Hugo Pépin (Photo: Courtesy)
The beautiful 2021 season of the Dukes of Longueuil in the Quebec Elite Junior Baseball League (LBJÉQ) was highlighted at the end of season gala, during which two of their players received honors. Hugo Pépin won the title of reliever of the year while Gabriel Babin was named rookie of the year.
Pepin threw in 12 games, but only 3 starts, thus appearing in relief in 75% of his games. He has never conceded more than an earned point in a relief outing in 2021.
Overall, the right-handed pitcher finished the season first on the team in strikeouts (42), earned runs average (1.28), wins saved (3) and wins ( 5).
He also distinguished himself at bat by leading the Dukes in RBIs (28).
For his part, Gabriel Babin was ranked 6th among home hitters at batting average (.384) during the 2021 season.
The infielder had 33 hits, including 12 doubles, 2 triples and 1 homer, producing 24 RBIs and scoring 33 runs himself. His 33 points scored also represent a peak in the entire circuit while he finished 3rd for the doubles.
He also continued his playoff success by hitting 10 hits for an average of .435.
Remember that the Dukes were champions of the Rawlings division, but their elimination journey ended abruptly with an 11-0 loss in the final game of the division final against the Guerriers de Granby.
