Saige Miller remembers gravitating toward the TV and sitting with her father, Brian, whenever a college softball game was on.
Then in elementary school, Miller would score the games and also get quizzed about what she would do in certain situations if she was on the field.
Those moments and being on the field as her older siblings went through their practices sparked a desire for Miller to one day find herself on TV playing softball.
And with the help of her father, Miller started working toward that dream.
“From there I just joined travel ball and progressively got better,” Miller said.
That meant going to hitting and fielding coaches and being around the game as much as possible.
That time spent working has all paid off for Miller, who is a third-year varsity standout for Division 4 No. 10-ranked Fowler and is committed to continue her softball career in the Big Ten at Maryland.
The success for Miller, who was voted the latest One North LSJ high school athlete of the week winner, is no accident to Fowler coach Tim Andros.
Miller helped the Eagles win a regional title as a freshman, was a Division 4 first all-state selection last season and has helped the program be among the top teams in the strong CMAC this spring. She recently contributed to a doubleheader split with Laingsburg and a win over then Division 4 No. 5-ranked Plymouth Christian Academy on May 3 that helped Fowler win its own tournament.
“Coming into the program she was an excellent player,” Andros said. “Each year she has made great improvements to her game. I would say this year she’s just become more disciplined at the plate and more prepared for each at-bat. She’s always continually working to get better. She’s made great improvements each year, especially this year in her confidence and the selection of pitches that she’s hitting at.
“She’s always had a great arm. She’s always had one of the best throwing arms in the area, for sure, and is a great fielder.”
Andros entered play May 8 hitting .600 with five home runs, 25 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.
Despite the success, Miller is pushing for more and is determined to be among the tone-setters for Fowler as it chases a state tournament run.
“I’m never satisfied,” Miller said. “I think I can always do better. Yes, I do good, but I can always pick out one thing that I do wrong. (I’m not like) oh my gosh, I hit a home run, it’s like OK I didn’t make a good play at shortstop so I’ve got to work on that. Also I’m like, yes, I did good today at hitting, but I can do better because obviously when I get to college it’s going to be harder and I need to be able to be up at that level.”
It’s that approach that has made Miller a Division I-bound softball player, according to Andros.
“Saige has always been and continues to be a competitor,” Andros said. “She wants to win, she wants to get better and she’s continually working on her game. She’s never satisfied with where she’s at. She wants to get better every day, every week, every game.
“That’s what makes her stand out. She’s not going to sit back and say hey, I’m good enough. She wants to get better and she wants our team to get better as well.”
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Maryland commit Saige Miller ‘never satisfied’ while leading Fowler softball
Reporting by Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
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