Courtesy / UT Athletics
OKLAHOMA CITY – For the third consecutive year, USA Softball has named a pair of Lady Vols to its Top 50 “Watch List” for the Collegiate National Player of the Year award. Junior McKenna Gibson appears on the watch list for the first time in 2024, while graduate Kiki Milloy made the cut for the third time in her career.
A top 10 finalist last season, Milloy led all of Division I in home runs with 25 – also setting a Tennessee single-season record. A native of Woodinville, Washington, she was a consensus first-team All-American in 2023 as she hit .406 with a 1.483 OPS, 86 runs scored, 56 RBIs, 12 doubles, 51 walks and 40 stolen bases.
Gibson had a breakout sophomore campaign a year ago that led to National Fastpitch Coaches Association second-team All-America honors. The Santa Clarita, California, native set career bests in average (.362), OPS (1.232), runs (36), hits (59), doubles (11), home runs (15), RBIs (60), slugging (.718), walks (39) and on-base percentage (.514).
The Top 25 Finalists for the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced on May 1. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 Finalists will be revealed May 15 with the Top 3 being released May 20. The 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be announced prior to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS).
With Gibson and Milloy’s selection, Lady Vols have appeared on the Top 50 Watch List for the Collegiate Player of the Year award 37 times since the award’s inception. Legendary Lady Vol alumna Monica Abbott took home the honor in 2007, and UT has had four players named Top 3 finalists for the award on five occasions—most recently Meghan Gregg in 2017.
UT will head to Texas as it begins its 2024 campaign with a season-opener at UT-Arlington on Thursday, Feb. 8, before playing a three-game series against Baylor in Waco.
