Demopolis native Andy Phillips will continue his baseball life a little closer to home in the foreseeable future thanks an agreement he reached Wednesday. Just three days before Christmas Phillips agreed to become the hitting coach at his alma mater, the University of Alabama.

A former standout of the now dissolved Demopolis Academy, Phillips’ name has been synonymous with Alabama baseball since his days at the Capstone in the late 1990s.

The former infielder’s collegiate accomplishments saw him help the Tide to three College World Series appearances in four years.

Phillips spent parts of four seasons with the New York Yankees before splitting time with the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds in 2008. His time in the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox organizations produced no big league service time and Phillips spent the last two seasons in Japan.

A career .250 hitter over his 259 MLB games, the 33-year-old Phillips toyed with returning to The Show when he worked out for the Boston Red Sox in Tuscaloosa Tuesday, Dec. 21.

When then Tide pitching coach Kyle Bunn resigned his post the following day, Phillips’ options opened up. A staff shuffle left the hitting coach position opened and created an opportunity for head coach Mitch Gaspard to go after one of his close friends in Phillips.

The move allows Phillips, who now resides in Fosters, to remain close to his family and avoid the rigors of a heavy travel schedule while still enjoying the game of baseball.

For more information and insight into Phillips’ career change see next week’s editions of The Demopolis Times.