Hanover Central senior Stanley Galbreath isn’t going to lie.

It wasn’t easy making the transition from outfielder to catcher.

“It was pretty rough at first,” Galbreath said.

It all started to come back the more he took repetitions behind the plate: framing the pitches, blocking the plate and receiving the ball.

It was like riding a bike.

Galbreath reached back to middle school in his memory bank to relearn the position — because the Wildcats were in a bind. They needed someone to catch.

Senior Adam Graham had been their catcher two years ago. He has a nagging shoulder injury that he suffered in football and that forced him out of the position. He plays third base now.

Hanover Central coach Ryan Bridges knew before the season started that the team was going to need someone else behind the plate.

Galbreath called him one night.

“Me and the boys were hanging out on New Year’s,” Galbreath said. “We were talking about how we needed someone to step up, and I was like, ‘I used to catch. I should try it again.’ I called coach that night and told him I’d give it a shot. It just went from there.”

Bridges said Galbreath’s early workouts were impressive. The initial idea was that Graham would return to catching eventually and Galbreath would move to the outfield.

But Galbreath basically earned a permanent spot behind the plate, and the Wildcats have advanced to the Class 3A state championship game on Tuesday.

“I had never seen him catch before,” Bridges said. “I knew he could do it. We saw him, and we knew right away we could work with him. He was athletic, he moved well and he was able to block balls.”

Galbreath said the hardest part of relearning the position was blocking the plate. Once he got behind the plate for a live game, it got easier.

“I was nervous at first,” he said. “It all came back to me naturally.”

Galbreath has been important to the Wildcats in another respect. He’s really good with Bret Matthys, their ace left-hander.

Bridges said Galbreath is really good at blocking the plate. He doesn’t have a great arm, but Matthys’ pickoff move is so good that it doesn’t matter that much when he’s on the mound.

Galbreath and Matthys, who will pitch against Southridge in the state final, go way back. Galbreath was catching Matthys in grade school.

“I knew what he had,” Galbreath said. “It’s just like old times. I’ve seen him a ton this year. I’ve got the most confidence in him.”

Bridges said Galbreath has exceeded expectations.

“He’s been incredible for us,” Bridges said. “We have some guys that can be tough to catch, but he’s done a great job with it.”

Galbreath has been good at the plate too. He’s hitting .382 with 21 RBIs. Bridges said he’s a solid presence at the bottom of the lineup.

Galbreath is ready for the state final. It’s something he’s been preparing for since grade school. He knew this team had a chance.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” he said. “I’ve been playing with these boys my whole life. We’ve talked about it since I was 11. It’s a dream come true.”