Committed is probably the best word to describe LSU junior catcher Micah Gibbs.
The Pflugerville, Texas, product has endured his share of speed bumps, adjustments and unique experiences since his high school playing days, all the while remaining committed to his school and himself.
After his junior year at Leander High School in Leander, Texas, Gibbs’ mother, Rebecca, decided that the expense of nearly an hour-long commute to her job in downtown Austin was becoming too much to bear. She decided to move closer to her job in nearby Pflugerville, and Micah enrolled at Pflugerville High School.
Because of a Texas high school transfer rule, Gibbs’ eligibility for his senior season was in question. After hearings with the school district and the state of Texas, it was decided that Gibbs was ineligible for competition and was forced to forgo his senior season. Gibbs was able to practice with the team, but could not play. His commitment to baseball did not waver, nor did his college opportunity.
“It was sort of a blessing in disguise that I didn’t play because I got to come to LSU” Gibbs said. “Not saying that I wouldn’t have come here anyway, but this situation kind of made it so that I was meant to come here.”
After being pursued by several schools, Gibbs narrowed his decision to Rice, Baylor and LSU, but committed to the Tigers because LSU and head coach Paul Mainieri were committed to him.
“When all the eligibility hearings were going on, Coach Mainieri kept in contact with me throughout the whole thing,” Gibbs said. “After the decision was made, Coach Mainieri told me not to worry about it and to just stay in shape and keep throwing and hitting.
“For him to stick with me like that really shows the kind of guy Coach Mainieri is. Most coaches probably would’ve taken my scholarship away or something like that, but he didn’t.”
Ever since signing with LSU, Gibbs has remained committed to the program, playing a vital role in the Tigers’ run to Omaha the last two seasons with his outstanding defense behind the plate and his management of the LSU pitching staff.
“I definitely take the most pride in my defense,” said Gibbs, who was named to the 2009 SEC All-Defensive team and the 2009 ABCA Gold Glove Team. “I want to keep getting better defensively every day, but I also want to help out our pitching staff as much as possible. Also, I know a lot of catchers don’t take a lot of pride in their offense, but I do.”
Since 2008, Gibbs is batting .306 with 10 homers and 80 RBI, including two dingers earlier this season against Centenary and McNeese State. The unique thing about Gibbs’ offense, though, is that he is a switch hitter, which is a rarity in college baseball, especially among catchers.
“After practicing it, my summer league coach in high school told me to switch hit every single time, no matter what the situation,” Gibbs said. “He made me promise that I would do it every single time, and I agreed. I’ve done it ever since, and it’s definitely paid off.”
Gibbs’ commitment to baseball extends beyond just fundamentals. In fact, the one area Gibbs said he needed to improve was his endurance. As with switch hitting, Gibbs committed to something and it has since paid off.
“This fall I knew I wasn’t in the best shape I could possibly be in,” Gibbs admitted. “With trying to repeat as national champions, I didn’t want to have any excuses when I looked back on this season.”
Gibbs’ solution and commitment came with the help of his roommate and battery partner, junior right-handed Anthony Ranaudo. The two discussed the root of the problem, which lied in Gibbs’ eating habits.
“Anthony asked me if I would agree to a six-week program where he told me what to eat every single day,” Gibbs said. “He guaranteed me that the difference in six weeks would be tremendous. I didn’t have anything to lose so I agreed.
“He took everything that I liked to eat and made it to where I would eat the right things at the right times. I ended up losing 20-25 pounds.”
Gibbs said the difference has been tremendous; he doesn’t tire as easily and feels quicker running the bases, however, he’s not the only one that realizes a difference.
“Coach (David) Grewe came up to me the first week after I hit a groundball to shortstop and almost beat it out and said, ‘Wow, you really got down the line there,'” Gibbs recalled. “He also pointed out that my bat is a lot quicker through the zone than it has been in the past few years, which will hopefully improve my offensive statistics this year.”
Commitment has always been Gibbs’ key to success, both on the field and off. He was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in his first two seasons at LSU, and boasts one of the best GPAs on the team. It comes as no surprise that Gibbs wants his days at LSU to be remembered as a commitment.
“I’d want people to remember me as a hard-worker,” Gibbs said. “I’d want them to remember I was the first one there and the last one to leave. I want to be a role model for some of the younger players and when someone wears the No. 33, I’d want people to remember that I wore that number, and that I was someone who the team could count on.”