Cassie Phillips of Chilton County High School signed to play softball at Bevill State Community College in Sumiton during a ceremony in front of family and teammates on Feb. 8.

She is an infielder at heart, playing third base and shortstop for the Tigers.

“I like being close up to the action,” Phillips said. “Most balls come to the left side of the field.”

According to Phillips, what caught her attention about Bevill State was the opportunity to play for head coach Angel Brown, who is in the middle of restarting the softball program at the school after a hiatus since 2010.

Phillips will be part of the first class of players and is expected to compete for a starting spot right away.

“It’s a good situation for her,” Brown said. “She should be able to fit in real good.”

The first time that Brown saw Phillips in action, she was not there to watch her play.

However, it did not take long for Brown’s attention to be captured after back-to-back diving plays. Suddenly, Brown could not keep her eyes off of Phillips.

“She is a defensive master,” CCHS head coach Chad Lapp said. “She can cover more ground than I’ve seen most girls have the ability to do.”

According to Lapp, other attributes of Phillips’ game include arm strength, glove skills and speed.

“Cassie is a player who was always athletic, but her hard work and discipline has turned her into what she has become,” Lapp said.

Phillips has developed into a leader for CCHS and someone that Lapp will rely on during the season both on and off the field.

Her constant effort is something that can be contagious to the rest of team.

“She speaks out when she needs to, but leads a lot by how she plays on the field,” Lapp said. “She pushes the other girls to compete and play at a high level.”

Lapp is entering his first season as the head softball coach at CCHS after spending time as the coach at Clanton Middle School.

“It’s a good sign for the program and the girls in this community that someone is starting to get to this level,” Lapp said. “Our whole goal is to increase these girls’ ability so that they have the same opportunity that Cassie had.”