Three Gators named NCBWA preseason All-Americans
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The final Preseason All-America list of the spring dropped this week. The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association honored three Florida Gators in outfielder Wyatt Langford, pitcher Hurston Waldrep, and catcher BT Riopelle.
The announcement effectively makes Langford a unanimous First Team Preseason All-American. The 2022 SEC home run king garnered First Team status from Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball and Perfect Game in addition to the NCWBA.
As for the pair of Second Team honorees, Waldrep earned his fifth Preseason All-America award overall, featuring three First Team appearances and a pair of Second Team mentions. Riopelle received his second and highest honor of the preseason, as he was previously named a Third Team Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball.
Langford is coming off one of the greatest seasons in the history of Gators baseball. After slashing .355/.447/.719 with an SEC-leading 26 home runs last season, Langford was named a First Team All-American as well as First Team Southeast All-Region. As a leading candidate for the Golden Spikes Award and SEC Player of the Year, Langford is positioned as the No. 3 overall prospect for the MLB Draft according to MLB Pipeline.
Similarly to Langford, Waldrep garnered preseason recognition from all five major publications. He enters his first season with the Gators after transferring in from Southern Miss during the offseason. 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.
For Riopelle, the reigning First Team All-SEC catcher embarks on year two in Orange & Blue after leading all conference catchers with 15 home runs, 55 RBI and a .551 slugging percentage in 2022. He 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 a Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Seminfinalist last season and was named a Third Team Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball on December 19.
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. The preseason All-America squads are considered the first step toward the eventual selection of the 2023 Dick Howser Trophy, which is voted upon by members of the NCBWA.
