Phil Butler named Cape Catfish head coach for 2024 season
Cape Girardeau, Missouri (March 4, 2024)—The Cape Catfish have announced the appointment of Phil Butler as head coach for the upcoming 2024 season. Butler, a distinguished baseball figure with a strong coaching background, brings a winning record and mentality to the team. The announcement comes after the departure of Scott Little, who led the team last season, finishing with a 39-18 record.
Butler, a native of Spring, Texas, is set to be the third head coach for the Catfish. Currently residing in Coleman, Texas, where he manages his family’s ranch, Butler expressed his excitement and described his coaching philosophy, “My short-term and long-term goals for the Cape Catfish are centered around devotion and effort. I hope to develop young men into men over anything else. Then we win both on and off the field.”
“We took our time, and we feel like we’ve found the right guy,” said Catfish GM Mark Hogan. “Phil dipped his toe in pro ball, but he’s been coaching since he got out of college, and I think that will really help him this summer.”
Butler continued, “I’m going to be working with guys who love the game and have a similarly rooted mindset. My expectation for the upcoming season is nothing short of a championship. I’ve won one everywhere I’ve ever been, and this seems like a winning environment.”
A member of Shawnee State University’s Athletics Hall of Fame, Butler played a crucial role in the program’s American Mideast Conference Championship season in 2010 and led the team to the Mid-South Conference Tournament Championship in 2011. His standout 2011 season included a .356 batting average, a .422 on-base percentage, and a .611 slugging percentage, earning him first-team NAIA All-American honors.
After a successful college career, Butler played three years of professional baseball for the Southern Illinois Miners, contributing to a championship-winning team. His coaching career includes managing the Southern Ohio Copperheads of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, where he compiled a 69-49 record, winning the league title in 2018 and earning Manager of the Year honors.
“I’m anxious to start connecting with the talented group Mark Hogan is assembling and see if we can keep this winning tradition going,” said Butler.
“There is a lot going on behind the scenes, and a lot to do. We are still signing players, and I think in the next week, you’ll see another announcement about an assistant being added to our staff,” said Catfish President Glenn Campbell.
The Cape Catfish open their 2024 season at the Jackson (Tennessee) Rockabillys on Wednesday, May 29. The home opener is scheduled for Thursday, May 30, against the Full Count Rhythm out of Hendersonville, Tennessee.
