On Monday, Kendall Phillips was named SUNYAC Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 and tossing 11.2 innings. She struck out five batters and allowed no runs through 4.0 innings to earn a victory over Houghton last week.
Phillips earned her second win versus Nazareth after pitching 6.0 innings and striking out a career-high 13 batters. In total, she had 20 strikeouts, allowing 11 earned runs on nine hits.
“It means a lot to me,” Phillips said. “I’ve been working really hard and I’m looking forward to keeping up making progress and just taking strides towards being my best self. It shows that my hard work is paying off and if I continue to progress and become the best version of myself then there are a lot of opportunities.”
Phillips currently ranks first in the SUNYAC in K/7 with 12.67 and total strikeouts with 70. She credits her success to the team and the amount of support she receives from them.
“All my teammates are very supportive,” Phillips said. “It’s such a nice culture that we have created here. Everyone is so kind and always cheering. That makes a huge difference as well as the coaching staff. They all believe in each and every one of us and that helps so much just building confidence and knowing that they support you.”
Phillips has highly enjoyed her first season as a Golden Eagle.
“It is such a great environment to come into,” Phillips said. “We’ve been working on a lot of cultural shifts and just making sure that we are being the best version of ourselves so that our team can be the team’s best version of themselves as well. I’ve loved it so far. The team culture is great.”
Phillips is from Bergen, N.Y., and attended Byron-Bergen High School where she was a six-year varsity softball player and a three-time Genesee Region All-Star. She loves to volunteer with youth softball when at home and strives to be a good role model.
“Being close allows me to go home at points and see people that I’ve helped, and I volunteer with youth softball there as well,” Phillips said. “Seeing those girls really motivates me to make sure that I’m being the best version of myself, pushing myself to be a good role model and be an inspiration for them.”
The Golden Eagles are currently 5-11 on the season and will look to improve their record when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Buffalo State Bengals for some doubleheader conference action on Sunday, April 7. Game one starts at 2 p.m. and game two starts at 4 p.m.
