Florida baseball: Gators have three players named Preseason All-SEC

The Florida baseball season is right around the corner, and after a rough ending to last season with a loss to Oklahoma, the Gators have high hopes coming into this year.

There are decently high expectations around what Kevin O’Sullivan and his guys can accomplish this year. The Gators were picked to finish second in the SEC East, behind only Tennessee, and had three players named to Preseason All-SEC teams.

Wyatt Langford and BT Riopelle were named to the first team, and Hurston Waldrep was named to the second team.

Langford is the guy who may have the most hype around him of any player on the roster. He hit .355 last year with an OPS of 1.166. He hit 26 homers and knocked in 63 runs while drawing 36 walks and striking out just 44 times.

He’s outstanding in the field as well, as he committed no errors in his 125 chances last season in the field.

Perhaps more impressive in the field than Langford was BT Riopelle. He had 499 chances last year and only committed four errors, giving him a FLD% of .992.

Riopelle, like Langford, was a major threat in the batter’s box. He hit .304 with an OPS of .922 and a SLG% of .551. He mashed 15 home runs, had 55 RBI, and had an OBP% of .371.

If the Gators are going to have a great year, they need both Langford and Riopelle to have good years at the plate.

Hurston Waldrep, the Gator named to the second team, is ready to show the country why he should have also been a first-teamer. The transfer from Southern Miss had a great year on the mound, with a 3.20 ERA, .213 BA, and 140 strikeouts in just 90 innings.

He joins a great pitching core with guys like Brandon Sproat and Brandon Neely and will be making some serious noise as the season carries on.

Florida baseball is poised to have a great season behind these three great players.

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