Douglas grad Miller named NCAA All-American

Douglas High graduate Bryan Miller got a call Thursday morning that he never expected to get.

It was a reporter from the Dothan Eagle in Alabama, the paper that covers Troy University where Miller has been starting in the outfield for the Trojan baseball team for the past two seasons.

The news? Miller had been named a first-team Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I All-American.

"It was a real shock to me," the 2004 Douglas grad said from his family's Scottsdale, Ariz., home Thursday. "It was an awesome thing to hear, but I had no idea it was coming."

The 17-man first team, chosen by performances up to regional playoffs, was picked by the staff of Collegiate Baseball newspaper. Miller was only three outfielders chosen to the first team.

After his stellar season, though, Miller was perhaps the only one surprised by the news.

He led the country in doubles (32) and base hits (102) and turned things up a notch through the end of the regular season as he was became the first Sun Belt Conference player to ever earn player of the week honors three weeks in a row.

"We sure thought a lot of him when he was here," said Douglas baseball coach John Glover. "He was a first-team all-league guy in high school, and now Louisville Slugger, who puts out one of the most prestigious lists in college baseball, says he's one of the 17 best players in the country. We're really excited for him. It's a Douglas baseball guy out there making us proud."

"I don't know what changed late in the year really, but I just started going to the plate with a plan every time up," Miller said. "The coaches were working with me non-stop.

This wouldn't have happened without them."

He finished with a .402 batting average with 12 home runs, 64 RBIs and two triples.

It was a far cry from where Miller was four years ago when he was hoping just to catch on with an area junior college after not receiving any scholarship offers.

"I just kind of got lucky," Miller said. "On high school graduation day, I got a call from (Mesa College, Ariz.) coach (Tony) Cirelli called and asked if I wanted to do a workout for him. I went down there and made the team."

Miller won a starting spot and went on to become a two-time NJCAA All-American, which brought the Division I schools calling.

"I don't know why more schools didn't come give him a look out of high school," Glover said. "He's not a huge kid (5-11, 185 pounds), I don't know if that's what they were looking for, but he has a great arm, he's fast and he's solid at the plate. Mesa gave him a shot and he blossomed there."

Troy signed him after his sophomore season at Mesa.

"I just got luck again I guess," Miller said.

His struggled through his junior year with Troy, trying to make the switch to aluminum bats after two seasons working with wood bats.

"At first, that was kind of a big deal for me, aside from adjusting to Division I pitching," he said. "I didn't have that great of a year, but I started getting used to the aluminum bats over the summer."

Even with his success this season, he hasn't been hearing from the pro scouts just yet.

The All-American mention, though, should boost his stock considerably heading into next week's Major League draft.

"My coaches have been working hard to get my name out there," Miller said. "I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping that someone will give me a look."

Miller said that he wanted to make sure all of his coaches throughout the years got some credit in his success this season.

"Without them, I wouldn't be where I am today," he said.

Miller is believed to be the first player from Douglas High School to earn college All-American honors in baseball.