#Team26 Newcomer Q&A: M'Kay Gidley
2/9/2022 10:21:00 AM | Softball
Sophomore - Outfield - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Hillcrest High School/Shelton State
M'Kay Gidley Bio Page
How did you get your start in softball?
"I started with tee ball and I was a little too young to know what to do. Then I started with all the other sports like gymnastics, volleyball in middle school, and then I tried out for softball in middle school and I thought there was no way I was going to make it because I had never played softball in my life. So, I tried out and made it. I didn't start in sixth grade, but then I started in seventh grade year and my coach said I was really fast and that they should have me slapping. So then I started slapping and I found out that I was kind of good at this and that I needed to keep playing. I played volleyball up until junior year and then I quit. I did gymnastics until seventh grade year. Junior year of high school was when I started focusing on softball."
Was playing in college a goal for you?
"I knew I wanted to keep playing it because I'm not good at not having anything to do and I'm so used to having extracurriculars. I thought it would be cool even though I thought that I might not be able to go anywhere because I started so late. I didn't start playing fast pitch until seventh grade year. I thought I could try and that's when the Shelton State coach called."
How did you end up playing at Shelton State?
"I was really open to anything. I wasn't getting that many offers because of high school and I didn't start playing travel ball until eighth grade, so I was a late bloomer. I didn't get on a really good travel team until sophomore year, so by then it was kind of late for anything. The Shelton coach knew me because my mom teaches at Shelton. He'd see me at school ball tournaments. I went one day, and he texted me that we could meet in his office to discuss it."
As a Tuscaloosa native, did you follow Alabama Softball growing up?
"Growing up I watched it all the time because my dad works here and I've lived in Tuscaloosa for twenty years, so it was the local team. He would always say that the Alabama was playing, and I would tell him to turn it on, so we would watch on TV and come to the games a lot when I got tickets. I would come to their games all the time but didn't realize that it was an option or a possibility for me."
What eventually led to the decision to transfer and how did you arrive at Alabama?
"My family and I talked about transferring, we didn't know if I was going to just be a student or if I was going to try to walk on anywhere for softball. We started contacting the coaches here. Aly [Habetz] contacted me and she told me to keep them updated."
Was it hard to make a leap of faith like that and transfer in to such a big program?
"It was always my dream to do it, so I thought to myself that I might as well take the opportunity in front of me and not pass it up."
What was it like when you finally heard that you could be on the team?
"I was in my room on FaceTime with Coach Aly. I think her words exactly were, 'we'll have you if you want to come', and I told her absolutely that I was coming. We hung up a few minutes later and I was smiling ear to ear. My mom and dad asked how it went and when I told them I was transferring to Alabama they were excited. It was a happy moment."
How has the transition been on and off the field?
"In the classroom last year, I never got the college experience because Shelton was all online with no in-person classes. It was kind of like you could do your classes whenever you wanted because they were online and you didn't see people. I took a class here at UA during the summer because it was for my major, so I kind of knew what the classes were like. This was a month-long class so it was really fast paced, but it wasn't really that much harder. I was more just adjusting to the college experience instead of the actual academics because I wasn't used to that. On the field, there is a different level of intensity from everyone on the team. Everyone always wants to work and get better while striving to win. I had experienced the drive to win, but it's on a completely different level here."
Were you able to lean on the other newcomers to help?
"We all try to be super affirming to everyone, so if someone does something good then we let them know. Everyone is so friendly and it's easy because we all know we're going through the same things being student-athletes. We're all taking a lot of hours of harder classes than we're used to. When we're on the field, everyone is playing softball with a common goal, so it's easy to lean on other people because we all know what we're going through. We talk to each other all the time and we're each other's best friend."
What was it like putting on the Alabama uniform for the first time this fall?
"It really hit me when I put it on because I thought 'oh, I'm here now'. It never really hit me until I was actually here, it was crazy. It was definitely a mix of both being anxious and excited. It was late July when I decided I was going to transfer, so since I was so late coming in, I was so nervous. I felt that because everyone else came earlier that they were going to be better than me, but when I finally put it on and started practicing with everyone, I knew I could hang with them. So then I was more excited because I knew I could do it."
What are your individual and team goals for this season?
"Individually I'm really focusing on base running and being the best at it. Hopefully I'll be able to steal a lot of bases, but also mechanics and knowing when to go on the bases. I'm also working really hard on defense to try to perfect the outfield. I'm focusing on the little things. Our outfielders are really good, and we talk to each other about what we're doing wrong and what we need to fix. We're constantly helping each other."
What is your advice to young girls who wants to play college softball or even a current college player who may be thinking about transferring?
"Never stop talking to the coaches you want to play for. Some people get there and just think they'll let the coaches see them play. Within the NCAA rules, you need to keep contacting them and putting your name out there for them to see. Keep putting your name out there and continue to try hard and work hard to achieve your goals."
