Cameron Rupp returns to Texas to get his degree and mentor new generation of UT catchers
Texas enters the baseball season with five catchers on its roster, but Silas Ardoin isn't one of them.
Ardoin was at UT's alumni game last week, but he was wearing a Baltimore Orioles jersey. After starting at catcher in more than 80% of Texas' games since 2020, Ardoin was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB draft. So fans have a new name to learn behind the plate.
A familiar face, however, will be mentoring the catchers this season.
Cameron Rupp, who played at Texas from 2008 to 2010, will work with the Longhorns' catchers this season. He has rejoined the program as a student assistant on David Pierce's coaching staff.
"I love this place," Rupp said. "Coming back, it's like home. I'm happy to be here. I'm happy Coach Pierce allowed me to come back and work with the guys and hopefully bring (home) another championship."
Going back to school, keeping a promise
A two-time team MVP who led Texas to the College World Series finals in 2009, Rupp was selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2010 draft. That led to a five-year big league career. He last played in an MLB game in 2017, and his last minor league appearance was in 2019.
Rupp, 34, said that when he was drafted, he promised his parents he'd return to school and earn the education degree he was pursuing. That's what led him back to UT.
Rupp said coaching was "something that I felt like would be a good calling for me and something that I would be good at."
As his career wound down, he began to look at avenues into the profession. Last fall, he was in town for a UT football game and stopped by one of the baseball team's practices. There, Rupp and Pierce began chatting about the possibility of him helping out the team.
Having to learn new tricks, like coaching and teaching
As a student assistant, Rupp isn't allowed to recruit. The job is unpaid. Over the years, Pierce has had several major league voices in his dugout. After his 13-year MLB career ended, Troy Tulowitzki served as a volunteer assistant coach at Texas in 2020-22. Former All-Star reliever and program icon Huston Street was the Longhorns' student assistant in 2020. Woody Williams, who pitched in the major leagues from 1993 to 2007, is the team's new pitching coach.
In Rupp, Pierce said, the Longhorns added a coach whose résumé commands trust and exudes credibility. Not that there hasn't been a learning curve.
"I think with Cam, it's been an eye-opener for him, especially with the teaching side," Pierce said. "Anytime you get a pro guy in here and they did things a certain way or they did things that became easy to them, now they have to get on the other side and teach it. You realize that maybe these guys can't do exactly what they did, and so you have to go different angles and (learn) how to coach, how to teach. He's doing a really nice job with that."
Rupp will mentor a group of catchers that includes USC transfer Garret Guillemette, freshman Rylan Galvan and junior Peyton Powell. Another junior, Kimble Schuessler, will miss the season because of finger surgery, Pierce has announced.
Starting pitcher Lucas Gordon recently admitted that it was "weird at first not having (Ardoin) back there, but these guys worked super hard." Guillemette hit .286 last season and was an all-conference honoree in the Pac-12 as a freshman. Galvan won a Class 4A title at UFCU Disch-Falk Field with the Sinton Pirates last June. And while Powell is listed on the roster as a utility player, Pierce has surmised that the fourth-year player "potentially could be our best skilled receiver and thrower behind the plate."
"We've got a lot of talent," Rupp said. "We've got some guys that are going to have to be leaders, are going to step up and help lead our pitching staff and win some ballgames for us."
Rupp: back in Austin, back at Texas, back wearing No. 3
If Texas fans spot Rupp on game days, they'll see him wearing his old No. 3 jersey. Rupp was actually the last Longhorn to wear the number. Texas retired it during the 2010 season to honor Keith Moreland.
Rupp said he fully intended to find a new number to wear. To him, the No. 3 belongs to Moreland. But 13 years ago, Moreland gave Rupp his blessing to finish out his playing career in that jersey. He did the same when Rupp decided he wanted to coach at Texas.
"I'm happy that he's given me the opportunity to wear it again," Rupp said. "It's pretty special getting to put it back on."
Added Moreland: "I'm excited that Cameron's back and getting his degree and going into work and helping the kids, and he is more than welcome (to wear the No. 3). ... I'm honored by it."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Cameron Rupp rejoins Texas as baseball team's student assistant
