Nate LaRue admits that his attempt at learning Spanish to be more conversational with sophomore pitcher Joseph Gonzalez was, in all regards, a failure. He said he knows two phrases, hola and como estas, but "that's as far as I can get."

Luckily for the Auburn catcher, his knowledge of baseball language has turned him into a reliable backstop for pitchers this season. Yet it wasn't always him getting every start behind the plate. Sharing time with Ryan Dyal and Jake Wyandt, it wasn't until the series at Texas A&M that Butch Thompson started to really trust him behind the plate. And that opportunity came because of LaRue's biggest asset: his arm.

"It was defense first that he got in there, the A&M series because we thought this team was really going to run and do a good job," the Auburn coach said. "And he did an amazing job. I think he threw five out of the six guys that weekend … What's kept him in there, like I said, A&M was about being able to throw, and he's got a great arm."

The junior from Mobile has been a mainstay since and, with regular playing time, has started coming around offensively. In 85 at-bats, LaRue is batting .235 with four doubles, four home runs, 21 RBIs and 13 runs scored. While he couldn't find the exact word to describe how it feels to be the trusted catcher, he knows how much it means to him and his production.

"It's hard to get in a rhythm when you're not playing every day, and just to be able to have the opportunity to play every day, you know, it's a huge blessing," LaRue said.

While Thompson is impressed with how the catcher is starting to look at the plate, it is how he has grown behind it that has caught the coach's eyes. Thompson praised LaRue's pitch calling, handling of the pitchers and, most importantly, his receiving of the ball that his coach said was at an "elite SEC catcher" level.

With so many different pitchers – 21 have taken the mound this season –knowing the intricacies of each takes patience and work. For LaRue, all of the learning comes when no one is watching during fall workouts. There are still times before or during a game when changes have to be made.

"They'll go day to day, say their slider's not working or 'Hey, we're gonna go more curveball today than slider,'" the catcher said. "So it's just little adjustments like that, day-to-day, that is really the biggest challenge."

There's also the outside chance that a catcher might be getting used to him during a game. If you peek at the Auburn roster, LaRue is listed as "C//RHP" for his position. It makes sense considering his strong arm. He's made five appearances earlier this season, but that doesn't mean he's not biting at the bit to get out there more.

"Some of the guys still joke, like a midweek (game) or something like 'Hey, you ready to go in there and give us an inning?'" LaRue said. "You tell me when you tell me when I'll go out there."

In the meantime, the 6-foot-3 LaRue will keep putting on the gear and remain a force behind the plate for Thompson and the Tigers. His coach knows that is where he gives the team the best chance to win and keeps things at a norm.

"Nate LaRue has equaled stability," Thompson said.