Kentucky baseball players Mitchell Daly and Emilien Pitre have received Division I Academic All-America honors, the College Sports Communicators announced on Tuesday. Daly was voted to the Second Team, while Pitre earned a spot on the Third Team. This marks the fourth consecutive season that the University of Kentucky has had a representative on this prestigious list.
Daly and Pitre become the eighth and ninth Kentucky players to receive Academic All-America distinction in school history, with six of these honorees coming during Coach Nick Mingione’s eight-season tenure. The criteria for the award include maintaining at least a 3.50 grade point average and having significant playing time.
Daly, a graduate transfer from Madison, Alabama, has achieved a 3.90 GPA in Communication. He transferred to Kentucky from Texas after the 2023 season and was recently named to both the Lexington Regional All-Tournament Team and the Southeastern Conference All-Defensive Team. Daly made headlines by hitting a game-winning, walk-off home run in the Wildcats’ first College World Series game.
Pitre, a junior from Quebec, Canada, has excelled both in the classroom and on the field, despite English being his second language. He holds a 3.56 GPA in Management and is now a two-time Academic All-District honoree. Pitre was also named to the Lexington Regional All-Tournament Team last week and is a two-time member of the SEC’s All-Defensive Team. Additionally, he has been named to multiple All-America teams for 2024.
Their achievements underscore the University of Kentucky’s commitment to excellence in both academics and athletics, continuing a proud tradition of producing well-rounded student-athletes.
Previous Kentucky honorees include:
2006 and 2008 – Collin Cowgill
2014 – Austin Cousino
2016 – Dustin Beggs
2019 – Marshall Gei
2021 – T.J. Collett
2022 – Daniel Harris IV (3rd Team)
2023 – Jackson Gray (2nd Team)
