LEXINGTON, Ky. — Devin Burkes and Ryder Giles have returned to the University of Kentucky baseball program as staff members, marking another chapter in the revival of Big Blue baseball. Burkes, a beloved catcher known as “The Happiest Man in College Baseball,” was announced Thursday, while Gil es, a two-way player, was added Wednesday. Burkes was part of Kentucky’s historic 2024 team that delivered the program’s first trip to the College World Series. The heart and soul of the team, Burkes helped guide a pitching staff that flourished in the NCAA Tournament, with Coach Nick Mingione routinely crediting Burkes for coaxing the best out of UK’s pitchers, particularly in the most critical moments. “We wouldn’t be where we are without Devin Burkes,” Mingione said during the Super Regional. “He’s an extension of the coaching staff. He wills our pitching staff.” Burkes, a two-time Mr. Wildcat honoree and two-time recipient of the University of Kentucky Athletics Department’s highest honor, leaves his official title to be determined. The Bradenton, Florida native is considered one of the nation’s top defensive catchers while also leading all Division I catchers in stolen bases with 19 in 2024 and has swiped 30-of-37 bases for his career. Giles, who was with the staff for the 2025 season before spending 2026 as an assistant coach at Elon, is expected to help manage the Wildcats’ recruiting efforts. The East Carolina transfer brings his side-winding style from the right side, where he had six saves in 84.2 career innings, and also is ECU’s career leader in sacrifice bunts and can play anywhere in the infield. Under Mingione’s leadership, Kentucky reached the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons (2023, 2024, 2025), made its only College World Series appearance in program history in 2024, and won only three NCAA Regional championships in school history (2017, 2023, 2024). The program continues building on its recent success as it aims for a fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2026. This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from UK Athletics, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/06/04/devin-burkes-ryder-giles-join-kentucky-staff/. View in feeds The post Two Wildcats Return to UK Baseball Program in Staff Roles appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less