Wednesday, May 23, 2007 11:38 PM CDT
Miller follows in father's EIU footsteps
BY BRIAN NIELSEN Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
CHARLESTON – Sure, Matt Miller knew he had pressures from day one when his father Mike Miller came here two years ago as Eastern Illinois’ basketball coach.
But those were not from his father.
“My dad always wanted me to do what I wanted to do,” Matt said. “He’s always going to be behind me.”
So Matt Miller, good enough to be an All-Apollo Conference and Journal Gazette/Times-Courier All-Area basketball player, has chosen his dad’s school but his own sport.
The 6-foot-6 pitching ace for Charleston’s baseball team finalized his letter-of-intent Wednesday to play baseball at Eastern.
“I decided that I was going to play baseball or at least try to play baseball as soon as baseball started this year and I haven’t second guessed myself a lot,” Matt Miller said.
EIU baseball coach Jim Schmitz is not likely signing this prospect just as a favor to the basketball coach.
Matt Miller, after all, has a 9-2 record with 1.41 ERA in 69 1/3 innings with 95 strikeouts and 27 walks this season heading into Charleston’s game today at the IHSA Class AA Taylorville Regional.
“We have seen Matt pitch on several occasions the last two years and have really been impressed with the progress he has made,” Schmitz said. “He has a tremendous upside with his size and long arms and has touched 86 mph on the radar gun.”
“It is going to be exciting to see the progress he will make once he concentrates on baseball the entire year. The past few years he has played basketball primarily and rounded out the season with baseball. He is a great athlete who has a chance to develop into a pitching prospect. Once he gets stronger with our weight program and learns how to pitch, he should be fun to watch.”
While Matt Miller spent much of the past two summers playing AAU basketball, his father pointed out that his son is no beginner in baseball either.
“He probably showed college potential in baseball before he did in basketball,” Mike Miller said. “He played a lot of baseball too when we were in Texas and Kansas. It probably was the last two or three years he saw he could play college baseball. It was just what he wanted. You have to have a passion for what you are going to do.”
And no, Mike Miller gives no indication he will ask Matt Miller to join his basketball team.
“His focus is going to be on baseball,” the EIU basketball coach said. “He hasn’t really had the chance to concentrate on baseball. He’s made this decision on his own.”
After all, even though he was a basketball coach’s son, Matt Miller claims not to have played favorites when it came to a sport.
“It’s just been whatever has been in season,” he said. “I never really had a favorite I enjoyed them both.
“I decided that I was going to play baseball or at least try to play baseball as soon as baseball started this year and I haven’t second guessed myself a lot.”
Charleston coaches also said they let the senior athlete make his own choice.
“We didn’t really sit and talk about that,” Trojans basketball coach Trevor Doughty said. “I just told him if there was anyone he wanted me to call I would. He’s had a great baseball season and a good basketball season. It was just a matter of what he wanted to do. It’s a good opportunity for him and I was him the best.”
Charleston baseball coach Derrick Landrus said: “I just tried to contact as many schools as I could. As far as being 6-5 and throwing what he does, his future is on the mound. I was personally glad he made this choice. He’s not only done a good job pitching but he’s a good athlete. He’s played good shortstop. If he gets in the weight room and has a pitching coach working with him, he’s got good potential down the road.”
The choice of school was not that complicated either although he looked at a few other colleges.
“None showed as much interest as Eastern did,” Matt Miller said. “I liked coach Schmitz.”
This summer instead of concentrating on AAU basketball, Miller plans to play for Mattoon’s Post 88 American Legion baseball team whose strong schedule includes playing host to the legion state tournament.
Schmitz’s instructions have begun.
“He told me a couple of things to work on,” Miller said. “I haven’t played basketball in a while. I don’t remember the last time I played basketball, maybe the regional.”
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
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He Hate Me wrote on May 24, 2007 12:39 AM: