It’s officially baseball season in Gainesville, and Gators Wire is previewing each position on the team leading up to the season opener on Feb. 17 against Charleston Southern.
Up first are the catchers. Florida has four catchers on the roster: senior [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag], sophomore [autotag]Rene Lastres[/autotag] and true freshmen [autotag]Salvador Alvarez[/autotag] and [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag]. The hierarchy here should follow seniority, but Riopelle saw time at first base last year and could play there again if the team can’t figure things out at the position.
Sure, last year’s primary backup, [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag], is no longer in town after transferring to the Alabama Crimson Tide, but Lastres looks like he’ll be ready to serve in the role after recovering from Tommy John surgery. If he’s not, Florida has a pair of talented freshmen that could compete for playing time early on in the year.
The addition of former Gator Mike Rivera to the staff this year should benefit the catchers the most. He committed just five errors in his three-year career at Florida.
Here’s a look at each of Florida’s catchers heading into the 2023 season.