Stacey Phillips is in her fourth season as head coach of the Indiana softball team and her fifth year overall at IU. In only her second season as head coach, Phillips led the Hoosiers to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 10 seasons in 2006, returning Indiana softball to national prominence. In 2007, Phillips led the Hoosiers to two tournament titles prior to the start of Big Ten play. Last year was also a banner year on defense for the Hoosiers, posting the best fielding percentage and committing the fewest errors in a single season in team history. Phillips led the Hoosiers to one of the program's most memorable seasons in 2006. Indiana earned a bid to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 1996. Indiana, the No. 6 seed, upset third-seeded Iowa in the opening round, propelling IU into the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years. Additionally, the 2006 squad combined to set 24 hitting and pitching records for the season. Under Phillips' guidance, the Hoosiers opened the 2006 campaign in thrilling fashion by claiming the Florida State Tournament with a perfect 6-0 record, marking the first tournament title since the 2004 season. Phillips played a key role in the development of second team All-Big Ten pitcher Mariangee Bogado and first team all-conference selection Lauren Hines. Bogado and Hines earned first team All-Mideast Region in 2006, becoming the first Hoosiers to earn the honor since the 2003 season. Phillips' teams are successful in the classroom as well. Last season, the softball program boasted 10 Academic All-Big Ten honorees, the most in program history and tying Penn State for the most in the conference. In her three seasons at the helm of the program, 25 Hoosiers have earned Academic All-Big Ten laurels. Also in 2007, Jennilee Huddleston was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Second team. There were also six players that earned NFCA Academic All-American honors at the end of 2007. Prior to being named interim head coach in 2005 and head coach in 2006, Phillips served as an assistant coach at Indiana in 2004. The St. Clair Shores, Mich., native played a role in the development of Hoosier standouts Tory Yamaguchi and Abby Stark, who both earned All-Big Ten recognition. Prior to her arrival in Bloomington, Phillips was the assistant softball coach at the University of Detroit-Mercy during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. At UDM, she primarily worked as the Titans' hitting coach. She also assisted with the infielders and outfielders, scouting and recruiting during her season in Detroit. Additionally, Phillips was critical in the development in Krista Peters, the 2002 Horizon League Player of the Year. Phillips brings a wealth of knowledge to Indiana, as she remains one of Michigan State's most decorated players in program history. A four-year letterwinner (1997-2000) for the Spartans, Phillips earned All-America honors at shortstop as a sophomore (1998). That season, she led MSU with a .347 batting average and 60 hits. Phillips earned second team All-Big Ten honors on three occasions (1997,1998, 1999) at both first base and shortstop, before being named a first team all-conference selection in 2000. Additionally, Phillips earned All-Great Lakes Region honors in 1998 as a first team pick and in 2000 as a second team honoree. While in East Lansing, Mich., Phillips helped the Spartans to NCAA Tournament appearances in 1997 and 1999, respectively. Phillips can be found in every major offensive category in the Michigan State record books. Currently, she holds the Spartan record for career RBIs with 141, home runs with 31 and extra-base hits with 81. Additionally, Phillips ranks sixth in batting average (.325), fifth in hits (215), third in doubles (40), sixth in triples (10) and fifth in runs scored (100). In 2000, Phillips set the MSU single-season record for the most home runs in a season with 13 knocks. At the conclusion of her collegiate career in 2000, she was the 23rd overall selection of the Tampa Bay Firestix in the Pro Softball Draft. In 2003, Phillips was the No. 1 overall pick of the San Antonio Armadillos of the National Pro Fastpitch League. Phillips received a bachelor's degree from Michigan State in audiology speech sciences and currently resides in Bloomington. |
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