JMU’s dream comes true
Greenbrier Christian grad Phillips, a redshirt freshman, plays a major role in helping Dukes reach their first Women’s College World Series
For a team like UCLA, the defending national champion and oft-mentioned favorite, reaching the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City by rallying from a one-game deficit to underdog Virginia Tech had the feel of a team avoiding its worst nightmare.
For James Madison University, however, beating Missouri 7-2 Sunday to earn a spot on college softball’s biggest stage for the first time is like achieving an almost-unimaginable dream. Just ask redshirt freshman Emily Phillips, whose RBI singles proved important in the Dukes’ two victories in the best-of-three Super Regional.
“When we won on Sunday, it was kind of like ‘I’m in a dream,’ ” said Phillips, a Greenbrier Christian Academy graduate who played her first two seasons of high school softball at Western Branch. “Then, when I woke up on Monday, it was like, ‘No you’re not!’
“It felt amazing walking into the hotel (on Monday in Oklahoma City) and there are banners for the Women’s College World Series. It’s like, ‘Wow, I’m here!’ ”
The Dukes (39-2) will face No. 1 seed Oklahoma (50-2) at noon today in the opening game. The journey hasn’t always been easy for Phillips, who helped Greenbrier Christian win a state title in 2018, her junior season.
Phillips started all 19 games at catcher for JMU as a freshman a year ago before COVID-19 shortened the season. She started the first two games there in 2021, catching ace Odicci Alexander in the 5-1 win over Virginia in the season opener and driving in three runs the first two games.
But since missing two games immediately thereafter while in quarantine, she has rarely caught as freshman Lauren Bernett has
capably handled that position. Instead, she is in the lineup more often these days as a first baseman, designated player or pinch hitter.
It has been, Phillips admits, “a big adjustment,” and yet she has thrived. After batting just .167 a year ago, Phillips is hitting .284 with 21 RBIs.
“One of the things we’ve always told our players is whatever level you’re at, if you can hit, they’ll find a place for you,” Greenbrier Christian coach Dan Moore said. “Emily is genuinely a great kid and one of the hardest workers I’ve ever coached.”
Rather than focusing on her position change, Phillips channeled that work ethic into improving her hitting by spending more time on the three machines the Dukes have for that purpose.
“I believe in life you can either dwell on something that’s not there or you can keep on going
through adversity,” Phillips said. “I believe what I’ve learned this year is that whatever my role is going to be, I’m going to contribute to it.
“I’m not going to dwell on something (catching) that was there last year because this is a new year and it’s been amazing. I’ll keep working and, whatever Coach (Loren) LaPorte believes will win us games and get us the farthest, I’m going to go for it.”
In doing so, she’s contributing at the biggest time, on the biggest stage. On Friday, she singled in the Dukes’ first run, breaking a scoreless tie in the 2-1 victory that gave them a one-game lead over Missouri.
Following the loss to the host Tigers on Saturday, Phillips added another run-scoring hit in the decisive rally Sunday. Her shot to the wall in left field missed being a grand slam by a foot, sending Moore — already in trouble for waking wife Susan when Phillips had her big hit Friday night — into ecstasy.
“I said ‘Yes!’ when she hit that ball,” said Moore, who will make
the trip to Oklahoma City this week to watch Phillips in the series. “It’s an amazing feeling when you see someone you know who worked so hard come up so big in such a big moment.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to see one of our girls play in the Women’s College World Series, so I’m not going to miss the opportunity.”
Phillips, who is 3 for 8 with three RBIs in the Dukes’ past four NCAA tournament games, said, “It’s one of those moments you dream of when you’re a little kid, being on the big stage.”
She moves onto a bigger stage today, one she’s dreamed of being on for years.
“Looking back as a Little League (player), I would watch college softball on TV and I used to think ‘Oh, my gosh, those girls are so huge and they must have put in so much work,’ ” Phillips said. “Now here I am living out the dream.
“Just knowing my hard work paid off and, hopefully will keep paying off, is something I live for.”