Teel's new role: UVa's everyday catcher

Virginia’s Kyle Teel is a preseason All-American because of his potential at the plate. But it’s the sophomore slugger’s presence behind the plate that could have a deeper impact on the Cavaliers’ season.

Though he saw a lot of time at designated hitter as a freshman before ending the year as the Hoos’ right fielder, Teel was recruited as a catcher. He’s slated to take over as the Wahoos’ primary backstop this spring. From Brian O’Connor’s perspective, it’s a role matched in its importance on the field only by the player on the mound.

“I’ve told him many times,” said the Wahoos’ head baseball coach, “that you’re never gonna drive in as many runs as you can potentially give up in that position.”

Teel did catch 15 games last year, including a string of seven consecutive starts in early May while Logan Michaels was injured. During that stretch, Teel was behind the plate when Andrew Abbott, Jake Berry and Griff McGarry combined to no-hit Wake Forest. His lone postseason start at catcher came against South Carolina in the Sunday morning elimination game at the Columbia Regional.

Michaels, a fifth-year senior back for his COVID season of eligibility, spent most of the year as the primary backstop. That allowed Teel to serve a one-year apprenticeship behind the veteran who had started 103 games in his three-year UVa career.

“Logan was a really big role model for me back there,” said Teel. “He was just a tough kid, and he was really great behind there. He was like a rock back there.”

Despite being blocked by Michaels at his primary position, Teel’s talent as a hitter proved undeniable. After missing 10 of UVa’s first 11 games, he was in the lineup every day the rest of the way, starting 19 games apiece at designated hitter and in right field. In 54 games, Teel slashed .335/.416/.526, all best on the Hoos. His nine home runs were tied for most on the team, his 41 RBI tied for second. Teel slashed .422/.480/.600 during the Wahoos’ 11-game NCAA Tournament run, including the seventh-inning grand slam against Dallas Baptist that ultimately sent UVa back to the College World Series for the first time since 2015.

After the season, Teel was named a first-team freshman All-American by both D1Baseball.com and Baseball America. Earlier this week, he was included as a second-team preseason All-American (at designated hitter) by D1Baseball.com. That same outlet also ranked Teel as the No. 3 catcher in the country entering the 2022 season.

O’Connor says Teel has the tools to live up to that sort of billing.

“Kyle Teel is as talented and as skilled as a player that we've had back there in my time,” he said. “He can really throw. He’s very, very athletic. He reminds me of somebody that's like a shortstop that you transition to to catcher. He's that athletic back there, to be able to pick balls and throw and things like that.”

Teel played mostly shortstop at Mahwah High School in New Jersey, but has long been preparing for a role behind the plate. His father Garett spend five years playing catcher and two as a catching coach in the Los Angeles Dodgers system. Teel played all over the field growing up, and was primarily a catcher while playing summer travel ball in high school.

But there are also certain nuances to being an everyday catcher at the ACC level that the sophomore is still working to hone, like managing the UVa pitching staff from behind the plate or reining in some of the emotions and energy that he displayed during the Wahoos’ run to Omaha last June.

“Poise in that position is really, really important,” O’Connor said, “and that's something that I think is learned and trained over time and through experience.”

Teel has also been sharpening his defensive skills as a backstop. After a stint with the USA Collegiate National Team last summer, he headed to the Northwoods League to get some game reps at catcher. Teel mentioned the work he’s been putting in with assistant coach Matt Kirby in practice. He’s also been catching bullpen sessions with UVa’s veteran pitchers as frequently as possible to establish a comfort level with the staff.

“He’s here long hours after practices; hitting, catching,” said junior right-hander Matt Wyatt. “A lot of the times alone. He’s a worker.”

It’s that work on defensive fundamentals that O’Connor has emphasized when preparing Teel for his new role as everyday catcher.

“Every pitch counts,” O’Connor said. “You get that runner at third base, and showing those pitchers that you can block that ball in the dirt, and they can throw that slider down there and every time you're gonna block it and keep it in front of you. Things like that.”

Last spring, Teel forged a reputation as a helmet-losing slugger in the middle of the UVa lineup. Fans got glimpses of his arm strength on some of his throws from right field during the NCAA Tournament. O’Connor expects more highlights this spring—but also knows it will take some time for the sophomore to fully break into his new role.

“He's gonna do some things early on that you're gonna be like, 'Wow, that that's pretty impressive,’” O’Connor said, “and there's going to be times that he's gonna need to learn that he needs to be more consistent. And I'm excited to see him go through that.”

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