January 11, 2007
Megan Gibson, a member of the Texas A&M softball team, has been named the RBI Foundation?â„¢s Preseason Collegiate Softball Player of the Year, the organization announced.
?I am proud of Megan and all she's accomplished so far in her career,? commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. ?She is an elite athlete and a great representative of Texas A&M and our softball program. Megan is an exciting player to watch and is a consistent threat to hit the ball out of the park or pitch a shutout. She can do it all. She has had great success so far and I expect she will continue to receive honors for her tremendous talent.?
During her brief two years in Aggieland, Gibson, an NFCA All-American, has racked up 30 home runs, putting her third all-time in the Aggie career record book. As a freshman she tied the team and league lead with a .405 batting average while holding the No. 1 spot in slugging percentage (.823). During her sophomore campaign, Gibson once again led the team in batting average (.311) while driving in a team leading 37 RBI off 10 doubles and 12 home runs. She?â„¢s twice been named to the Midwest Region All-Region and the All-Big 12 Conference teams.
Gibson will receive the award on Friday at the 15th Annual RBI Foundation Awards Dinner held at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston.
?It?â„¢s a great honor for me to have been selected as the RBI Foundation?â„¢s Preseason Collegiate Softball Player of the Year,? Gibson noted. ?I?â„¢m really proud of the recognition this award will bring to Texas A&M and our softball program. I owe my success on the field to the support and hard work of both my coaches and my teammates.?
Also being honored by the RBI Foundation is former Aggie softball player, Judy (Trussel) Whillock. Whillock, the head coach at Cinco Ranch has been named the Preseason High School Softball Coach of the Year. Along with Whillock, Rhiannon Kliesing of Pearland High School, who recently signed with A&M, has been deemed the Preseason High School Softball Player of the Year.
?Rhiannon has had a great high school career,? Evans continued. ?She caught our eye several years ago and it has been fun to watch her develop into a very talented pitcher. She has great presence on the mound, fields her position well and does a nice job at the plate. She is a complete player. I congratulate her on this honor and look forward to coaching her at Texas A&M.?
The RBI Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to keeping the Greater Houston Area?â„¢s underprivileged youth off the streets, away from gangs, crime and drugs, while offering them a positive and viable alternative in the form of participation in baseball/softball. For more information regarding the RBI Foundation, please visit www.rbihouston.org/programs.htm.