Tag: Mac Guscette

Atlanta Braves sign Alabama catcher Mac Guscette as undrafted free agent

The Atlanta Braves signed Alabama catcher Mac Guscette as an undrafted free agent.

One day after the conclusion of the 2024 MLB draft, Alabama Crimson Tide catcher Mac Guscette was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Braves.

Guscette transferred to Alabama from the Florida Gators. The native of Nokomis, Florida spent two seasons in Tuscaloosa. As a junior, Guscette held a .260 batting average with nine home runs and 34 runs batted in.

During his senior season, Guscette amassed a .321 batting average with four home runs and 39 runs batted in. Following the conclusion of his senior season, Guscette was named a semifinalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award.

The Braves have an excellent farm system and Guscette will have a great opportunity to work his way through the minor leagues.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest surrounding the Alabama baseball program.

Alabama catcher Mac Guscette named Buster Posey Award semifinalist

On Wednesday, Alabama catcher Mac Guscette was named a semifinalist to win the Buster Posey Award.

On Wednesday, Alabama Crimson Tide catcher Mac Guscette was named a semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award. The award recognizes the top catcher in the country at the Division 1 level.

Guscette has had a stellar season from behind the plate. The native of Nokomis, Florida leads the SEC with 16 runners caught stealing. 12 of which came in conference play.

At the plate, Guscette has been just as productive. He has amassed a .333 batting average with 10 home runs and 39 runs batted in.

Guscette has provided valuable experience and leadership for the Crimson Tide this season. If Alabama reaches the NCAA Tournament, he will need to make an impact early and often for the Crimson Tide to have success.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama baseball program.

Alabama Baseball blows out Indiana in Game 1 of Frisco Classic

The No. 16-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide defeated Indiana 12-0 on Friday in the first game of the Frisco Classic.

The Alabama baseball team continued its winning ways on Friday evening. The Crimson Tide picked up a convincing, 12-0 win over the Indiana Hoosiers in Game 1 of the Frisco Classic.

Alabama got off to a hot start at the plate. Rob Vaughn’s squad plated five runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back.

The Crimson Tide were led offensively by the likes of Ian Petrutz (2-for-3, 3 RBIs), Evan Sleight (1-for-4, 3 RBIs), Will Hodo (2-for-4, 2 RBIs), and mac Guscette (2-for-4, 2 RBIs).

On the mound, starting pitcher Ben Hess was stellar. The junior from Charleston, Illinois pitched five innings of scoreless baseball allowing just one hit while striking out 10 batters.

Relief pitcher Coulson Buchanan threw two scoreless innings. He struck out three batters while allowing zero hits.

Alabama improved to 10-0 while Indiana fell to 7-2 on the season.

The Crimson Tide will return to the diamond for Game 2 of the Frisco Classic on Saturday. First pitch between Alabama and Arizona is scheduled for 5 ET / 4 CT. The game will be televised on D1Baseball.com.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama baseball program.

Alabama baseball defeats Auburn 6-1 to take series against Tigers

Alabama baseball gets massive series win over the Auburn Tigers!

The Alabama baseball team defeated the Auburn Tigers on Sunday 6-1 and in doing so won its first series of SEC play this season. After Auburn took game one on Friday night, the Crimson Tide rallied to win on both Saturday and Sunday to get the series win.

With the win, Alabama now sits at 26-11 overall and 6-9 in SEC play and has a chance to make a late-season push to get to .500 within the conference.

Offensively, Alabama was led by Jim Jarvis. Mac Guscette and Andrew Pickney, all contributed two-hit games. Jarvis finished 2-for-4 with a triple, one RBI and two runs scored, one of which came on a steal of home. Guscette went 2-for-4 with a run, while Pinckney posted a 2-for-3 performance that included a walk and two runs scored.

Next up for the Crimson Tide is a midweek game in Birmingham against the UAB Blazer on Tuesday night!

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on Twitter @Blackwood89.

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Alabama Baseball fends off UIC to take series sweep with 9-7 win

No. 20 Alabama defeated UIC 9-7 on Sunday to take the series sweep. The Tide will travel to Samford to take on the Bulldogs on Tuesday night.

The Alabama baseball team continued to stay hot at the plate en route to a 9-7 win over UIC. The Tide swept the Flames in the three-game series over the weekend.

Alabama was led offensively by freshman Colby Shelton, junior Mac Guscette, and sophomore Will Hodo.

Shelton finished the afternoon 2-for-5 at the plate while driving in five runs. Hodo went 3-for-4 and scored one run for the Tide.

Guscette provided a timely two-run homerun and finished 1-1 at the plate.

On the mound, graduate senior Jacob McNairy struggled to find his groove as he allowed six runs in 3.2 innings pitched. Zane Probst and Braylon Myers helped out of the bullpen by pitching 2.2 innings of scoreless ball.

Alabama improved to 12-0 while the Flames fell to 4-6 on the new season. Brad Bohannon’s squad will return to action for a midweek matchup on the road against Samford. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST and airing on ESPN+ on Tuesday night.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the Alabama baseball program as the season progresses.

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Alabama Baseball put on offensive display with 9-4 win over High Point

No. 20 Alabama defeated High Point 9-4 on Friday evening. Relief pitcher Brock Blatter picked up his first win of the season.

The Alabama baseball team returned to the diamond for Friday’s series opener against High Point. The Tide were able to continue to put on a hitting clinic en route to a 9-4 win.

Originally, Alabama was scheduled to travel to Malibu to take on the Pepperdine Waves. Due to inclement weather, the two cancelled their series meeting. The Crimson Tide added High Point for this weekend as part of a three-game series between the two programs.

In Game 1, Alabama was able to put together enough hits to overcome a valiant effort by the Panthers. Offensively, Alabama was led by transfers Ed Johnson and Mac Guscette. The two combined to hit three home runs while driving in six runs.

Sophomore Brock Blatter moved to 1-0 on the season after an impressive performance on the mound. In two and two-thirds innings, Blatter struck out six batters and allowed one run.

Alabama moved to 6-0 while High Point fell to 3-2 on the season. The two will return to action for Game 2 tomorrow. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. CST and will be airing on SEC Network+.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the Alabama baseball program.

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Alabama Baseball knocks off Tennessee-Martin in midweek matchup

No. 20 Alabama defeated Tennessee-Martin on Wednesday by a final score of 10-0. The Tide improves to 5-0.

The Alabama baseball program improved to 5-0 after defeating Tennessee-Martin 10-0 on Wednesday. The Tide caused the game to end early after seven innings due to a 10-run lead.

Alabama was led at the plate by graduate seniors Drew Williamson and Ed Johnson. The two combined to have three hits while also driving in four runs. Junior Mac Guscette also drove in two runs and earned two walks.

On the mound, redshirt freshman Kade Woods picked up the win. He threw three scoreless innings while striking out five batters. Freshman Riley Quick made his second appearance of the year and pitched one scoreless inning and struck out two batters.

Alabama will return to the Joe for a three-game series against Holy Cross this weekend. The first game of the series will be played on Friday. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CST.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the Alabama baseball program.

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2023 Baseball Season Preview: First Basemen

Florida’s talent pool is deep at first base heading into the 2023 season and could wind up being one of Florida’s most improved positions this year.

Florida has at least three players that could see significant time at first base this season, and it could end up being one of the stronger spots on the team in 2023.

The Gators lost [autotag]Kendrick Calilao[/autotag] to graduation and [autotag]Kris Armstrong[/autotag] to the transfer portal (Jacksonville), leaving catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] as the only returning player with significant time at the position. Riopelle played a decent amount of first base in the second half of the season, partially to get some rest but also because of a surging [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag], who isn’t with the team this year.

Riopelle won’t be the main cornerman this year at Florida, though. At least he shouldn’t be if the rising talent lives up to some lofty expectations set over the offseason. [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag], who primarily served as a designated hitter in 2022 after a relatively swift return from Tommy John surgery, will play the field this year, and he’ll also pitch.

The other major player in this rotation will be Sante Fe transfer [autotag]Tyler Shelnut[/autotag]. He could wind up elsewhere by the end of the season, but Kevin O’Sullivan is eyeing first base for him to start the season out. [autotag]Deric Fabian[/autotag] is also an option, but he’s another guy who could see time at multiple positions.

2023 Florida Baseball Preview: Catchers

BT Riopelle is back for another year at Florida and is the clear starter to begin the 2023 season, but there’s plenty of talent behind him too.

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.

Two Gators announce return to baseball team for 2023

It’s official. Florida is getting both BT Riopelle and Colby Halter back next year. Could we see any more returns?

The 2022 MLB draft is in the books, and while a number of Gators are set to start their pro careers, there were a handful of players that didn’t hear their names called over the three-day event. Two of them, catcher [autotag]BT Riopelle[/autotag] and infielder [autotag]Colby Halter[/autotag], have already indicated their intentions to return to Gainesville for another year.

Halter didn’t wait for the third day of the draft to commence and announced his return on Instagram.

“See you in August Gator nation,” Halter captioned his post. “Unfinished business.”

Halter started off 2022 as one of the hottest bats in the lineup, but he underperformed for most of the year after his 14-game hit streak subsided. He finished the year slashing .240/.338/.380 with eight home runs, 11 doubles, 44 runs, 27 RBI and seven stolen bases.

He’ll look to build on those numbers enough to improve his draft stock and hopefully get him drafted in the first 10 rounds of next year’s draft. He’s batting .305 through 95 at-bats in the Cape Cod League with the Falmouth Commodores, but those numbers don’t always translate to SEC play. Halter should be the frontrunner to hold down second base next year for Florida, but he’ll have plenty of competition to stave off.

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Riopelle, on the other hand, made his intentions to return to Florida known almost immediately after the 2022 season ended, according to Gators Online’s Nick de la Torre. That’s one of the reasons [autotag]Mac Guscette[/autotag] entered the portal. Riopelle picked up an NIL deal with the Gator Collective already and was open about his desire to return, which is likely the reason he went undrafted.

Florida got lucky and saw incoming catcher [autotag]Luke Heyman[/autotag] go undrafted, so he should learn a ton behind Riopelle this year as [autotag]Rene Lastres[/autotag] recovers from Tommy John surgery.

Shortstop [autotag]Joshua Rivera[/autotag] is another name that went undrafted that many in Gator Nation are wondering about. He could return, but he could also sign a free-agent deal for decent money or head to the independent leagues. More information should be available on him in the coming week or so.

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