SPORTS

Phillips returning as Chillicothe head softball coach

Derrick Webb
Reporter
  • Greg Phillips will be taking over the CHS’ softball program in 2016, after taking 2015 off.
  • Phillips coached the Cavaliers from 2009-2014 and is responsible for turning the program around.
  • The new/old head coach will take over a team that was 8-17 in 2015.

CHILLICOTHE – After spending a year away from the diamond, Greg Phillips is officially back at the helm of Chillicothe High School’s softball program.

“I’m really excited to be back,” Phillips said. “A year off absolutely solidified my love for the game and for working with our awesome student athletes. We have tremendous girls in our program. I feel right at home because it is home.”

Phillips — who held the position from 2009-2014 — will replace Bud Lytle, who was the skipper in the Cavaliers’ dugout during the 2015 season. Under Lytle, Chillicothe went 8-17 before falling to Waverly in a Division II sectional semifinal.

“To be honest, I don’t think we have a corner to turn,” Phillips said. “The pieces for success are certainly in place. I think Coach Lytle did a good job last year instilling fundamentals. This is not going to be a rebuilding process or a retooling process. Last year was what it was and I think this team expects to, just like every year, compete for a conference title and make a deep tourney run.”

This year, the team will be playing for not only their coach but one of their teachers as Phillips will be able to monitor his players’ performance in his Spanish classroom at CHS as well as on the field.

“Coach Lytle did a great job in his year of service at the head of our softball program,” Chillicothe High School Principal Jeff Fisher said. “But Coach Phillips is someone who took our program from one of the poorer programs in our history and statewide and turned it around. You have to respect what he did in his time as the coach. When he showed interest in taking over the program again, it was tough decision because of the great work that Coach Lytle put in last year. But to have someone on staff who’s around the students on a daily basis and on the playing field is a no-brainer.”

Phillips’ contract was approved by the school district mid-June. He will take over a program that possesses talent with the likes of Haylee Jo Large, Tori Bettendorf, Audrey Corzine and Kenzie Rhodes.

“We’re not short on talent,” Phillips said. “That is not a problem at Chillicothe High School. And we’ll see if the talent that we do have takes that next step forward. It’s a long season. It’s a grind. This team is built for the long run. I’d like to see us win early and often but if not, I don’t think we’re a team that’s psychologically fragile.”

The upbeat vibes Phillips will bring to the dugout will be reminiscent of years’ past. For his players, that’s nothing but good news.

“I think the passion and energy that Greg brings and the relationships that he forms with students and student athletes is a big factor in this decision,” Fisher said. “Those things are the reasons why we saw students becoming interested in our softball program again. Students genuinely enjoy being in Greg Phillips’ classroom. They want to play for him.”

Junior outfielder Kenzie Rhodes — who was a part of Phillips’ program in 2013 — echoed Fisher’s statement.

“(Coach Phillips) brings a lot of excitement to our dugout and that’s something we need,” Rhodes said. “He keeps us at a good pace throughout the game. He can still be a coach but he’s kind of like a friend towards us. He makes it to where we’re not intimidated by him and we’re not afraid to mess up. He’s there to actually teach us and move us forward in what we’re doing.”

“We expect to win,” Phillips said. “I hope my players are hungry. I hope they’ve got a little bit of a sour taste in their mouths from last season’s early tournament exit. We’re expecting to come out rolling. The talent is there. But maybe the thing we’ll be focusing on most is our performance in the classroom. The last two seasons that I was in this position, we had 34-35 wins. But the thing that I took the most pride in was that we were third in the entire state of Ohio in GPA. That’s what separates a program aside.”

dwebb@chillicothegazette.com

Twitter: @dw1509