Emilien Pitre (Vicky Graff Photo)
Emilien Pitre does not have the traditional baseball background that many other players in the College World Series have.
He’s from Repentigny, Quebec, Canada, and his success baffles former Kentucky coach Keith Madison, an analyst for the UK Radio Network.
“He is such a polished player,” said Madison. “He’s a kid from Quebec, which is not a baseball hotbed. But every at-bat he has is a good at-bat. He can really hit the ball hard.”
He is hitting .298 going into World Series play. He has 19 doubles, one triple, and nine home runs and has driven in 56 runs, second-best on the team. The second baseman has 25 steals but also has a .992 fielding percentage with only two errors in 59 games.
“I played AA (baseball) in Quebec one summer and not many people there speak English. They are very proud of their French heritage,” Madison said. “He told me recruiting was difficult because he did not always understand what coaches were talking about on the phone.”
Somehow Kentucky coach Nick Mingione convinced him to come to Lexington. He weighed about 130 pounds when he arrived on campus and is now 190 pounds of muscle and energy.
“To watch his growth … it was during the COVID era. He left, moved from home. Didn’t live at home, and trained. Just ate and got bigger, faster, and stronger. Got four at-bats as a freshman,” Mingione said.
“In a day and age where people just leave in the transfer portal, he did not do that. He sat there, coached first base, served our team, and just waited his turn and then a year later, Second-Team All-SEC.”
Pitre seems to have a knack for making big plays at the biggest time.
“He’s as good a player as I’ve ever coached. Coached 26 guys to make it to the Big Leagues. He’s as good as any player I’ve ever coached because he’s focused, he cares, and he’s honest. He’s really honest,” Mingione said. “He’s brutally honest with our team, our players, himself. He can self-evaluate himself as good as any player. And it’s a gift.”
Pitre has drawn a team-high 45 walks and can impact the game with his speed, power or defense.
“He can literally impact the game on every single level,” Mingione said.
