A Lifetime of Dedication to His Craft

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Raphael Pelletier broke the game open in the bottom of the second inning when he turned on a 2-1 inside fastball from Oklahoma State right-hander Brian Holiday and crushed a home run off the scoreboard in right field. In the bottom of the fourth inning, he sent a 3-2 inside fastball over the right field wall, and the ball nearly hit the scoreboard again.

Pelletier wreaked havoc in K-State's 7-2 win over No. 15 Oklahoma State on Saturday — a victory that gave the Wildcats their first series win over the Cowboys in 14 years.

And Pelletier wasn't finished.

In the sixth inning, he doubled down the right field line on a 3-2 count and later scored when David Bishop drove him in when he belted a long single to left field.

Pelletier finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored against the Cowboys on Saturday.

"First home run was a fastball, low and in, and I just saw it and hit it hard," Pelletier said. "Second home run, same thing. They tried to throw the fastball by me. I was ready for it. It feels good. It's a confidence boost.

"You feel untouchable at the plate."

Pelletier's efforts came less than 24 hours after his two-RBI double to left-center field tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the 12^th inning — a game that the Wildcats won on the very next at-bat when Bishop's single scored Chuck Ingram.

"Raphael has been hot as of late," K-State head coach Pete Hughes said. "He injected some energy into our offense."

Pelletier, a redshirt junior catcher from Mascouche, Quebec, Canada, is batting .258 with four doubles, nine home runs and 27 RBI for the Wildcats, who are 24-15 overall and 9-9 in the Big 12 Conference after a 6-4 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.

Pelletier, regarded as one of the best catchers in the Big 12 with a .989 fielding percentage, had batted just 3-for-32 over the previous nine games prior to Saturday's outburst.

"You know, he works so hard," Hughes said. "It's a lifetime of dedication to his craft, and he's built such a foundation through his work ethic. The lows aren't low, the highs aren't high, and there's no moment that's too big for him, so when he came up in that spot (Friday) night, he was ready for it because of his years and years of work and preparation. It was just him against the ball, which he'd done a million times.

"It's a really good lesson for our young guys. Raphael is a team guy. If the bat is going, great. He'll help with his bat. He's one of my all-time favorite players I've ever coached just because of his work ethic and love of the game, and he's so dedicated to his craft. That allows him to get through ruts and play in big moments."

He laced up skates at age 3. Scoring goals was his game back home in Mascouche, Quebec, Canada. The baseball bug hit him at age 4. And what a ride it's been for Pelletier. He always played catcher. Loved to get hit. Loved to get dirty. As he matured in age, he loved to throw guys out. And he loved to do what is called "framing." He framed pitches. A slight of hand, a move of the catcher's mitt, which turns a ball into a strike. Yes, indeed, it served him well. He became quite good at it.

By his senior year at Academy Baseball Canada in Montreal, Pelletier was rated the No. 1 catching prospect in Quebec, according to Perfect Game.

"I loved playing catcher, and I loved being out there with the boys," he says. "I just liked everything about it. I liked getting hit by the ball and framing pitches and throwing guys out. That made me want to do it the rest of my career."

Pelletier caught the eyes of major league scouts. He was taken by the Texas Rangers in the 25^th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.

"I don't think skill wise I was better than everybody, but in my head I always believed that I was the best," he said. "I put my head down. I was with people who taught me the game of baseball. Same here at Kansas State with the coaches. I just have to keep working.

"People always saw me as a defensive catcher, so I got drafted in high school because I was a good catcher. In college, that's when I started to become a better hitter. I made the right decision to come to Kansas State."

Pelletier originally committed to TCU but decommitted once it was determined that it wouldn't be the right fit. He received interest from Oregon and NC State. But it was during a phone call with Hughes that Pelletier decided to join the Wildcats. He liked that the Wildcats developed their players.

And now? Pelletier notices big changes.

"When I got here my freshman year compared to the player I am now," he said, "it's completely different."

As a redshirt freshman, he slashed .264/.339/.585 with five doubles, four home runs and eight RBI while playing in 34 games with 12 starts. He threw out eight runners in 22 stolen base attempts.

Last season, he earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention accolades. He slashed .257/.336/.383 with five doubles, six home runs and 28 RBI while playing in 57 games with 53 starts. He threw out a league-high 16 would-be base stealers.

"I'm stronger physically and that helps a lot with hitting and catching every game," he said. "I think my mindset is a really big part. I take pride in my mental game more than I used to and that helps me a lot."

He also possesses that "framing" element to his game, which is a craft that people don't talk enough about.

"His hands, they're elite," Hughes said. "He can make a ball look like a strike. He's as good as it gets at our level. In fact, he did have the highest percentage of making balls strikes last year in the Power 5. I mean, what a gift to our program, all those pitches he's saving, and our pitch counts are getting driven down because Raphael is stealing balls and making them strikes because of how soft his hands are. It builds confidence in our pitching staff.

"Those guys, they throw a ball and it's a strike, and he does that hundreds of times. It's an underappreciated skill, that's for sure, and he's good at it."

On Saturday, against Oklahoma State, he did something that he hadn't done in his entire life. He hit two home runs in a single game.

"I think everything you do before you get on deck, you have to feel like you're the man," he said. "That's what I do. You have to say it to yourself and believe it. Even if I struggle, I keep telling myself I'm the man.

"It feels pretty good. It's just a reflection of all my hard work, and I'm proud of it."

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

David Bishop

Chuck Ingram

Raphael Pelletier

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