The hulking frame begs football player, and in actuality, Nick Miller is one heck of a defensive end.
One look at his stat line from the Class 4A state baseball tournament, though, and it’s apparent why the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Mountain View (Loveland) senior is staying on the diamond when his college career commences.
In the first three games of the double-elimination tournament – all wins for the Mountain Lions, who are the clear-cut favorite to be hoisting the championship trophy Saturday – Miller has gone 12 for 15 with three home runs and 12 RBI. The production has been timely, too.
In the tournament opener Friday, the Mountain Lions (23-1) faced a Silver Creek (Longmont) squad that was responsible for their only loss of the season. Silver Creek led this one 4-3 in the bottom of the seventh, despite a Miller homer that hit the Coors Field replica scoreboard at All Star Park (the scoreboard is in left field and Miller is a left-handed hitter). This time, Miller hit Eric Vandyke's offering over the scoreboard, another opposite-field shot that gave the Mountain Lions a 6-4 walk-off win.
“He’s always been there for us, for four years now,” said Mountain View ace Derek Neeper, who alternates starts on the mound with Miller. “He just showed that again by rising up to the occasion.”
Moments after the Silver Creek victory, Miller pitched 6 2/3 innings and went 4 for 5 in an 11-3 victory against Greeley West. On Saturday, Miller hit a 450-foot homer and drove in six in a 26-0 pasting of Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch).
Miller was modest after Friday’s pair of games, saying, “I just had a day at the plate I guess,” while bemoaning his inability to get the final out against Greeley West. But his eyes brightened when reminded of the winner against Silver Creek.
“It was kind of a, 'We-showed-you-who’s-boss' type of thing,“ Miller said. “A thing like, 'You might have beat us once, but this is our real team and this is the way it’s going to be.' ”
After compiling a .574 average with three home runs in the regular season, Miller has bashed five home runs in five postseason games (including two district games). His pitching record stands at 9-0.
Miller is known as a quote machine for reporters, always expanding well on virtually any subject while mixing in a dash of a humor. In a recent story about Neeper, who was born with only one kidney and forgoes football to avoid any life-threatening injuries, Miller said he tried to coax Neeper to play “because he’s from Texas, so he has to have football in blood.”
Miller gets serious when discussing the possibilities for this weekend. Last season, the Mountain Lions had a 7-2 lead against Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) in the final game of the tournament and ended up enduring a crushing 9-8 defeat. Miller pitched 6 1/3 innings in the contest, but gave way after allowing seven runs (although he struck out 12). The way Miller Mountain View is rolling now, a repeat of the collapse seems unlikely.
“I just think with this group of guys we have a great shot,” Miller said. “It makes it very special.”
