MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia coach Greg Van Zant wasn’t sure what he was getting when he first saw Shawn Miller pitch in the indoor building last winter.

	Sophomore Shawn Miller has evolved into one of the top, young pitchers in the Big East. (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks)

Miller had a difficult time simply throwing the baseball in the air to the catcher.

“The first time he threw it he bounced it in there,” said Van Zant. “His second time out he was a little better.”

That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for a player who arrived after the Christmas break on crutches. Yet amazingly just four months later, Miller has evolved into one of the best young pitchers in the Big East Conference.

“Every time I see him he is still getting better,” said Van Zant.

Shawn Miller boasts one of the most eclectic athletic resumes in college baseball. In addition to being an all-state basketball player and a junior college All-American wide receiver at Hudson Valley Community College, Miller was also a Golden Gloves boxer.

“I’m competitive and whatever sport is in season I try to play,” said the Troy, N.Y., native.

Miller wound up going to Hudson Valley where he played football his freshman season. He went out for the baseball team his second year there.

Miller says once his eligibility was completed at Hudson Valley he had a solid football scholarship offer from San Jose State and was being recruited by the Mid-American Conference schools, but his interest also included playing baseball as well.

West Virginia football recruiting coordinator Herb Hand reviewed Miller’s game tapes and deemed him worthy to walk on. In the meantime, West Virginia baseball assistant coach Bruce Cameron saw Miller pitch for Hudson Valley and felt he was good enough to pitch in the Big East. But Miller was uncertain if he would be able to play both football and baseball at a school the size of WVU.

So he decided to play both sports at SUNY-Albany, a school that plays Division I baseball and Division I-AA football.

Miller played two football games at Suny-Albany last fall before seriously injuring his knee. After that he had second thoughts about his college choice.

“After I got hurt I decided that I should have come to (West Virginia) in the first place,” said Miller.

So he picked up the telephone and called Van Zant to see if he had any available spots on the roster. As it turned out Van Zant did.

“I talked to Coach Van Zant after I injured my leg and he told me to come down and try out,” said Miller.

At that point Van Zant was looking for arms. Last year’s starters Joe Van Gorder and Billy Biggs were gone, and West Virginia also lost junior right-hander Dustin Nippert to the draft. Only sophomore Zac Cline and senior Jason DiAngelo had any extensive pitching experience returning.

At the season’s outset Van Zant was counting on a starting pitching rotation that consisted of DiAngelo, Cline and freshman Brandon Halstead.

But Halstead also wanted to play in the field when he wasn’t pitching so he decided to transfer just days after beating Tennessee, 3-1 in Knoxville.

Marty Fagler, another starting candidate, made just five appearances before injuring his elbow. That left West Virginia’s pitching staff nearly depleted.

In the meantime, Miller was reasonably effective in appearances against Stony Brook, Le Moyne and Eastern Michigan, posting a 1-0 record with a 3.55 earned run average.

Miller’s big break came in a relief effort against Rutgers on March 31 when he held the Knights scoreless over the remaining 3.2 innings to help the Mountaineers to a 12-9 victory.

He followed that up with eight solid innings in a 4-3 victory at Seton Hall. After that he’s produced wins over Connecticut, Virginia Tech, St. John’s and Villanova.

“His fastball moves and darts and he throws from some different angles,” said Van Zant. “He’s a competitor – that’s the big reason Shawn Miller is successful.”

Since giving up 3 earned runs in the fourth inning against Virginia Tech, Miller has not allowed an earned run in his last 25 innings pitched, dropping his ERA from 5.40 before the Virginia Tech game to its current season-low of 3.20.

“At some point he’s going to give up a run and it’s not going to be the end of the world,” said Van Zant.

“I try not to pay too close attention to stats because once you do that then you’re worrying about it on the mound,” Miller added of his impressive streak. “I know I’ve got it because a few guys on the team have told me about it.”

Yet the most important figure to Miller is wins and losses. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-hander has done his part, posting a 6-1 record leading into the final week of regular season play.

“Winning … that’s where it’s at and that’s what we’re trying to do,” he said.

West Virginia, now 33-14, has clinched a spot in the Big East tournament for the first time since 1999 when the league still invited six to postseason play.

West Virginia is also gunning for its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1996 when the Mountaineers won the Big East tournament title.

Having an improved Shawn Miller in the pitching staff could help them get there.

Diamond Notes