43
A bright spot
Fitch senior Chris Miller has pitched well in a rough year for the Falcons
BY JOE SCALZO
AUSTINTOWN
When Fitch’s Chris Miller was a sophomore two years ago, he learned what to do from sitting and watching Division I pitchers Steve Gruver (Tennessee) and Jim Kinnick (YSU). And he learned what not to do by, well, sitting and watching.
Miller missed that season due to academic issues but used it as a learning experience, rather than a roadblock.
“It was hard,” he said. “It definitely made me work a little harder.
“I know I can’t slack off in anything.”
Now, Miller (2-5) is a bright spot in a rough season for the Falcons (4-15, 0-9 Federal League), serving as the team’s No. 1 pitcher over the past two years.
“A lot of times a record isn’t really indicative of the way a guy’s performing and that’s certainly been the case with Chris,” said Fitch coach Wally Ford. “He’s pitched in some tough-luck situations.”
Miller, who gave up four runs in six innings to take the loss in Tuesday’s 8-3 defeat to Uniontown Lake, said the key to his success is staying positive.
“Being out there when we’re struggling, me, as a pitcher, I’ve just got to stay calm,” he said. “I just try to throw strikes and do the best I can to give our infield and outfield the easy play.”
Miller has garnered interest from several schools, including West Virginia and Notre Dame College, Ford said. Although he was also on the golf and basketball teams, his future appears to be on the mound.
“He’s bounced back real well,” Ford said of Miller’s earlier struggles. “He’s been a real bright spot.”
Despite Fitch’s struggles, Ford believes his team can make a nice run in the upcoming Division I tournament. The district’s top seed is Warren Harding, which already lost to the Falcons.
Fitch, which is likely headed to the All-American Conference in every sport but football, has been able to compete in the Federal League in baseball, winning the league title one season while posting just one losing season in the six previous years in the conference.
“For baseball, we compete really well in the Federal League,” said Miller. “There’s great competition and it’s a lot of fun competing against teams that make us work hard.
“You can’t let up on anybody.”
Fitch took a 3-1 lead after three innings against the Blue Streaks — piling up 10 hits in the process — before faltering late. Sean Stewart, Logan Kane, Josh Foster, Tony Koch and Anthony Savko all had two hits for Fitch, while Anthony Paris had a single and reached base four times.
But Lake reliever Trent Smith pitched 41/3 innings of shutout relief and Joe Smith added two opposite field homers to key the Blue Streaks (11-6, 5-4).
“We love the competition,” Ford said of the league. “Unfortunately in this area, there just aren’t a whole lot of Division I schools so we’ll end up traveling anyway because we want to play at that level.
“That’s one thing about the Federal League and, honestly, the reason why I hope we stay in it. The competition down there will get us ready for the tournament. We believe we can make some noise.”