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Like so many teams, the Glendale Falcons rely on their seniors.
“We’re trying to play our best every time we go on the field and that really starts with our upperclassmen girls,” said Glendale Head Coach Jeff Mason.
One of those upperclassmen happens to be the Falcons best player, senior Kyndall Phillips.
“[She’s] willing to help any girls, whether it be a freshman or a senior if they need some advice on her experience,” Mason said.
It’s safe to say her experience is good.
Kyndall hit .530 last season as the team leader in runs batted in and runs scored.
She did that all while playing great defense at shortstop.
“It’s a good feeling to think I’m the top now,” Phillips said. “There’s no one else above me, I have to set a good example.”
However, before she could reach the top, Kyndall needed to start at the bottom.
Glendale’s win column during her freshman year was empty.
Then by her sophomore year, the Falcons earned two wins.
Then her junior year, last season, they won 10.
It’s a transition Kyndall has seen start to finish as a starter for the Falcons.
“Now the losses hurt a little more,” Phillips said. “Because you’re winning and you take it more like ‘okay we’re better than this’.”
That pain comes from raised expectations thanks to last year’s 10 wins and district playoff victory.
“Me and our other two seniors, we have this mindset that like we’re going to win games, and we’re serious about it,” Phillips said.
Kyndall thinks that mindset will change the program for years to come.
“In ten years from now, this team will be stacked,” Phillips said.
That expectation is exactly what Mason has been working toward since taking over the program four years ago.
“Now it’s when we step on the field, we’re not just expecting to be out there, we’re expecting to be out there and compete to win a game,” Mason said.
Just ask Kyndall, who says last year’s district playoff win won’t be the last.
“I’m going to have a district playoff win, yes I am. Maybe two, but we’ll see,” Phillips said.
The Falcons have won two of their first three games.
