Monmouth College Senior Profile: Ryan Phillips

Communication studies major from Belleville is 'MVP' of the Fighting Scots' SID office

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (09/19/2025) — Zay Brown. Kaylee Celus. Raul Guillermo III. Avery Parks. Those are just some of the Most Valuable Players from recent Fighting Scots seasons.

But the Monmouth College staff member in charge of covering all those great athletes says there's another MVP associated with Scots sports - Ryan Phillips '26 of Belleville, Illinois.

"Ryan has taken our streams and video capabilities to the next level, usually by problem-solving or creatively finding a way to make things work," said Nathan Baliva, Monmouth's sports information director. "He has created scorebugs and graphics for the stream and been able to cut highlights or interviews for social media, adding a new layer of content. He's also been able to teach the next wave of student workers how to set up streams and produce a quality product. In sports talk, Ryan is our MVP in the sports information department."

'A porcupine in a balloon factory'

As recently as the Scots' home football opener Sept. 13, Phillips had to call the college's new streaming provider for a quick, in-game fix. But his creativity isn't limited to technical solutions. He's also the play-by-play announcer who likened a Monmouth soccer player's skilled dribbling through an opponent's defense to "a porcupine in a balloon factory."

"I come up with the stupidest things sometimes," said Phillips, who also recalled getting amped up enough to ask his on-air partner, Jay Brown, to "Come join me!" in the chicken dance made popular by last year's Guillermo-led baseball team. Brown, who was doing his very first broadcast, politely declined.

Phillips has learned that not every broadcast gimmick lands, including the time he became fixated on focusing the camera on a referee during a basketball game.

"I was zooming in on the ref for some reason," he recalled. "There was a moment when a player slammed the ball down, but I missed it because I was on the ref. I didn't get the shot. Nathan went to look for that moment, but when he couldn't find it, he said, 'Ryan, what are you doing?' It's goofy, but that's one of the most important things that's happened to me. (I learned) it's not about you. I know what I want to see, but what do the people watching want to see?"

Phillips has assisted Baliva throughout his time at Monmouth, and he's also served as manager of the college's radio station, WPFS-FM, and as sports editor of its newspaper, The Courier. Earlier this year, the Illinois College Press Association recognized him with a third-place award for a sports game story and with honorable mention for sports page design. The communication studies major is minoring in journalism and sports information.

Finding a school and a vocation

As a student at Belleville East High School, Phillips imagined a career that might land him on the evening news - but not as a sports reporter.

"Originally, I wanted to be a meteorologist," said Phillips. "It just stemmed from loving the weather. I'd put myself in danger sometimes," including tracking a shelf cloud in nearby Freeburg in the summer of 2021 that did some damage in the region.

Phillips was still thinking meteorology when he checked the "physics" box as his potential major in college, even participating in a related project led by physics professor Chris Fasano in his first days on campus through the SOFIA program. Eventually, being "terrible at math" derailed that idea, but he still knew he'd picked the right college.

"I visited the University of Missouri, but it was too big," said Phillips. "I didn't like it. There were just a lot of people there, and I knew I wouldn't get the hands-on experience I wanted. When I visited Monmouth, I liked the campus and the beautiful buildings, but I also saw there were more opportunities here and a better chance to communicate with my professors."

He soon figured out that his passion for sports - which includes his favorite team, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues - and his knack for videography were a better match for him than storm chasing.

"Growing up, I played baseball and golf," said Phillips, who was the classic good-field, no-hit player on the diamond. But he had some golf skills, enough to film himself making trick shots.

"I would always film everything," he said. "My dad built a golf green, and I'd put my phone by the hole. I'd also film with a Go Pro. I'd be out there for hours and hours and hours. I made one trick shot chipping a ball into a glass cup. It was the greatest thing ever."

It certainly wasn't on the first take, but that's OK. Patience is one of the biggest lessons he's learned in his work with the SID office.

"I've just learned so much," said Phillips, who's also created Hard Knocks-style videos of intramural sports on campus. "It feels like I've been here eight years. I've learned that broadcasting can be a stressful thing, and that troubleshooting requires patience. You've got to have a level of patience and calmness to do the job."

Phillips is stockpiling valuable experience for his post-Monmouth career, which will begin in a few months when he graduates at the end of the fall semester. In his neck of the woods on the Illinois side of the St. Louis metro area, Phillips has interned with the Gateway Grizzlies baseball team and, through his RPhilly Productions, produced a video for the Brent Bergheger Golf Classic. He anticipates more such work as he plans to start his own LLC and build a career working for himself without a 9-to-5 routine.

"As for Ryan's future, he is great with technology and learning new things, and he loves to experiment," said Baliva. "He will be a great asset to a team or league if he wants to cover games or work on features. I could definitely see him directing and producing sports segments and interviews down the road, as well. It will be fun to watch his career progress."