May 10, 2010

By Brian Davis, Assistant Media Relations Director

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - For her outstanding efforts during this past weekend's big series victory over No. 11 LSU, Tennessee's Lauren Gibson has been chosen as the Southeastern Conference Softball Freshman of the Week according to a Monday release from the league office in Birmingham, Ala.

The 5-6 second baseman earned her first career weekly league accolade by leading the Lady Vol squad against the Bayou Bengals with a .667 average (4-for-6) to go along with a pair of doubles and an RBI. During the second game of the series against the Tigers, the Pasadena, Md., native tied her career-high for hits in a 3-for-3 effort at the plate and blasted two doubles off LSU hurler Rachele Fico to establish a personal single-game career standard. She followed up that performance in the finale by singling through the left side of the infield and later scoring during UT's four-run third inning on the way to a commanding 6-1 triumph.

Gibson is currently hitting .306 overall (33-of-108) with 19 runs scored, six doubles, two triples, a UT freshman-best five home runs and 31 RBIs.

No. 18 Tennessee (41-12, 17-8 SEC) opens the annual SEC Tournament as the fifth-seed on Thursday, May 13th, at 5 p.m. ET in a match-up against No. 10 and fourth-seeded Georgia (42-10, 18-8 SEC). Every contest during the league's annual showcase event is slated to be televised via ESPNU.