Warren County High School graduate Phillip King is stepping back into the batter’s box when it comes to coaching.
King accepted the job as Tullahoma High School baseball coach on Tuesday, assuming leadership of a program rich in tradition.
“This is a job that doesn’t come open very much,” said King, a 1989 Warren County graduate. “They’ve had three head coaches since 1970 so it’s something I view as a great opportunity. When it was offered to me, I accepted.”
King said he interviewed for the job with longtime Tullahoma baseball coach Jerry Mathis, who has won two state championships. Mathis is now the Tullahoma athletic director.
“I means a lot that he is the guy who built this program and now he’s ready to hand me the keys,” said King. “I must have done something along the line to make a good impression.”
King got his start coaching here in Warren County in 1996. He served for two years as an assistant on the staff of coach Jimmy Walker, who is now WCHS executive principal.
In 2000, King made the jump to head coach and spent two years in Coffee County. From there, he served as head baseball coach at Franklin County High School for eight years until 2009.
With two young children, ages 7 and 4, King decided to take a break from coaching and obtain his master’s and Ed.S degrees. For the past three years he has served as assistant principal and athletic director at North Middle School in Franklin County.
King says he doesn’t want to speculate on what type of season to expect at Tullahoma because he’s not extremely familiar with the current players.
“The first year you want to put your system in place, establish discipline, and get the kids to buy into it,” said King. “After that first year is when a program gets going.”
Tullahoma has produced its share of talent. Justus Sheffield was named Gatorade Player of the Year when he was a Wildcat and is currently in the Cleveland Indian organization. His younger brother, Jordan, plays for Vanderbilt.
Bryan Morris, who played his early years in Warren County before graduating from Tullahoma High School, is a pitcher for the Miami Marlins.
King is no stranger to athletic success. He played on two district championship teams in Warren County and was an all-region performer his senior year. He went on to play college ball and started for three years at shortstop for Bethel. That included a 27-8 record his senior year at Bethel when the team won the district regular season and tournament championships.
King was named to the Bethel Athletic Hall of Fame and he was also recognized in 2009 as one of the Southern Standard’s top 40 athletes in 40 years of WCHS sports.