TEMPE, Ariz. -- Danielle Gibson had something to prove when Sun Devils softball coach Trisha Ford showed up at a club tournament in Colorado in the summer of 2016 to watch Gibson play for the California-based Ohana Tigers.
Gibson had committed to the previous coaching staff at ASU. She didn't know what the new coach thought of her, or if she still wanted her to join the team after her senior season at Murrieta (California) Valley High School.
"It caught me off guard," Gibson said. "I didn't even meet her before she came to watch me play. She comes up and she's out in center field. I'm so nervous."
Gibson made a good first impression.
"She hit a home run right over my head," Ford said, laughing. "I was, like, 'got it!' I went to a couple of her games and the kid could rake."
Gibson had a greater concern, however: a chronic knee issue. During her sophomore season at Murrieta Valley, she started experiencing pain in her left knee.
"It had been bugging me for a few months but nothing crazy, so I go to the doctor and he can't find anything," Gibson said. "My physical therapist thought it was a meniscus tear. Nothing showed up on the MRI and then they went in with a scope.
"It was supposed to be a short procedure and I'm in there like an hour and 30 or 45 minutes. My parents were so worried. Basically, they found I have little to no cartilage left on my tibial plateau. It's pretty much bone on bone. The doctors were surprised. They said normally you tear your ACL or meniscus before this happens but I managed to do the impossible."
Gibson was on bed rest for about four months.
"The doctor told me to quit but I couldn't quit," she said. "I had just committed to ASU, so I rehabbed and about eight months later I played again. I had a second cleanup surgery in May (2017) and he said, 'I can't believe you are still playing. He suggested I should switch to academics.'"
Gibson didn't heed her doctor's advice and she is determined not to let the injury define her. Her hitting has done that instead.
Entering the No. 7 Sun Devils' weekend series against No. 3 Oregon at Farrington Stadium, the freshman was fifth in the Pac-12 with a .413 batting average, first in slugging percentage (.827), fifth in on-base percentage (.492), tied for seventh in RBIs (31), sixth in doubles (10), tied for second in home runs (11) and fifth in total bases (86).
"She's got a good frame, a good lever, a fast bat," Ford said. "When you throw inside to her that kid just turns on it right away. You can't teach that reaction.
"When she first got here in the fall she was hitting base hits, doubles and I was like, Gibby, you're going to be a home run hitter! We're going to put some weight on you, get the swing cleaned up.' She's still not in the box thinking she's going to hit home runs but she's going to drive the ball and hit it hard. She can do some damage."
Gibson's medical screening had already told Ford everything she needed to know about the knee in question before she ever played a game. Ford could relate. ASU's coach sustained four ACL tears in her career and she said assistant coach Katie Richardson suffers from a displaced knee.
"We're full of bad knees," she said, laughing. "We understand, so we just remind her that she's going to be OK. Each year might be different in how we manage it but it's not going to be something that hinders her."
To manage the knee, Gibson avoids on-ground training, running, or anything that involves weight bearing. She has modified her weight-room routine. A lot of her conditioning and strength training comes on an underwater treadmill, or in the pools at the new student-athlete facility adjacent to Sun Devil Stadium or the Weatherup Center.
"It's hard for me to get out here and take as many reps as everybody else but we have to find a routine that is good for me," Gibson said. "It's still a work in progress. It's about listening to my body. Can I play or practice today or do I need to take a little time off?
"It's stressful for sure, but I don't think it's the biggest thing. There are other problems out there. I don't want to make this a huge thing for me. I want to be able to show my ability on the field without getting sympathy."
Ford said when Gibson arrived in Tempe, she immediately went to work with Richardson and assistant Jeff Harger, watching video of Major League baseball hitters and other softball players in attempt to tweak her swing.
"She dove in a little bit so her stride was quick and hard and there's a lot of head movement that goes with that," Ford said. "We kind of smoothed her out, got a little better timing. She was pretty steep, too, so her approach to the ball was at an angle and her hands were away from her body where she had to be perfect to drive the ball consistently. We got her on plane a little sooner.
"Freshman usually have to deal with a little bit of failure before they make those adjustments but she came in and wanted to learn right away. She's hungry and she bought in. She wants to be the best. You want those kinds of kids."
Gibson hopes that medical science will one day provide a solution for her knee.
"I just have to get through one day at time," she said. "It's been tough but it's doable."
Ford doesn't think about the injury. She thinks about what Gibson can become.
"Gibby could be an All-American," she said. "She's a great hitter and this year, she has shown some great growth mentally. I think if she puts her mind to it she can be a very special player.
"ASU has been full of special players. [Kaitlin] Cochran, [Katelyn] Boyd, [Alix] Johnson, [Mandy] Urfer, [Krista] Donnenwirth. The list goes on and on. At a place like ASU, it's hard to be great because there were so many greats before. We just focus on Gibby being Gibby. At the end of the day when it is all said and done, we can look back and see where she fits."
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter
Gibson had committed to the previous coaching staff at ASU. She didn't know what the new coach thought of her, or if she still wanted her to join the team after her senior season at Murrieta (California) Valley High School.
"It caught me off guard," Gibson said. "I didn't even meet her before she came to watch me play. She comes up and she's out in center field. I'm so nervous."
Gibson made a good first impression.
"She hit a home run right over my head," Ford said, laughing. "I was, like, 'got it!' I went to a couple of her games and the kid could rake."
Gibson had a greater concern, however: a chronic knee issue. During her sophomore season at Murrieta Valley, she started experiencing pain in her left knee.
"It had been bugging me for a few months but nothing crazy, so I go to the doctor and he can't find anything," Gibson said. "My physical therapist thought it was a meniscus tear. Nothing showed up on the MRI and then they went in with a scope.
"It was supposed to be a short procedure and I'm in there like an hour and 30 or 45 minutes. My parents were so worried. Basically, they found I have little to no cartilage left on my tibial plateau. It's pretty much bone on bone. The doctors were surprised. They said normally you tear your ACL or meniscus before this happens but I managed to do the impossible."
Gibson was on bed rest for about four months.
"The doctor told me to quit but I couldn't quit," she said. "I had just committed to ASU, so I rehabbed and about eight months later I played again. I had a second cleanup surgery in May (2017) and he said, 'I can't believe you are still playing. He suggested I should switch to academics.'"
Gibson didn't heed her doctor's advice and she is determined not to let the injury define her. Her hitting has done that instead.
Entering the No. 7 Sun Devils' weekend series against No. 3 Oregon at Farrington Stadium, the freshman was fifth in the Pac-12 with a .413 batting average, first in slugging percentage (.827), fifth in on-base percentage (.492), tied for seventh in RBIs (31), sixth in doubles (10), tied for second in home runs (11) and fifth in total bases (86).
"She's got a good frame, a good lever, a fast bat," Ford said. "When you throw inside to her that kid just turns on it right away. You can't teach that reaction.
"When she first got here in the fall she was hitting base hits, doubles and I was like, Gibby, you're going to be a home run hitter! We're going to put some weight on you, get the swing cleaned up.' She's still not in the box thinking she's going to hit home runs but she's going to drive the ball and hit it hard. She can do some damage."
Gibson's medical screening had already told Ford everything she needed to know about the knee in question before she ever played a game. Ford could relate. ASU's coach sustained four ACL tears in her career and she said assistant coach Katie Richardson suffers from a displaced knee.
"We're full of bad knees," she said, laughing. "We understand, so we just remind her that she's going to be OK. Each year might be different in how we manage it but it's not going to be something that hinders her."
To manage the knee, Gibson avoids on-ground training, running, or anything that involves weight bearing. She has modified her weight-room routine. A lot of her conditioning and strength training comes on an underwater treadmill, or in the pools at the new student-athlete facility adjacent to Sun Devil Stadium or the Weatherup Center.
"It's hard for me to get out here and take as many reps as everybody else but we have to find a routine that is good for me," Gibson said. "It's still a work in progress. It's about listening to my body. Can I play or practice today or do I need to take a little time off?
"It's stressful for sure, but I don't think it's the biggest thing. There are other problems out there. I don't want to make this a huge thing for me. I want to be able to show my ability on the field without getting sympathy."
Ford said when Gibson arrived in Tempe, she immediately went to work with Richardson and assistant Jeff Harger, watching video of Major League baseball hitters and other softball players in attempt to tweak her swing.
"She dove in a little bit so her stride was quick and hard and there's a lot of head movement that goes with that," Ford said. "We kind of smoothed her out, got a little better timing. She was pretty steep, too, so her approach to the ball was at an angle and her hands were away from her body where she had to be perfect to drive the ball consistently. We got her on plane a little sooner.
"Freshman usually have to deal with a little bit of failure before they make those adjustments but she came in and wanted to learn right away. She's hungry and she bought in. She wants to be the best. You want those kinds of kids."
Gibson hopes that medical science will one day provide a solution for her knee.
"I just have to get through one day at time," she said. "It's been tough but it's doable."
Ford doesn't think about the injury. She thinks about what Gibson can become.
"Gibby could be an All-American," she said. "She's a great hitter and this year, she has shown some great growth mentally. I think if she puts her mind to it she can be a very special player.
"ASU has been full of special players. [Kaitlin] Cochran, [Katelyn] Boyd, [Alix] Johnson, [Mandy] Urfer, [Krista] Donnenwirth. The list goes on and on. At a place like ASU, it's hard to be great because there were so many greats before. We just focus on Gibby being Gibby. At the end of the day when it is all said and done, we can look back and see where she fits."
Follow Craig Morgan on Twitter