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Phillips has shown why he’s a DI prospect

Gabe Phillips had other collegiate baseball options, but Army felt like the perfect fit. The reasons went beyond baseball.

West Point has everything the Montoursville senior pitcher/shortstop likes. From discipline, to structure, to academics, Army is where Phillips feels like he can find a second home. It is the natural extension of the person he is becoming.

Phillips will play at Army next season, making him the second Montoursville player to commit to a Division I school in the last two years. He has wasted little time showing why he became a Division I prospect, earning a save and a win last week, while going 3 for 3 in a victory at Lewisburg as Montoursville (3-0) remained undefeated.

“I just liked Army because the mindset that the kids have going in,” Phillips said after throwing 1 1/3 innings of perfect relief against Lewisburg. “They have a lot of it figured out, both academically and just mentally in general. In the class room, on the baseball field, everything is competitive and that’s what I like.”

Phillips has been the consummate competitor at Montoursville the last four seasons and could be poised for his best season yet. A four-year starter, Phillips was off to his best start last year and was hitting above .400 when a hamstring injury threatened to end his season. Against the odds, Phillips came back for the postseason and was instrumental in helping the Warriors capture their first district championship since 2019 and reach the Class AAA state semifinals. He could barely run, but Phillips reached base five times in three state playoff games and threw four innings of strong relief in the quarterfinals, earning the win against Oley Valley.

Healthy again, Phillips has started his final scholastic campaign strong and excelled as a defender, pitcher and hitter. Phillips has played three infield positions during his high school career and has settled in at shortstop while providing production in the middle of Montoursville’s lineup. He also threw 2 1/3 innings of perfect relief in Montoursville’s first two games, striking out five of the seven batters he faced. Phillips shined in his first start against Central Columbia, allowing just two hits and striking out six in 5 1/3 innings as Montoursville won, 6-1 last Wednesday.

“He comes to practice every day and he busts his butt. He never says a word, never questions anything,” Montoursville coach Jeremy Eck said. “He goes about his business the right way. He’s definitely a great leader to have and we’re extremely happy with the way he’s performing so far.”

So is his future team. Army not only likes the production Phillips provides, but the way he plays and conducts himself. He is a no-nonsense, dedicated player who sets a tone.

It says a lot, too, that Phillips is far from satisfied. He knows he can grow on and off the field and that is what makes Army especially appealing.

“I can be sloppy from time to time on my own so that structure can always help,” Phillips said. “I just kind of like how they can transfer me into being a better person in general.”

Phillips’ father Jason played professionally with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians. Phillips does not emulate his father because he reached the Majors, but because of how he built his success. Hard work is something he embraces and that makes Army a natural fit.

Army, though, is the future. Phillips is only focused on the present. Montoursville came a long way last season and was a win from reaching the state final. Phillips is hoping he can help the Warriors finish last year’s journey come this June. He certainly will provide quality leadership along the way.

“It’s all about regimen. He’s been groomed that way from his dad to do this, this and this. This is the right way to do things and this is how you go about your business and that’s kind of how he carries himself,” Eck said. “If we could get all 28 guys on our roster to buy in and perform and work and go about their business the way he does, that would be great.”

STAYING AROUND: Williamsport feels like a team that was overlooked entering the season. While the Millionaires had won consecutive District 2-4 Class AAAAAA championships and reached last year’s state quarterfinals, they graduated 10 seniors, including seven starters and two Division I pitchers. Maybe this would be a year Williamsport takes a step back.

Guess again.

Yes it is early, but Williamsport has started strong, winning its first three games and outscoring the opposition, 30-4. The Millionaires have another tough game Monday against Central Mountain but take momentum into it after defeating Liberty, 5-1 last Saturday. Liberty entered the game 6-0 and had outscored its opponents, 71-15. Kyle Caringi threw a 3-hitter and allowed no earned runs while Brayton Rowello went 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

The pitching has been strong in all three games and the offense produced 23 hits in the first two victories. The Millionaires have received good production throughout the lineup have a nice blend of hungry older players who have been waiting for their time to shine, as well as talented first-time varsity contributors. Much work remains, but Williamsport is a motivated team and hopes to keep silencing the doubters.

“I think people were counting us out and I think (Saturday) we proved why they shouldn’t,” Rowello said. “That’s a great team over there and this is exactly why they shouldn’t count us out. We think we showed why we should still be considered a title contender.”

“I think that might be in the back of their minds thinking that people might be counting them out, saying Williamsport lost a bunch of guys so that means they won’t be as powerful this year,” Williamsport coach Kyle Schneider said. “They (the players) know the truth. They know what our program is about and they’re here to show it and they have so far.”

EXTRA BASES: Montgomery opened its season with 10-run wins against Benton and Bucktail. Brayden Strouse and Gage Yohn combined on a no-hitter against Benton before the offense produced 10 hits in an 18-8 victory over Bucktail as the Raiders rallied from a fourth-inning deficit … Wellsboro also started strong and won its opening two contests, scoring 28 runs. Kaeden Mann was 3 for 3 with two doubles in a 16-9 victory against Canton and Carson Davis threw three scoreless innings against Williamson … Muncy scored 19 runs in splitting two games with Sugar Valley and CMVT. Coty Steele threw a complete-game 3-hitter against Sugar Valley and is 3 for 4 with three RBIs. Grady Oden went 3 for 3 with three runs against CMVT … Keon Burkholder and Kyle Ferguson both had two hits and St. John Neumann made a nice comeback in its opener against CMVT before losing, 9-7.

DR. MASSE’S TOP 5

1. Montoursville (3-0): The Warriors have surrendered just five runs in their three games and the pitchers and defense have combined to hold opponents scoreless in 18 of 21 innings. Logan Ott threw 5 2/3 innings of 1-hit baseball against Lewisburg and has 26 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings thus far. He also showed his offensive prowess against Central, going 3 for 4 with a home run, double and two RBIs. Sophomore Josh Burger had two hits in that game and senior right fielder Dylan Bower has hit safely in each of the first three games.

2. Williamsport (3-0): Freshman Dallas Griess made an immediate impact on the football field and is doing it in another sport now. The speedy center fielder is 5 for 13 in his first three games, scoring four times and driving in four runs. He showed off his arm against Liberty, making a rocket, no-hop throw from fairly deep in center field and doubling a runner off first base. Sophomore Braeden Mazzante also has started strong and was 4 for 9 with two extra-base hits and seven RBIs in his first two starts.

3. Hughesville (5-0): The Spartans allowed more than three runs in a game for the first time last Wednesday at Southern Columbia, but the offense had its best game, producing 15 hits in a 16-6 win. Hughesville is off to its best start since 2013 and already has matched last year’s win total. Dylon Pequignot hit for the cycle in that victory, going 4 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs. He also continued his dominant pitching two days earlier, throwing four no-hit innings and striking out eight against Southern Columbia. Jaret Stroup also has been hitting and pitching well and went 3 for 4 with three RBIs against Warrior Run. Chase Bremigen had two hits in the win along with a career-high four RBIs. Early this season, Hughesville is the lone undefeated team left in the HAC-III.

4. South Williamsport (3-1): It was South, however, that gave Hughesville its toughest game, losing 1-0, 10 days ago and the Mounties have rattled off three straight wins since then. The Mounties highlighted their three-win week with good wins over Bloomsburg and Mount Carmel. Tripp Breen, Logan Burkett and Pete Sinibaldi all provided quality starts, surrendering just one earned run in the wins. Breen struck out 13 against Bloomsburg, Burkett three six innings of four-hit baseball against Mount Carmel and Sinibaldi struck out in Saturday’s 9-1 win at Warrior Run. Dom Harding helped spark and offense that produced 32 hits and has four hits in his last two games. South is receiving quality production throughout the roster and six players delivered multi-hit performances last week, including Cole Brewer who doubled twice against Mount Carmel.

5. Loyalsock (2-2): After a rough opening week, Loyalsock came back strong and put together outstanding performances against Central Columbia and Midd-West, outscoring those teams, 27-2. The offense produced 27 hits and Anthony Pastore, Chase Cavanaugh and Josh Rankey surrendered only four hits. Nick Barone is having a strong freshman season and went 3-3 with a home run, double and three RBIs against Midd-West. He has hit safely in all four games and drove in five runs last week. Connor Watkins and Dane Armson also helped fuel the offense, with Watkins going 5 for 8 with a home run and Armson 4-5 with a triple, double and four RBIs.

Players of the Week

Logan Burkett, South Williamsport and Zack Rowland, Wellsboro

In addition to pitching an outstanding game against Mount Carmel, Burkett also ignited the offense against Bloomsburg, going 4 for 5 with a double and four RBIs. He added another RBI double in the Mount Carmel win. Rowland could not have started much better, going 5 for 5 in Wellsboro’s two wins. The sophomore also drove in three runs and scored three times against Canton.

Game of the Week

Montgomery at Muncy

Wednesday’s contest is the Old Shoe Game baseball-style. This is an outstanding small-school rivalry and both programs have proud traditions, combining to win seven district championships since 2003. Montgomery is hoping to stay tied for first in the Mid-Penn while a young Muncy team will be trying to make a big statement.

Chris Masse may be reached by email at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.

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