STARKVILLE — Zach Gibbons wanted to have a big junior season.
After being a big part of the Arizona baseball team in 2014, he struggled in 2015 as the Wildcats had another losing season.
That didn’t sit well with Gibbons, so he worked hard in the summer and fall to get back on track.
“I definitely give all the credit to the coaches,” Gibbons said. “All fall they were working on my swing and getting low in my legs.”
Gibbons’ turnaround is a big reason why Arizona is in Mississippi this weekend for the NCAA tournament’s Starkville Super Regional. The senior right fielder, who is second in the Pac-12 Conference with a .380 batting average, will lead Arizona (42-21) against No. 6 national seed and No. 4 MSU (44-16-1) at 5 p.m. today (ESPN2) in Game 1 of the best-of-three series.
Game 2 is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU). If needed, Game 3 will be at 5 p.m. Sunday (ESPN2 or ESPNU).
Gibbons was second on the club with a .338 batting average as a sophomore in 2014, but his batting average slipped to .287 last season.
The Scottsdale, Arizona, native was anxious to get to summer ball and return to form as one of the Pac-12’s elite hitters. He was recruited by and played for legendary coach Andy Lopez, but Lopez stepped down after the Wildcats went 31-24 and missed the postseason in 2015. Lopez is one of the winningest college baseball coaches with a 1,177-742-7 record in 33 years. He led Arizona to the 2012 national title.
Jay Johnson, who was at Nevada, was hired to replace Lopez. After an initial phone call, Gibbons felt rejuvenated.
“Right before I went out to summer ball, coach Johnson called me and introduced himself,” Gibbons said. “Right then and there I knew it was going to be a great year. I definitely think the summer had a lot to do with my success, and I’m happy.”
Gibbons, who is fifth in school-history with 274 hits, is one of two Wildcats with 90 hits (Cody Ramer, 90). Gibbons has a career-high 39 RBIs and 12 doubles. He was an All-Pac-12 selection.
Johnson felt the 5-foot-8, 186-pound Gibbons could be successful again if they could simplify his approach.
“He’s got great hand-eye coordination,” Johnson said. “For not a very big guy, he creates a lot of bat speed. The adjustment for us was to try to tap into his lower half. He’s built low to the ground, so maybe that helped a little.”
Johnson hit .316 (6-for-19) in five games last weekend in the Lafayette (La.) Regional. He also scored five runs and was named to the All-Regional team after helping the Wildcats beat the Ragin Cajuns twice Monday to advance.
Johnson said Gibbons is coachable and adaptable. He also thinks Gibbons’ versatility at the plate makes him even more dangerous.
“He’s got great quick twitch muscles,” Johnson said. “He can use the whole field, and he can hurt you on the inner-half of the plate as well. He’s got great bat speed. He’s just a really complete hitter. He hits mistakes and he battles with two strikes.”
The one thing Gibbons doesn’t do very often is hit home runs. He hit his only career home run last season. Still, he is third on the team with 104 total bases.
It’s not easy to hit a home run at Dudy Noble Field, so Gibbons isn’t going to try to do it again.
“I’m just going to try to get on base for the team and give us an opportunity to win,” Gibbons said. “I don’t really remember much. It’s kind of all a blur.”
This will be Gibbons’ first chance to compete in the NCAA tournament at Arizona. He wanted so badly to play in the postseason after last season ended that he decided to do something about it.
“Just talking to the seniors, we were just trying to go out with a bang in the last year and show the Tucson community what Arizona baseball is all about,” Gibbons said.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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