Georgia College catcher Pirkle relies on hard work, experience as senior leader for Bobcats

From an early age, Georgia College redshirt senior catcher Richard Pirkle wanted to be a baseball player. Like many other young children who shared the same dream, he began his career at the age of four.

Spending countless summers, weekends and nights practicing and playing baseball, Pirkle knew baseball was something he wanted to play a huge role in his life.

Scotty Thompson | gcsunade.com

Senior catcher Richard Pirkle has been one of the more reliable players for the Bobcats the last two seasons. As of April 6, Pirkle is seen by his teammates as one of their main leaders.

Pirkle played ball at Norcross High School and has been at Georgia College for the past five years—red shirted after breaking his wrist and having surgery the summer before college began.

But it wasn’t until his senior year of high school that Pirkle  started catching, making the late transition. Before that he had been an outfielder.

As the past few years have flown by at Georgia College, Pirkle has grown immensely on and off of the field. He is a business management major and when he’s not at school or playing baseball, he likes to spend time playing with his dog, Tate.

With great promise, Head Baseball Coach Tom Carty knew that with his athleticism, arm strength and with training Pirkle had the potential to play catcher at the collegiate level.

“Richard continues to get better each year; the way he plays mentally, and he is unbelievable with his leadership skills. He’s as good as they get,” Carty said.

In 2010, Pirkle started 51 out of the 54 games he played and continues to start in just as many games. This year alone he has played in 34 games, has a .278 batting average, and has knocked eight home runs with 24 RBI, 29 runs scored and five stolen bases.

Being a catcher requires him to be totally aware of each pitcher’s quirks—their weaknesses, movements, strengths, and processes.

“Since I call the games, I’m just as much of the pitching staff as the rest. They trust me,” Pirkle said.

Working together on the field for that past four years, senior pitcher Eric Pettepher has seen Pirkle’s many improvements and incredible growth.

“He’s a great catcher. He knows me inside and out and really helps me to stay focused and keep my composure when I’m out there pitching,” Pettepher said.

“He is one of the best leaders and he’s always doing what’s best for the team, always trying to help us win” said junior shortstop Tanner Funk.

“Before a game I go down by myself and get my head in the game. I stretch after (batting practice) and then do a blocking series of 10,” Pirkle said. “Then I get the team up, give them some choice words, and we break it down — win on three.”

Posted by VictoriaGarofolo on Apr 7 2011. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.