Going Out With a Bang
Evan Miller saved his best for last during his entire senior baseball season at Sterling. A first baseman, Miller enjoyed a career year, leading Sterling to a championship season.
Miller, who hit .311 as a junior, batted .461 his senior season, with seven doubles, 23 RBI and 24 runs scored.
His season was so impressive that it sent Sterling head coach Tadd Kozeniewski to the record books.
“When looking at the records we have and the history of Sterling, we can’t find anybody who hit better than .461 for a season,” Kozeniewski said.
The high average led to plenty of W’s.
Sterling finished the year, 19-7. The Silver Knights captured the Colonial Conference Patriot Division title, the school’s first division championship since 2012. Sterling also earned a berth in the prestigious Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic and advanced to the quarterfinals of the South Jersey Group 2 tournament before ending the season with a 4-0 loss to West Deptford.
Miller was not only a first-team all-Colonial Conference Patriot Division selection, but he was picked to play in the prestigious Carpenter Cup for the Olympic-Colonial team.
The Carpenter Cup consists of 16 high school all-star teams from the tri-state area.
“I obviously had a breakout season, it wasn’t expected, but I am really happy because I put the work in, and I am going to keep at it and hopefully keep climbing,” he said.
While his batting average indicates he had a strong junior year, the senior season was simply taken to another level and there was no secret to his success.
“The main thing was the weight room, I got stronger in my legs and learned how to use them,” he said. “I just got a better approach at the plate, so I was able to hit balls harder.”
Kozeniewski enjoyed Miller’s non-nonsense attitude.
“He always came ready to work, didn’t have a lot to say and was just always ready to go,” Kozeniewski said.
Despite the individual accolades, Miller says nothing will top winning the division championship.
“It was amazing,” he said. “Growing up with all my friends, it was probably the most fun I’ve had playing baseball.”
He also said that participating in the Carpenter Cup, where the first two rounds were played at Philadelphia’s FDR Park, down the street from Citizens Bank Park, was a thrill.
The Olympic-Colonial won their opening game, 9-2 over Lehigh Valley, before being eliminated by eventual champion Burlington County, 13-8 in the quarterfinal.
In the two games, Miller went 0-for-2 with a walk, but he scored a run and had two RBI.
“It was really fun playing with all the top players in the state,” he said about performing in the Carpenter Cup. “Everybody is good here one through nine.”
As a way to prepare for the next level, this summer he is playing travel ball for USA Prime Stars Northeast.
Miller will continue his education and baseball career at Eastern University.
Not only did Miller make a leap each year, but so did Sterling. He saw some varsity time during his freshman year, when Sterling posted a 3-18 record.
From there, each season Miller and Sterling each showed continual improvement until this past year, when Miller and his friends enjoyed a season that produced life-long memories.
Photo: Evan Miller / Grace Miller
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Author: Marc Narducci
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