LAURINBURG — Zac Phillips, a senior catcher on Scotland’s baseball team, signed his letter of intent Wednesday to play baseball at Pfeiffer University.
Located in Misenheimer, Pfeiffer is an NCAA Division III program that competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Phillips said having a chance to contribute early in his collegiate career led him to choose Pfeiffer.
“I didn’t want to go to a big school and not start,” Phillips said. “I had an opportunity to start as a freshman. That’s what led me to play there.”
As a senior, Phillips batted .259 with nine RBI and five runs scored. In four years as a varsity player, Phillips tallied a combined 28 RBI and 12 doubles. His career on-base percentage is .371.
“It’s great to see him have his best season as a senior,” head coach Chad Hill said.
Phillips said the emotions he felt were “indescribable” after Scotland won the Sandhills Athletic Conference tournament this season.
“I’m glad it happened while I was here,” Phillips said.
Hill said Phillips deserves a lot of credit for Scotland’s success.
“He has to be able to catch and interact with all types of pitchers,” Hill said. “He’s done a good job of learning how to do that in his four years.”
Pfeiffer recently improved its record to 30-8 by defeating Grove City in the ECAC championship game. The Falcons visited Laurinburg once this season, defeating St. Andrews 3-2 in extra innings.
Hill is confident that Phillips will be able to adjust to the academic and physical rigors of college baseball.
“I think his work ethic is very, very good,” Hill said. “He loves the weight room and he loves to practice. Those are two things that can be a surprise to some college athletes. He does really well in the classroom. His athletic skills and his baseball knowledge will help him in between the white lines.”
Phillips plans on enrolling in Pfeiffer’s nursing program.
