Justin Phillips returns for his third season on the staff at Delta State, where he has served as the pitching coach since his arrival. Phillips is no stranger to the GSC, having pitched against DSU while playing at Harding University.
Philips has helped to establish the pitching reputation of Statesmen Baseball, by putting the program in the top-50 nationally in all major pitching categories. Under the guidance of Phillips, Brandon Hardin grew into a 10th round selection of the Chicago White Sox (2012). Hardin lowered his ERA to 1.03 while pitching out of the bullpen as a senior.
As a player at Harding, Phillips put together one of the best seasons in Harding history in 2007 to become the first All-American selection for the Bison. He earned GSC and South Central Region Pitcher of the Year, as he compiled a 10-3 record with a 1.21 ERA. Phillips threw 96.1, led the nation with 121 Strikeouts, and held opponents to a batting average of .178. He threw 11 complete games in 13 starts, with 5 shutouts.
Phillips continued his career signing a free agent contract with Kansas City Royals. In 2007, he received Pitcher of the Month for July and September within the Kansas City Royals organization. Phillips played with the Shreveport Sports, Rockford Riverhawks, Fargo-Moorehead Red Hawks, Guelph Royals in Ontario, Canada, Amarillo Dillas (where he won the ULB championship), Coastal Bend Thunder, and for the Rio Grande Valley White Wings before calling it a career after the 2010 season. Over the course of four minor league seasons, Phillips totaled a 7-14 record with a 5.56 ERA while pitching 168.1 innings. Phillips struck out 132 batters while averaging 7.1 strikeouts per 9-innings.
While a student at Harding, Phillips earned placement on the Dean's List while graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management in 2008. Phillips spent his first two seasons at DSU as a graduate student, graduating in 2013 with a Master of Business Administration focusing on Finance.
The Waco, Texas, native is married to the former Lindsey Price from Pampa, Texas, who is a licensed cosmetologist.
| Year | era | w-l | cg | sho | sv | ip | h | r | er | bb | so | 2b | 3b | hr | ab | b/avg | wp | hbp | bk | sfa | sha |
| 2012 | 3.20 | 49-15 | 12 | 5/2 | 11 | 550 | 492 | 253 | 193 | 165 | 499 | 78 | 7 | 20 | 2052 | 0.240 | 23 | 57 | 6 | 15 | 57 |
| 2013 | 2.90 | 44-11 | 11 | 5/2 | 10 | 494 | 410 | 191 | 151 | 175 | 395 | 52 | 3 | 14 | 1733 | 0.240 | 30 | 45 | 4 | 8 | 39 |
| 2014 | 2.81 | 38-13 | 10 | 9/5 | 7 | 423 | 395 | 174 | 132 | 152 | 316 | 46 | 5 | 16 | 1591 | 0.248 | 33 | 37 | 4 | 8 | 30 |
