Nathan “Tater” Phillips pitched three no-hitters during his sophomore season at Lebanon High School and he wasted no time making a major decision about his future on the mound.
The junior right-hander announced via his social media channels on Sept. 4 that he has verbally committed to play for the baseball program at NCAA Division I Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Mount St. Mary’s competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and is coached by Frank Leoni, who previously helmed the teams at Rhode Island, William & Mary and Marymount University (Arlington, Virginia) and has won more than 600 games.
The baseball program at Mount St. Mary’s dates its beginnings to 1893 and the most recent MLB draft pick from the school was pitcher Trey McGough, who was taken in the 24th round by Pittsburgh in 2019 and spent part of his first pro season with the Appalachian League’s Bristol Pirates. McGough is currently in the Baltimore Orioles farm system.
“It was Aug. 1, the first day where a coach could call you and around 10:30 that morning Coach Leoni called and that was the first I had heard of the Mount,” Phillips said. “I received interest from a couple of other schools, but the Mount was the first school to offer. … Coach Leoni has created an environment that I want to be a part of. The area is smaller, so it’s more focused on baseball, which is something I like.”
Phillips was certainly focused last season in going 10-1 with two saves and a 1.22 ERA, walking 17 and notching 100 strikeouts over the course of 63 innings. He also hit .299 with two home runs and 34 RBIs.
He played his best when it mattered the most as well