BT Riopelle named SEC Player of the Week
BT Riopelle was named the Southeastern Conference Co-Player of the Week on Monday afternoon. The Florida Gators catcher had a banner week on the road at Mississippi State, earning him his first SEC player of the week offer.
Riopelle began his career at Coastal Carolina. He played three seasons at Coastal Carolina before joining the Gators. He earned All-Sun Belt Second Team honors in 2021.
Riopelle slashed .533/.556/1.133 with a 1.689 OPS. He led the Gators to a 4-0 record and a three-game series sweep at Mississippi State last week. It was the program’s first road sweep since the final week of the 2019 regular season. His 1.133 slugging percentage, 17 total bases, and eight RBI paced the Gators. Riopelle also added two home runs, three doubles, four runs, and two walks to his resume.
Riopelle shared the honor with LSU’s Dylan Crews.
In the series opener in Starkville on Friday, the Marietta, Ga. native posted a career-high six RBI with one home run and one double. Riopelle was also excellent defensively during the series at Mississippi State, catching all 27 innings behind the plate while throwing out one would-be base stealer and picking off another Bulldog runner at first base.
As a result of the strong offensive week, Riopelle is now batting .312/.376/.624 on the year with 14 home runs, one triple, five doubles, 45 RBI, 27 runs, 13 walks, and four stolen bases. He paces all SEC catchers in slugging percentage, home runs, and RBI.
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Riopelle is the Fifth Gator to earn an SEC honor
Riopelle is the fifth Gator to earn an SEC honor this season.
LHP Hunter Barco – SEC Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 21)
INF Colby Halter – SEC Co-Player of the Week (Feb. 28)
RHP Brandon Sproat – SEC Pitcher of the Week (March 7)
RHP Blake Purnell – SEC Co-Freshman of the Week (April 11)
C BT Riopelle – SEC Co-Player of the Week (May 9)
Looking at the Gators this week
Florida will host Bethune Cookman this Tuesday at Condron Ballpark. After that, the Gators will travel to Columbia, Missouri for a three-game series with the Missouri Tigers. Florida has won three in a row and five of its last six SEC baseball games.
The sweep of Mississippi State has the Gators at 11-13 in conference play and an RPI of 12. Florida’s work to make the NCAA Tournament isn’t over but their chances look much better. The Gators need to get to 13 wins, which should be easily attainable given six more chances.
