MLB draft. The Tampa Bay Rays selected him 58th overall in the second round, with his pick valued at $1.53 million.
Pitre’s success story was huge not only for himself but also in building up a program that is looking to improve as seasons go on, with more talent coming in to fill in the Quebec natives’ absence.
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WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
Photo Credit: Kentucky infielder Émilien Pitre (4) in an NCAA super regional game between the Oregon State Beavers and the Kentucky Wildcats on June 8, 2024, at Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, KY. (Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
