2028 Prospect Ainsley Phillips Excels On The Field And Mat

Power, agility, leverage. 

Ainsley Phillips has a lot of traits that lead to success on the softball field. Her experience on the mat is what helped develop them.

Phillips is a three-time state champion wrestler in West Virginia. She was the first female state champion for Jefferson High.

“My older brother wrestled and he was my role model when I was younger,” Phillips said. “I wanted to do what he was doing so I started wrestling 11 years ago. I love it.”

Being a multi-sport athlete has helped Phillips avoid burnout and provided good cross-training for injury prevention. Along with the physical improvements she’s made, wrestling has aided Phillips in softball in another way.

“Wrestling is one of the most mental sports. You have to be mentally strong to wrestle,” she said. “You can’t lean on anyone else but yourself out there. I’m alone. I have to win it. I have to do it all by myself to help my team. It teaches you how to work through problems and compete.”

Phillips, a 2028 recruit, plays travel softball for Tri-State Thunder Gold 16U. She got into the sport because of her grandparents, Dawn and Ron, who were the first people in her family to play. Her grandmother has a memorial at Wakefield Park in Virginia because of all the work she did in the local softball community. Phillips’ mom, Karen Phillips, played softball when she was younger and continues to be involved in the sport as an umpire.

“When I first joined a travel team, the coach said they were running short on umpires and my mom didn’t like that,” Phillips said. “There were always men umpiring these teenage girls, so she wanted to involve herself to build more women umpires.”

Although she’s spent some time in the outfield, Phillips mainly plays third base and catcher in high school and travel ball.

“I think third is just so exhilarating,” she said. “For me to get balls just hit at me from every direction and be able to dive for them, I just love the feeling of being able to make those plays for my team.”

Phillips goes beyond the typical level of weight room work for athletes her age. She enjoys powerlifting in her spare time. Her personal-best deadlift is 315 pounds and her personal-best squat is 295.

Phillips’ older sister, Hannah, recently signed with Army West Point as a cross country/track and field recruit. Phillips wants to become a college athlete, and intends to stick with softball instead of wrestling.

“It’s always been my dream. Just watching college softball, I’ve always imagined myself being on those fields, playing that sport,” she said. “As much as I enjoy wrestling, I haven’t really thought about doing anything else but softball. So I really hope I make it there.”

Phillips’ older brother is becoming a police officer, following in the footsteps of their great-grandfather, grandfather, dad and uncles. Although she doesn’t intend to become a cop, Phillips may work in an adjacent field.

“I have two careers I’ve been thinking about. I’m really into physical therapy. I really want to help other young athletes, but also I’m really into law,” she said. “Since my whole family’s been in the law enforcement or things like that, I’ve thought about becoming a lawyer.”

Regardless of what her future holds, Phillips has absorbed one valuable lesson that is beneficial in all sports and aspects of life.

“I try to be very coachable,” she said. “All the coaches I’ve had have told me I’m very coachable, and I listen. And it’s just easier for me to make my skills better because I listen so well.”