Wareham Gatemen await Tristan Pompey's arrival

Former Toronto Mets OF Tristan Pompey (Toronto, Ont.) will summer on Cape Cod -- when the season ends for his Kentucky Wildcats. 

By Connor Federico
Wareham Gatemen

WAREHAM, MA -- The University of Kentucky program has never been known for greatness. Despite the program’s 121 years of existence, the Wildcats have only one SEC Championship to their name, six NCAA Tournament appearances, and zero College World Series berths.

But a sophomore from Mississauga, Ontario is ready to rewrite that script. Tristan Pompey has started all 64 games for Kentucky this season, and has successfully led the Wildcats to a 43-win season and an NCAA Tournament berth. In fact, Lexington was a regional site for only the second time in the history of college baseball and now adavances to its first super regional.

“Just proving to everyone that we are one of the best teams in the country is kind of a good feeling,” Pompey said. “We’ve always felt this way and now everyone else is seeing it too. It’s pretty special.”

Even before the NCAA Tournament begins, Pompey has 95 hits, the second-most in the SEC. His .368 batting average, 10 homers, 44 RBIs, and nine stolen bases earned him a First Team All-Conference nod. That individual success is a big reason why Kentucky is two wins away from its first-ever trip to Omaha.

If the Wildcats do make it all the way to the College World Series, it’ll be more than a month until Tristan Pompey wears a Gatemen uniform for the first time. But no matter when he arrives, all Cape Cod League fans should be excited to see him play. Pompey is a physically imposing 6-foot-4, 200-pound athlete. He has power, speed, and a cannon of an arm out in right field.

Pompey knows what it takes to become a successful player. His older brother Dalton is an outfielder for his hometown Toronto Blue Jays. From his experiences with his brother and with his up-and-coming Wildcats, Tristan can really have a positive impact in Wareham this summer.

“I can bring all the things I learned from my team and kind of share it with all the guys on the team - and see how their team was and see how they had success,” Pompey said. “I’m just excited for the summer to see how things will go.”

You can listen to Tristan Pompey’s full interview with Gatemen broadcaster Connor Federico, as the two talk about Tristan’s experience at the 2015 Junior World Championship with Team Canada, the comparisons between himself and his brother in the major leagues, and the newfound magic of Kentucky baseball by clicking here.