Emilien Pitre – Syndication Server

Kentucky’s Emilien Pitre drafted in second round by Tampa Bay Rays

Emilien Pitre became the second Wildcats player selected in the 2024 MLB Draft Sunday night.

Kentucky baseball saw its second player taken in the 2024 MLB Draft Sunday night when second baseman Emilien Pitre became a second-round selection (No. 58 overall) by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Pitre batted .301 with 10 home runs and 20 doubles in 62 games for the Wildcats in 2024. He finished the season with 58 RBIs and a .939 OPS and was a key cog in Kentucky’s trip to the College World Series — their first in school history. In Omaha, Pitre was 4-for-11 with a home run in the team’s three games.

A native of Quebec, Canada, Pitre joined the program ahead of the 2022 season and saw action in 11 games his freshman season. A year later, he had a breakout campaign, starting all 61 games and batting .311 with 16 doubles.

For his efforts this past season, Pitre earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors and finished with a fielding percentage of .992 (two errors in 225 chances). At the plate, he had a season-high three hits in Kentucky’s 10-1 victory over Alabama on April 7 in Lexington.

Pitre could still return to Kentucky for his senior season but it’s highly unlikely. His projected slot value as the No. 58 overall pick is $1.5 million.

Earlier Sunday, Kentucky outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt was drafted in the first round (31st overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Kentucky baseball gets extra innings win over Missouri

Kentucky defeated Missouri on Friday for their seventh straight win

The Kentucky Wildcats baseball team stayed hot, winning their seventh consecutive game on Friday. They beat the Missouri Tigers 9 – 4 in 11 innings to win the first of a three game series against their SEC foe.

The Wildcats opened the scoring, by plating two in the first inning. They scored again in the fourth to go up 3 – 1, but Missouri tied it in the seventh. They went to extra innings, and Kentucky broke through in the 11th inning, scoring six runs, which would be enough.

Mitchell Daly starred for the Cats. He went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs. Emilien Pitre had just one hit, but had two RBIs. Trey Pooser was terrific in the start, going six innings and giving up just one run.

The Tigers also got a good start from Logan Lunceford, who gave up three runs in seven innings. Thomas Curry also homered for them in the loss.

The Wildcats and Tigers play game two of the series on Saturday at 4:00 PM. It can be seen on SEC Network+.

Kentucky baseball stays hot in win over Evansville

Kentucky baseball won big on Tuesday against Evansville

The Kentucky Wildcats baseball team’s offense came to life over the weekend in a series sweep over the Georgia Bulldogs. They scored 37 runs in the three games and had double dig hit totals in all three as well.

On Tuesday, the Wildcats stayed red hot on offense when they faced the Evansville Purple Aces. Once again, the Cats piled up hits and runs in a victory.

The game was a pitcher’s duel until the fifth inning when both teams scored three runs. Kentucky broke it wide open in the sixth, though, scoring seven runs. They would add one more in the ninth for a 11 – 3 win.

Emilien Pitre was the star for the Wildcats. He went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Nolan McCarthy and James McCoy also drove in two runs apiece. Starting pitcher Drew Lafferty was strong in 4.1 innings, giving up just one run.

Up next, for Kentucky, is a three game series with Missouri. The first game will be Friday at 7:00 PM in Columbia, Missouri.

Kentucky baseball wins on Sunday, but loses series to Kennesaw State

The Kentucky baseball team dropped their weekend series to Kennesaw State

The Kentucky Wildcats baseball team started the year just about as well as it could have. They won 12 of their first 13 games and sat just outside of the top 25. They were looking to continue the run in a series with Kennesaw State.

In game one on Friday, the Owls jumped out early, scoring four runs in the third inning. Kentucky scored a run in the fifth, but Kennesaw State scored again the seventh, and then exploded for eight runs in the eighth and won 13 – 1.

The second game of the series was more of the same. Kennesaw State scored four runs in the first inning and never looked back. The Kentucky bats were silent again as well, and the Owls won 10 – 2.

Things got better on Sunday. Emilien Pitre went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Mason Moore pitched seven innings, holding the Owls to one hit and one run. Kentucky won the finale 5 – 2.

It was a tough weekend for Wildcats baseball, but they did end on a positive note. Next, they’ll host Murray State for a Tuesday game, then the Georgia Bulldogs come to town for a weekend series.