From Pflugerville, Texas to Baton Rouge, to Omaha, Neb., and on to the Netherlands, Micah Gibbs’ young baseball career has taken him more places than he can imagine.
“It’s a blast,” Gibbs said.
The First-Team Freshman All-American has seen a Southeastern Conference championship and the College World Series with LSU and now is on to the World Championships with the Collegiate National Team.
Gibbs, who batted .322 as catcher this past season, spent much of his summer helping lead Team USA on the quest for gold. The national team is composed of the top collegiate players in the NCAA who are not draft eligible.
“It’s a great reflection on Louisiana State University and our baseball program that one of our own is given the honor of playing for our country in Team USA,” said LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri.
Team USA (14-0 in international play) won the Haarlem (Netherlands) Baseball Week tournament after defeating the Cuban national team, 4-1, on Sunday. It is the same Cuban team that won gold at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and will compete at next month’s Olympics in Beijing.Team USA will later play in the FISU World Championships in the Czech Republic taking place July 17-27.
Gibbs said the win against Cuba was a big moment for Team USA.
“We kind of have a little rivalry with them because we have always been the two powerhouses along with Japan,” Gibbs said.
After transferring to Pflugerville High before his senior season in high school, Gibbs was forced to miss his senior baseball season because of Texas transfer rules. Despite not being able to play his senior season, the high school All-American was able to come into LSU as a backup catcher to rising junior Sean Ochinko.
“When we recruited him and then saw him during fall practice, we thought we had an outstanding ball player,” Mainieri said. “I guess it was somewhat of a surprise, because I didn’t expect him to take over for Sean Ochinko as our starting catcher.”
Starting at catcher as a true freshman, Gibbs was able to step in and make an impact in big games, something he has continued to do with Team USA. Mainieri and Team USA coach Tim Walton agree Gibbs has become one of the best catchers in the country.
“Micah is the best all-around catcher in college baseball,” Mainieri said. “Defensively he’s outstanding, and he hits from both sides of the plate. He’s definitely one of the best players in the country, and we’re very fortunate to have him.”
Along with being one of the top collegiate catchers in the nation, Walton said Gibbs may also be the team’s best first baseman.
“He throws very well and exchanges very well,” Walton said. “He’s really an above-average athlete. He would start at first base for anybody in the country as well.”
Gibbs, currently batting .237 in international play, said he found out about his opportunity to play for his country while he was still playing with the Tigers.
“It’s a big honor,” Gibbs said. “I was pretty excited, but we were still playing when I found out, so I kind of had to push it to the side for a while.”
For Gibbs, just putting on the USA uniform was a special moment.
“It’s out of this world,” Gibbs said. “You put it on and get a sense of pride and accomplishment.”
As catcher, Gibbs has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with Team USA. The team’s ERA of 0.88 is especially impressive for Gibbs considering he calls the pitches behind the plate himself, something he did not do at LSU.
“The most impressive thing is he’s catching new pitchers that he hasn’t caught all year,” Walton said. “Then to be able to call a game and handle it, he’s done an exceptional job.”
Adjusting to new pitchers and a different style of baseball has been quite a process for Gibbs.
“Especially being a catcher, I have to get used to a totally different set of pitchers,” Gibbs said. “Everybody here has great stuff, so I have to be on my toes 24/7. There’s not much time to adjust to all the pitchers, so I just have to be ready day in and day out.”
But Gibbs’ coaches think he may be tailor-made for his position.
“The pitcher/catcher relationship has to be special, and when it is, pitchers get into rhythms and stay into those rhythms for a long period of time,” Walton said. “Good catchers make pitchers better, and that’s a fact.”
After seeing what Gibbs could do as a true freshman, Mainieri was not the least bit surprised to see him continue his success at the national level.
“In the last three months, he’s become the starting catcher at LSU, he’s caught an SEC championship game, he’s caught a regional and super regional championship game and he’s caught a thrilling victory in the College World Series,” Mainieri said. “Then, he made First Team Freshman All-American, and now he’s starting catcher for Team USA. What more could a young man ask for out of a college baseball experience?”
Gibbs said the international style of play differs from the SEC.
“Here you have so many different styles of pitching and hitting. It’s a game of adjustments,” Gibbs said. “It’s even harder here because we’re facing pitchers that don’t pitch the same way as you see in America. There’s a lot of good pitching here, so I would say they stack up pretty well compared to the SEC.”
Despite having so much success this early in his career, Mainieri doesn’t expect Gibbs to be letting up anytime soon.
“The great thing about [Gibbs] is that he is so appreciative of everything that comes his way,” Mainieri said. “He’ll never have a big head because he works so hard and always has a smile on his face.”
For those around him, Gibbs makes as big of an impact off the field as he does on the diamond.
“He’s a very genuine young man, very intelligent and courteous,” Walton said. “He’s willing to make adjustments and help his teammates get better. He’s one of the best kids I’ve coached in my 10 years.”
Gibbs’ lead-by-example attitude is what sets him apart for his coaches.
“First and foremost his parents need to be congratulated because this is one special person,” Walton said. “He’s a great human being. I have three children, and I hope they grow up to be very much the same type of person that Micah has become.”
The next stop for Gibbs and Team USA is Regensburg, Germany, where they are scheduled to take on the German National Team today.
“The whole state of Louisiana and LSU should be extremely proud of how this man handles himself on and off the field,” Walton said. “He shines a big light for everyone at LSU. If they’ve got kids like [Gibbs] in their program, then it’s a special place, because this is a very special person.”
____Contact Tyler Harvey at [email protected]