How Lady Vols' McKenna Gibson became a candidate for SEC softball Player of the Year

There's a calm yet powerful intensity to McKenna Gibson when she's on deck.

The Tennessee softball sophomore knows exactly what pitches she wants as she watches the at-bat before her play out. Gibson doesn't try to work around what the umpires are calling or what the pitcher is throwing. She's completely confident in her zone and she doesn't deviate from it.

It's a steady confidence that has led to a breakout season for the infielder, who has played her way into the SEC Player of the Year conversation along with teammate Kiki Milloy. Gibson is hitting .382 with 15 home runs, a team-leading 56 RBIs and 32 runs. She has a slugging percentage of .813 and a .503 on base percentage, and her consistency has helped lead No. 3 Tennessee (38-5, 16-2 SEC) to the top of the SEC standings.

"As the season has gone on and as she started to heat up and get going, she's just become a monster," Tennessee assistant coach Chris Malveaux said.

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Gibson nearly hit for the cycle in Tennessee's 9-1 run-rule win Saturday against Florida – the only hit she missed was a single in her three at-bats. She hit .556 in Tennessee's sweep of the Gators, adding six RBIs to help the Lady Vols outscore Florida 30-17.

In four games against Virginia Tech and Kentucky, Gibson had four three-run homers, 13 RBIs and seven runs scored. She posted a .538 batting average, a 1.538 slugging percentage and 2.101 OPS the week before the Florida series.

"Every at bat, it's a confidence booster," Gibson said. "I don't really think that if I were to not have those home runs that my confidence would have gone down. But just having the team behind me and knowing that I helped the team in some form just really helps with my confidence overall, and just looking at the next person behind me and being like, 'I got you.' "

Malveaux said Gibson has the mental makeup of a true hitter. It doesn't matter who's in the circle, Gibson believes she can get her barrel on "just about anything."

"It's not like, 'OK, but what if they throw me this, or what if I miss?' She doesn't think that," Malveaux said. "If it's unappealing, she doesn't mind letting it go. So I think that's a big thing from her being a freshman last year and to now is, she sells out for what she's going to see and what she wants to hit and doesn't budge on really anything else."

A big part of that willingness came from trusting herself. Gibson put "a lot of unnecessary pressure" on herself coming in her freshman season as a starter.

But this season, she's allowed herself to trust her preparation, no matter what happens.

"I try to talk to myself more positively, and unknowingly, I didn't really do that much last year," Gibson said. "I think that kind of helps for me, especially coming into this year. But I think just having that positive talk, talking with our coach about the process that we're going through and just trusting everything that I've done, and just try not to make the situation too big."

The preparation she falls back on is deliberate – Gibson has a routine she sticks to. She doesn't need to spend hours a day at the field taking ground balls or hitting. She just needs 30 minutes to hone in on whatever she's working on, and she has learned not overdo it.

Tennessee coach Karen Weekly has seen how focused Gibson is with her preparation since she was a freshman, and that applies to defense, too. She has the best footwork in the infield, excellent awareness and solid glove work because she's "very intentional about every rep she takes."

"I wouldn't even call it a difference, it's just the way she goes about her business," Weekly said. "Last year as a freshman, she just came in every day and went to work. And she doesn't just check the box of working – she's very intentional about her work ... you just saw her this year pick up where she left off.

"It's just been this steady climb, and kind of quietly in a way, because everybody focuses on other people on our team. And then all of a sudden you're like 'Wow, look at this kid’s numbers.' But it's just the way she goes about her her job every day."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why McKenna Gibson of Lady Vols softball is having breakout season