Jon Phillips Takes The Helm Of Roadrunner Baseball in Lufkin

Angelina College has named Jon Phillips as the new head coach for the Roadrunner baseball team, a program with which Phillips has plenty of familiarity, having served as Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at Bossier Parish Community College for the past six seasons.

This past year, the Cavaliers won the Region XIV North Zone while achieving a national ranking during the season. Phillips has spent ample time on the grass at AC’s Poland Stadium and said he’s excited about the opportunity.

“Ever since I can remember, the game has been part of my life, and I want be that way for as long as it lasts,” Phillips said. “The game ends for everybody at some point, but from three years old all the way up to now, I’ll just keep doing it the best I can in whatever role I’m in.”

Phillips said he thought baseball as an everyday part of his life ended with his playing career (he played shortstop and third base for Texarkana College, Texas State University and Southern Arkansas University). He graduated with a business degree and thought that would be his path, but then life threw him a change-up in the form of a phone call.

“I got a phone call from Will Davis at Lamar University, and he asked if I wanted to coach with him there,” Phillips said. “It was cool that my first job was a Division I job, especially while getting to work with Will, who coached at Louisiana State University for 10 years. After being under his wing and learning so much that first year, I kind of sat back and thought, ‘Man, this is what I want to do.’”

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Phillips said these past few years have helped him gain valuable insight and experience in the ever-changing world of recruiting. He noted there are currently around 4,000 players in the transfer portal looking for a place to play collegiate baseball.

“It’s a never-ending cycle of recruiting,” Phillips added. “With the new 34-man rosters in the NCAA, the landscape is going to look considerably different. I also think it frees up a lot of the good high school players to pursue a role at a junior college where they’ll get more playing time rather than just being one of the names on a roster at a larger program.”