Barbara Phillips was a lefthand pitcher and a right-hand batter.
At the first training session of the 1950 State team The Advertiser reported on some of the players in the following manner:
“Barbara Phillips, who misses by 17 days the title of youngest player, looks like being the star of the SA softball team to visit Sydney tor the interstate carnival in March.
At the team’s first practice last night on University Oval, she maintained the form she has shown all season— fast, accurate pitching and powerful hitting.
Last year, she played for SA in the Melbourne carnival and, benefiting by this experience, is now playing with even greater sureness and confidence.
Barbara is s fair, slim girl of 16, with an unassuming manner. She is fond of all sports and plays tennis, hockey and basketball equally well.”
Intriguingly, she is described by Softball Australia’s own records as “a superior lefthand pitcher and a powerful right-hand batter with uncanny baserunning skills.”
Barbara Phillips was selected to the Australian team in 1953, having been a reserve in 1952. She was a regular SA State player from 1949-1958, missing just the 1955 championships.
At the age of 21 Barbara was nominated for the SA Sports Woman of the Year.
She was clearly an all-rounder, including pitching. Local reports said: “Barbara Phillips (pitcher) proved … that she can not only throw but hit the ball to great effect. Her three home runs were all scored from lean, powerful strikes, and she should be a valuable asset to the state team.”
An innovative annual series was established in 1953 between the Rebels Clubs from Victoria and SA.
In 1957, Adelaide hosted the series. Such exposure to the superior Victorians helped lift the performances of the South Australian Rebels such that Barbara Phillips, Sheila Hamilton, Dot Hosking and Val Scarman all graduated to national team selection in the late 1950s.
