BT Riopelle shares how Florida's experience prevailed

On Friday, Florida pulled off one of the best comebacks in the College World Series in recent memory. After the win, Gators senior BT Riopelle pulled back the curtain on how the team stayed calm during the nerve-racking contest.

“The wind is blowing in, and the ball wasn’t flying and helping us to our advantage. It was a little frustrating, but all you can do is just move on. Your best players have to play the best in the right moments to win games. And, we did that tonight,” Riopelle said.

They certainly did. The Gators entered the ninth inning trailing the Virginia Cavaliers 5-3; a death sentence for most teams. Nonetheless, Florida wasn’t rattled.

Rightfielder Ty Evans got things rolling for the Gators. Evans, who had four home runs all season prior to the at-bat, drilled a bomb to left field to cut Florida’s deficit to 5-4. The dinger seemingly shocked the Gators back to life.

After one Florida strikeout, Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford stepped up to the plate. It took the UF star two pitches to launch a ball into orbit. The typically mild-mannered junior reacted appropriately. Riopelle tossed his bat, screaming at the top of his lungs as he rounded the bases.

Although the game was tied 5-5, it felt over. The feeling would quickly prove to be true. After wild pitches and walks from Virginia, Florida loaded the bases. Designated hitter Luke Heyman brought it home.

THE. MOMENT.

LUKE HEYMAN!!!#GoGators // 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/WEhMzhGDkE

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB) June 17, 2023

The freshman catcher hit a fly ball to center field, giving the man on third enough time to tag up and run home. Ball game. Although to outsiders, the win felt like watching magic, Riopelle knows the comeback wasn’t a new trick.

“it is kind of in the back of your mind where you see six innings go by and it’s a one-run ball game. It’s not like it’s 9 to 8 or something. It’s a 1-0 ball game,” Riopelle said. “We’ve done it, like you said, in the past and it definitely gave us confidence. But what a tough game that was. Virginia’s a fantastic opponent.”

Comebacks are becoming a tradition for the Gators. On May 24, Florida entered the bottom of the 11th inning down 6-3 to Alabama in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The Gators walked away with a 7-6 victory.

The team could use an easy win. However, that’s unlikely in the forseeable future. Florida will face off against Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. on Sunday in the Double Elimination Round of the College World Series. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.