Jordan Phillips celebrates hit against Miller Express (Colton McKee, coltonmckeephotography.com) 

TRUMAN BARTMAN ON JULY 18TH THEMAVERICKS.CA

It has been quite the year for Mavericks outfielder Jordan Phillips as he prepares to represent the Mavericks at the 2024 WCBL All-Star game in Okotoks.

From a young age, Phillips was immersed in baseball culture, and with both of his parents being collegiate ball players, Phillips says he was “basically assigned the role of being a baseball player.”.

Phillips has been a great addition to the Mavericks lineup this year, primarily batting third in the lineup. Phillips showed off his power out of the gate, turning on fastballs and turning heads simultaneously.

As the season progressed, Phillips began to spread the ball from coast to coast, driving in his teammates game after game. 

So much so that Phillips leads the WCBL in RBIs, a goal that he has had for himself throughout the summer and looks to continue to do so post-All-Star break as well.

“Towards the end of the season, I want to lock in for my at-bats, and especially with the playoffs right around the corner, I want to be ready. It’s easy to zone out once the end of the season rolls around, but my goal is to focus in as much as I can as we reach the end.”

For now, Phillips focuses his attention and excitement on the All-Star game, a game in which he has already participated once before. 

 This isn’t Jordan’s first rodeo in the WCBL, as he played for the Edmonton Prospects in 2022. He also hit in the home run derby, where he came up just short of winning the thing. 

Phillips is ready to redeem himself this time around, but he is more excited about the interactions he will get to have with other players from around the league.

“Last time I was at the All-Star game, it was lots of fun! It’s exciting to meet up with all the other guys from the league who are also having success and getting to see how they carry themselves in that environment.”.

He is fortunate to be joined by five of his teammates: Tyler Vanneste, Marshall Burke, and Nick Thibodeau. As well as two of his pitchers, Jacob Petersheim and Jack Novak. 

“I think that we are going to have a good time. We are ready to show the crowd in Okotoks what Medicine Hat baseball is all about!”

Although it may seem like Jordan Phillips has always been viewed as a superstar in the batter’s box, that is not the case whatsoever.

Phillips has had his fair share of hills to climb to become the All-Star he is today, one of those being limited opportunities as a hitter.

“I used to be a pitcher only in JUCO because my coach didn’t think I could hit well enough. So I was always a pitcher first, but after I left, it had been about 2 years since I’d been on the mound”. 

He got an opportunity in a game against his former team at home to come in and close out the game for the Mavericks.

“I just told Coach Mitchell I could pitch for us, and whatever he needs me to do, I’ll do my best to help the team win.”. 

With a sinker, changeup, and slider in his three-pitch arsenal, Phillips took a page out of Shohei Ohtani’s book and struck out three of the four batters he faced, closing the game for Medicine Hat.

Whether you feel he is better as a pitcher or hitter, it is undeniable that Jordan Phillips is indeed a superstar. His ability to make the game look so easy from afar is quite remarkable, and his spirit and hustle, which he embodies while playing, underline why he is indeed an All-Star.