Hurston Waldrep breaks down the advantage Florida has with BT Riopelle behind the plate

Florida’s BT Riopelle is one of the best catchers in the country. Not just for his batting power or his steady performance behind the plate, but also because of his leadership over the pitching staff. He’s almost like an extra coach out there as the guy who has an intimate feel for each Gator pitcher and knows how to communicate with whoever’s on the mound.

Junior righty Hurston Waldrep knows what an asset Riopelle is behind the plate and sung the catcher’s praises after the team’s College World Series victory over Oral Roberts.

“It’s a really big advantage that a lot of people don’t understand the value of and the value in,” Waldrep said of having a real pro like Riopelle to toss to. A”nd having a guy with so much experience and seeing what he’s done over the past two years, you talk to any pitcher on the staff, any player on the staff, he manages the staff really well and manages the game really well are.”

Per Waldrep, Riopelle is always keenly aware of how a pitcher is feeling.

:Any moment in the game he’ll make sure, he’ll talk with his infielders, no matter what. He’ll get on you any moment. But he’s also there to support you. He’ll get you through the game. I know there were a couple times this year where I didn’t have my best stuff, but he was there to push me through the game.”

BT Riopelle really is that pillar of support for the pitching staff out there. You can’t have the pitching coach marching up to the mound every couple of batters, so it’s great to have a veteran voice like Riopelle out there to keep pitchers steady when chaos strikes.

That also means Riopelle is good at guiding the pitchers throughout an at bat. Waldrep says the UF catcher is great with knowing when certain pitchers ought to throw certain pitches.

“And he’s really good with call pitches. And he handles the pressure of ball games really, really well. And it’s been really nice to have him behind the plate.”

Riopelle is absolutely a huge part of this great Florida team and is a primary reason the club is a powerhouse in all three phases of the game — batting, pitching, and defense. Seriously, he’s very impactful in all three areas, which is a nearly impossible feat to accomplish as a college baseball player.

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