Hartselle hires South Alabama assistant as baseball coach

The Hartselle City Schools Board of Education approved the hiring of University of South Alabama pitching coach Brad Phillips as the new head baseball coach at a special meeting Tuesday night.

Phillips takes the job to replace the late William Booth, who died on May 15 – the day before his team started the Class 6A state championship finals series. The Tigers finished runner-up to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa for the title, falling 2-1 in the three-game series.

Hartselle athletic director and assistant baseball coach Jake Miles led the team, along with assistants John Hall, Keith Wright and Jacob Cole, in Booth’s absence this season. Booth, who compiled a 1,217-520 record in 36 years and led the team to nine state championships, was able to attend only two games as Hartselle finished the regular season ranked No. 1 and compiled a 33-11 record.

“We are excited to announce coach Phillips as the next head baseball coach at Hartselle High School, and we are excited about the future of our baseball program under his leadership,” Miles said in a news release. “It became pretty evident as our search began that the best fit for our future and school was coach Phillips.

“Coach William Booth built this program here at Hartselle and his legacy will live on for many years to come. Coach Booth instilled a tradition of hard work along with high expectations for our players, both on the field and in the classroom, and we feel coach Phillips can continue moving us in that same direction.

“The thing that makes Brad the perfect fit for us is not that he simply understands baseball, but after talking with him and others about him as a person, he understands the tradition of Hartselle baseball and the importance of growing our kids and our culture in the right way.”

Hartselle principal Brad Cooper echoed Miles on the importance of carrying on Hartselle’s strong tradition.

“I am excited about the future of Hartselle baseball under the direction of Brad Phillips,” he said in the release. “Coach Phillips is a great leader of men, and will continue to build on the unmatched tradition of our baseball program here in Hartselle. The standard for Hartselle baseball was certainly set high by coach Booth. I believe that coach Phillips understands that standard and will work tirelessly to ensure young men leave our baseball program as not only great baseball players, but also as great young men.”

Phillips is a native of Hazel Green who played college baseball at Gadsden State Community College and the University of Montevallo. He earned his degree in 2004 at Troy University, where he served as a volunteer assistant coach in 2003-04.

He coached Charles Henderson High School to the state playoffs four straight seasons, including a Class 5A state championship appearance in 2008. Phillips then coached at Niceville (Fla.) High, where he led the Eagles to two straight playoff appearances.

Phillips has coached at USA for six years and was also pitching coach at Troy University for nine seasons.

In 2019 at South Alabama, Phillips coached the Jaguars’ staff to a Sun Belt-best in fewest earned runs allowed (264) and USA was second in the league in saves (17), fewest runs allowed (304), fewest hits allowed (485).

Phillips joined the Troy University staff in 2010 and his 2013 Trojans pitchers ranked fifth nationally in strikeouts per nine innings with 8.6 and posted a staff earned run average of 3.82 – second-best in the Sun Belt. In 2016, Troy was third in the conference with a 3.79 ERA, earning him the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year award.

In 2018, Troy led the Sun Belt in ERA (3.90), runs allowed (280), earned runs allowed (241) and innings pitched. The Trojans were second in the league in strikeouts (524), saves (15), opposing batting average (.248) and wins (42).

Hartselle’s 2024 roster featured 10 seniors, three juniors, six sophomores and three freshmen. The Tigers started seven seniors in the final game of the state championship series.

Phillips is married to the former Peyton Marsh of Madison. The couple has one daughter, Piper Belle, and one son, Scout.