Two of the leaders from Kentucky's first College World Series squad were selected early in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft.

Outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt was taken No. 31 overall in the first round by the Arizona Diamondbacks and infielder Emilien Pitre went No. 58 in the second round to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

A third player with ties to the Wildcats, highly regarded shortstop signee Tyler Bell, was also taken in the second round by Tampa Bay.

Waldschmidt became UK's seventh first-round pick in program history and the sixth-highest selection overall. Three of those standouts have played for Bat Cats head coach Nick Mingione: Waldschmidt, Evan White (2017), and Zack Thompson (2019).

Kentucky's catalyst at the top of the batting order, Waldschmidt batted .333 in 59 games with 66 runs scored, 41 walks, 17 doubles, 14 home runs, 46 RBI, and 25 stolen bases. He boasted an on-base percentage of .469 and a 1.079 OPS. He was just one of three players to bat over .400 against SEC competition this season.

Waldschmidt and Pitre gave the Bat Cats their lowest combined draft pick pair (89) in program history.

The Quebec, Canada, native was frequently referred to by Mingione as the best all-around player he has coached. He batted .301 as a junior with 57 runs scored, 47 walks, 20 doubles, 10 home runs, 58 RBI, and 26 stolen bases.

Defensively, Pitre posted a .992 fielding percentage at second base and committed just two errors in 255 chances this season.

The draft continues Monday at 2 p.m. ET on MLB.com.