Prep Baseball Report

Phillips Thrilled To Find College Home At Dayton


Bruce Hefflinger
Michigan Senior Writer

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Phillips Thrilled To Find College Home At Dayton

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Mack Phillips RHP / OF / University Liggett, MI / 2025

GROSSE POINTE WOODS - A long recruiting process for Mack Phillips accelerated at the end when Dayton came into the picture.

“My head coach at Liggett reached out to them,” Phillips reflected. “They were sent video and after that texted me. The head coach wanted me to come throw at a camp. I went to the camp on a Sunday and they wanted me to come back on Wednesday and visit. They offered on the visit and I accepted that night.”

Until making the 31/2 hour trip south to Dayton, the University Liggett High School senior admitted his recruitment was not going as planned.

“I always wanted to play D-I baseball, but this was my first Division I offer,” the 17-year-old explained. “That was always the goal. This felt like the right fit.”

There was a previous offer from Madonna, and interest from schools like Grand Valley, Northwood, Walsh and Kalamazoo, but it was far from the recruitment hoped for by the 6-8 195-pound right-handed pitcher.

“There was nothing last year,” Phillips admitted. “There was really no traction until this summer. It didn’t seem realistic until then. I just wasn’t getting the interest. I had friends that are now playing in college committing on Aug. 1 last year. It just didn’t seem like it should feel for me. I was thinking I was being overlooked. I wasn’t happy where I was at and I needed to improve.”

Justin Robinson, pitching coach at Liggett and also coach with the Detroit Prospects, helped Phillips gain nearly seven miles an hour on his fastball.

“I just improved with everything,” Phillips noted. “My offspeed, location, my pitching as a whole just got better.

“I did a Prep Baseball showcase last summer and that helped having an account with Prep Baseball. One big thing I did was throwing consistently three or four times a week. Staying on course and having a routine definitely helped.”

Dayton liked the potential shown by the big right-hander, who credited Liggett head coach Jay Ricci and summer ball team owner Mike Rice with playing important roles in his recruitment.

“They like my projectability,” Phillips explained about Dayton. “They said ‘we can put a few pounds on you. We like where you’re at velo-wise and like what we see in you.’ They hope I can improve even more.”

There was a lot about the visit to Dayton that attracted Phillips.

“I loved the campus,” Phillips said. “The coaching staff was great, the field’s good, everything about it I liked.”

The fact that it brought an end to the recruiting process in the middle of senior year of high school only added to the excitement.

“I was definitely a little nervous, it was stressful,” Phillips admitted. “I’m thinking, how many spots were available out there? I was just hoping something came up. It took a lot of pressure off when everything started falling into place.”

Phillips is of the belief that he can make an impact in the baseball program at the Atlantic 10 Conference university.

“I’m a good arm that can throw a lot of innings,” Phillips said. “I’m hoping to be able to make the starting pitching rotation.”

That is just part of what Phillips is anticipating when it comes to being a student-athlete at Dayton.

“I’m looking forward to creating relationships, friendships that will last a lifetime,” concluded Phillips, a 3.0 student at Liggett considering a major in either kinesiology or business. “I’m looking forward to playing the game I love at a high level. The competition is going to be outstanding. I’m just excited about being on a college campus at a great school like Dayton.”

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