Catcher BT Riopelle and outfielder Wyatt Langford were named First Team Preseason All-SEC while right-hander Hurston Waldrep collected Second Team honors.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A trio of Gators were honored on Thursday as members of the Preseason All-SEC Baseball Team in catcher BT Riopelle<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/bt-riopelle/15503>, outfielder Wyatt Langford<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/wyatt-langford/15497> and right-hander Hurston Waldrep<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hurston-waldrep/15517>, as announced by the conference office. Florida was also picked to finish second in the SEC East.
Riopelle and Langford garnered First Team accolades at their respective positions, while Waldrep was named a Second Team starting pitcher. Thursday’s announcement marks the first-career Preseason All-SEC honors for all three Gators. Florida was one of three programs to place three or more players on the Preseason All-SEC Team.
Picked to finish second in the SEC East, Florida received two votes to win the division. As one of four teams to receive a first-place vote to win the conference, the Orange & Blue garnered one vote to be crowned 2023 SEC Champions.
The 2023 regular season for SEC teams begins on Feb. 17 with conference play starting on March 16. Eleven SEC teams have been ranked in the top-25 of the preseason polls.
For Riopelle, the reigning First Team All-SEC catcher embarks on year two in Orange & Blue after leading all conference backstops with 15 home runs, 55 RBI and a .551 slugging percentage in 2022. The Marietta, Ga. native also posted a .304 batting average and .447 on-base percentage to go with 125 total bases, one triple, nine doubles, 38 runs and six stolen bases while turning in a .992 fielding percentage. Riopelle was also a Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Semifinalist last season.
Entering the year as a potential Golden Spikes Award front-runner and Unanimous First Team Preseason All-American, Langford is coming off one of the greatest seasons in the history of the Orange & Blue. While slashing .355/.447/.867, the Trenton, Fla. native tied Florida’s single-season home run record with an SEC-leading 26 big flies. The 2022 First Team All-American started all 66 games for the Gators a season ago, finishing with three triples, nine doubles, 73 runs, 63 RBI and seven steals. Perhaps most impressively, he turned in a 1.000 fielding percentage across 125 chances while playing in the outfield for the first time in his career.
Shifting to Waldrep, the Southern Miss transfer is primed for his first campaign in Gator Country. Highly regarded as one of the top arms in the nation, Waldrep was named a 2022 Third Team All-American by D1Baseball after churning out 90 frames of 3.20 ERA ball with 140 strikeouts – translating to 14.0 strikeouts per nine innings. The Thomasville, Ga. native was equally brilliant in limited action as a freshman in 2021, working to a 3.35 ERA and .217 batting average against with 16 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings of work. That track record carried into this past fall, where Waldrep fired four scoreless frames against Georgia and Stetson, highlighted by an immaculate inning against the Hatters.
Florida’s 2023 season<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/schedule> officially opens at home on Friday, Feb. 17 with the first of three games in a weekend series against Charleston Southern. Fans will have plenty of opportunities to cheer on the Gators at Condron Family Ballpark, as 20 of Florida’s first-22 games take place at home.
2023 SEC Baseball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team
First Team
C: BT Riopelle<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/bt-riopelle/15503>, Florida
1B: Jack Moss, Texas A&M
2B: Peyton Stovall, Arkansas
3B: Luke Mann, Missouri
SS: Jacob Gonzalez, Ole Miss
OF: Dylan Crews, LSU
OF: Enrique Bradfield Jr., Vanderbilt
OF: Wyatt Langford<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/wyatt-langford/15497>, Florida
DH/UTL: Tommy White, LSU
SP: Chase Dollander, Tennessee
SP: Chase Burns, Tennessee
RP: Brady Tygart, Arkansas
Second Team
C: Luke Hancock, Mississippi State
1B: Tre’ Morgan, LSU
2B: Ryan Targac, Texas A&M
3B: Trevor Werner, Texas A&M
SS: Maui Ahuna, Tennessee
OF: Connor Tate, Georgia
OF: Brett Minnich, Texas A&M
OF: Colton Ledbetter, Mississippi State
DH/UTL: Austin Bost, Texas A&M
SP: Carter Holton, Vanderbilt*
SP: Hurston Waldrep<https://floridagators.com/sports/baseball/roster/hurston-waldrep/15517>, Florida*
SP: Paul Skenes, LSU*
RP: Camden Sewell, Tennessee
*Ties
2023 SEC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll
Eastern Division
1. Tennessee (12) – 90
2. Florida (2) – 79
3. Vanderbilt – 64
4. South Carolina – 51
5. Georgia – 48
6. Kentucky – 34
7. Missouri – 19
Western Division
1. LSU (12) – 88
2. Texas A&M (1) – 69
3. Arkansas – 68
4. Ole Miss (1) – 64
5. Alabama – 34
6. Auburn – 33
7. Mississippi State – 29
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