Coaching Staff

Stefanie Phillips | Assistant Coach

When the 2024 softball season begins, Stefanie Phillips will start her 11th year as a part of the Tarleton Softball program and her eighth year as the top assistant coach under head coach Mark Cumpian.

After spending her first three seasons as a second assistant under Julie Mata and Cumpian, she has coached pitchers, catchers, and slappers in all 11 years of her Tarleton tenure and will begin her eighth season of also working with outfielders and serving as the recruiting coordinator.

In Tarleton's third year in Division I, the Texans notched their second-straight 30-win season and earned the fifth seed in the WAC Tournament for the first team in program history. Tarleton then was invited to the National Invitational Softball Championships for the second consecutive season and knocked off UC Davis, 10-4. She helped guide Katy Schaefer and Kelci Hill to earning second team All-WAC honors in 2023.

In just their second year as a member of NCAA Division I and the Western Athletic Conference, Phillips was the top assistant for the Texans in one of the nation’s best turnarounds – going from 17 wins in 2021 to 30 in 2022. Tarleton recorded its first 30-win campaign at the Division I level and qualified for the National Invitational Softball Championships (NISC). It marked the first national postseason berth by any Tarleton Athletics program in the Division I era and the Texans won the second game of that tournament – 6-4 over UC San Diego – for the first postseason win in school history.

Phillips was a key part of Tarleton’s transition to NCAA Division I in the spring of 2021 as the Texans won 17 games in their debut season with the Western Athletic Conference. Tarleton’s move to Division I was the penultimate chapter in a wild two-year span for Tarleton softball. After making the decision to leave NCAA Division II and the Lone Star Conference in November 2019, the 2020 softball season was on the verge of becoming Tarleton’s best yet. The Texans boasted victories over the No. 1-ranked team in the nation and defending national champion Augustana and a doubleheader sweep of No. 2-ranked UT Tyler. Tarleton was leading the Lone Star Conference standings with a 6-0 league mark when the season was abruptly cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Four months later, Tarleton made the move to the WAC official on July 1, 2020.

Before making the jump, Phillips was an integral part in making Tarleton one of the elite programs in all of NCAA Division II.

Beginning with the 2018 season, Tarleton boasted the third lowest ERA in the LSC and the second-most strikeouts. Sophomore Jordan Withrow was named the LSC Pitcher of the Year and a Fastpitch News DII All-American after stepping into the ace role and throwing over 220 innings and striking out – a school-record – 252 hitters. Phillips had two pitchers named all-conference – Withrow and Megan Rosewell – during Tarleton’s program-record 50-win season. Tarleton returned to the NCAA playoffs and advanced to the regional finals for the second time in program history. Tarleton followed up with a 2019 campaign that saw Tarleton go 40-15, marking the second straight season of at least 40 wins. The 90 wins over the last two seasons were the most in the daunting Lone Star Conference. With Phillips coaching the pitchers, junior Jordan Withrow broke Tarleton’s all-time career strikeouts record with 570 and was named an all-American for the second straight season. Tarleton advanced to the NCAA regional tournament for the third straight year with Phillips on staff.

In her first season as the top assistant, Tarleton qualified for the NCAA postseason for the fifth time in school history with 35 wins. Phillips’ pitching staff boasted the third-best ERA in the Lone Star Conference with 11 shutouts, including two shutouts of then-No. 1 Angelo State to take the regular season series.

During her early seasons on staff, Phillips was a part of the run to the NCAA Super Regionals for the first time in school history. Tarleton went 33-22 and entered the regional tournament as the No. 8 seed before defeating West Texas A&M and Cameron to claim the South Central Region 1 Tournament Championship. She coached freshman Haley Freyman to an all-conference season as a freshman and the second-most wins in a single season (21). Phillips has helped Freyman and catcher Nyka Wood earn all-conference accolades in three straight seasons.

Phillips, under her surname Watson, came to Tarleton after spending the 2013 as a coach at Sterling High School in Baytown. Prior to her time at SHS, Phillips was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma. While at OU, the Sooners won the Big XII Conference championships and were the runners-up at the College World Series. She joined the Sooner coaching staff after a four-year playing career at East Central University as a utility player.

She graduated in May 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in science with minors in education and math. She received her master’s degree in 2014 in sports administration. Phillips was married in June 2015 to her husband, Josh. The couple resides in Granbury with their daughter, Hattie, and son, Huck.

When the 2024 softball season begins, Alyx Cordell will begin her third season as an assistant coach for the Tarleton Softball team.

In both of Cordell's first two seasons at Tarleton, the Texans compiled 30-win seasons and earned a bid to the National Invitational Softball Championships. In 2023, the squad pulled off a victory in the second game against UC Davis, 10-4. She helped guide the Texans to their first WAC Tournament Appearance in the school's Division I era.

In Cordell’s debut season, Tarleton recorded its first 30-win campaign at the Division I level and qualified for the National Invitational Softball Championships (NISC). It marked the first national postseason berth by any Tarleton Athletics program in the Division I era and the Texans won second game of that tournament – 6-4 over UC San Diego – for the first postseason win in school history.

Cordell came to Tarleton after a five-year playing career at longtime rival West Texas A&M. During her career with the Lady Buffs, Cordell was a two-time all-LSC selection, academic all-LSC, CoSIDA academic all-district and a National Strength and Conditioning All-American. She ended her career by claiming the 2021 NCAA Division II National Championship and a career batting average of .342 in 223 games.

As a prep star at Canyon High School, Cordell played middle infield. As a senior in 2016, Cordell hit .517 with 15 doubles and seven homeruns to drive in 40 RBI for a slugging percentage of .833 while stealing 10 bases and setting a new CHS record for HBP’s with 10 for an on-base percentage of .605. She was named the District 3-5A Most Valuable Player while picking up TGCA All-State accolades as the Lady Eagles went 30-8 with an appearance in the Regional Finals while claiming their second straight District 3-5A Title. As a junior, Cordell was named the Amarillo Globe News Softball Athlete of the Year while leading the Lady Eagles to the Regional Semifinals.

She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 2019 and magna cum laude with a master’s degree in sports and exercise studies from West Texas A&M in 2021.