Golden Falcons' Phillips signs NLI with Pitt CC

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on January 27, 2016 1:48 PM

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PIKEVILLE -- Every once in a while last season, Abbie Walton would call time, slip off her catcher's mask and trot toward the pitcher's circle.

It's part of her job that she easily embraced.

And it had a calming effect on Charles B. Aycock teammate Allie Phillips.

"I tell her before every game, if I get down on myself or don't throw the right pitch, come talk to me," Phillips said. "She'd tell me to put a smile on my face, go on to the next pitch (and) don't worry about anybody around you. It's just me and you."

Phillips always bounced back.

That mentality and eagerness to constantly improve on the mound drew the attention of Pitt Community College head softball coach Bill Bailey during a prospect camp this past January. He liked Phillips' work ethic, but knew he could tweak some fundamentals that should - over time - make her a better thrower inside the circle.

Like a true coach, Bailey nit-picked at every facet of Phillips' game. The soft-spoken left-hander didn't shy away from the coach's criticism and his attention to detail impressed her. The two communicated through emails after the camp and Phillips signed a national letter-of-intent to play for the Bulldogs in 2017.

"I like the way he coaches and the way he runs his team. He told me at camp that he's picky about spot location and the main thing that I needed to work on is hitting my spots," said Phillips, who plans to pursue an associate degree as a physical therapy assistant.

"It's going to help me become a better pitcher than I am in school ball and it's going to be tough on me as a freshman in college. It's a big job for me to do."

Phillips joins a program that expects to contend for the Region X championship and a playoff berth each season. Bailey has logged nearly 250 wins during his eight-year tenure with the Bulldogs and has taken the program to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I World Series.

PCC finished 22-11 a year ago.

Last spring, Phillips helped guide Aycock to 14 wins and an appearance in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 3-A eastern regional semifinals. The Golden Falcons came within a hit of advancing to the eastern regional finals for the second consecutive year and third time overall since 2012.

Phillips has been part of two conference championship teams (2013, 2014) and a total of 52 victories during her three-year varsity career. CBA emerged as the state runner-up to Sun Valley in 2014 when Phillips received News-Argus Pitcher-of-the-Year accolades.

She'd like nothing more than to duplicate that season with one change -- win the second state title in program history.

"I want to be better than I was last year, hit my spots like I need to, be a leader because this is my last year (and) be the best I can be whether I'm on the mound or in the dugout," Phillips said.

Bailey would expect nothing less.