The Victoria Mariners Baseball Club is pleased to name former Junior Premier Assistant Coach Matt Phillips as head coach of the Victoria Bantam Premier Mariner Team! Along with Matt, assistant coaches Mike Turcotte and Austin Russell have been selected to join the newest coaching staff in the organization. These gentlemen bring with them many years of combined experience playing the game they love at PBL and collegiate levels, and coaching high performance baseball.

Matt Phillips, who is currently completing his final year at UVic, is pursuing a Bachelors of Education degree and will soon become a teacher. In addition, Phillips holds NCCP Level A and B coaching certifications. His knowledge of teaching, and motivating kids is critical to his being named head coach of the new Bantam program. In addition, for the past five years Matt has acquired a proven track record as assistant coach for the Junior Premier Mariners. Phillips, who helped coach the Junior Premier Mariners to their 2012 Provincial Championship, has worked with dozens of players helping them to develop skills in hitting, fielding, and game knowledge. Phillips demands 100% of his players, and is able to get it due to his incredible ability to teach and motivate, while still maintaining an element of fun.

As a former Victoria Mariner, Matt enjoyed four years with the M’s culminating in a 2010 BCPBL Championship. Keen to play at the collegiate level, Phillips moved to Kamloops, B.C. to play for the Thompson River University WolfPack. After six years as assistant coach for the Junior Premier Mariners, Matt is now up for his new challenge:  to develop young bantam players as they prepare to move on to Junior Premier and Premier levels.

Assistant Coach Mike Turcotte also brings with him a wealth of experience both playing and coaching baseball. A Victoria Mariner from 2007-2009, Turcotte went on to play collegiate baseball for Treasure Valley Community College (OR), and Minot State University (ND). During that time Mike was a high achiever both athletically and academically, earning three All-Academic Awards in the NWAC, NCAA Div 2, and NSIC conferences from 2011-2013, as well as the Golden Glove award for defensive excellence as an outfielder in NSIC/NCAA Div 2. After playing two years at TVCC, Turcotte moved on to Minot State University in North Dakota where he earned his degree in Economics. Upon his return to Victoria, Mike joined the Junior Premier Mariners’ coaching staff as a hitting and outfielding specialist.  This year, Turcotte looks forward to playing a key role as part of the Bantam coaching team.

Austin Russell, the Bantam M’s second assistant coach, is another highly accomplished former Victoria Mariner who has enjoyed success at the collegiate level. Following a four-year career with the M’s from 2007-2010 that included a 2010 BCPBL Provincial Championship, Russell made his rounds in the collegiate circuit playing for three schools in the U.S. in both the KJCCC and NAIA conferences. In addition to playing at Colby Community College (KS), Southern Polytechnic State University (GA), and McPherson College, Russell was selected to play on two summer college league teams from 2011-2014:  the Moose Jaw Miller Express and the Victoria HarbourCats. As a HarbourCat, Russell was named a 2013 West Coast League All-Star. This achievement added to an already impressive collegiate career list which included:  Career Hits Record at Colby CC (2010-2012), Team Captain – First Team All-Conference , First Team All Region, and Academic All-American (all 2012), as well as Conference Golden Glove and Team Captain, 2nd Team All-Conference (2014). In 2014, Russell graduated from McPherson College with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management. Austin’s illustrious PBL and collegiate careers, as well as his expertise in fielding and hitting are welcome assets to the Bantam Premier Mariners coaching staff.