Stepping to the rubber on the mound, Cole Miller eyes his opponent and receives the sign from his catcher to throw a fastball. His favorite, throwing an 80 mph fastball isn’t easy and he has gotten that speed even faster since joining the team. Although he hasn’t played in any games this year,  making varsity baseball as a sophomore was always a dream of his and throwing his first pitch of his Bowie varsity career excites him.

Miller started playing baseball when he was six-years old and learned a lot from his old coaches and teammates. He learned everything about baseball and instantly fell in love with pitching.

“Pitching has always been something I’ve felt more comfortable doing,” Miller said. “I have always been better at it than batting and really like perfecting every pitch, especially my fastball.”

During his freshman year, Miller continued perfecting his pitches. Practicing almost every day with the team and getting to know the coaches really helped his performance for his sophomore year.

“Cole has always worked really hard on and off the field,” teammate junior Mason Cuchia said. “He really wants to be there and always puts in effort which as his teammate is always reassuring knowing that your teammate has your back and is putting in as much effort as me.”

Miller said he was excited to make the team and looks forward to working with the other pitchers and hopes to find a spot in the rotation. He worked hard over the summer attending multiple camps to improve his game.

“He’s young, he’s still got to mature but he’s been playing summer ball for a while now and I hope he gets going right off the bat,” varsity baseball coach Samuel Degelia said. “But if he doesn’t, that’s fine because we play so many games and there’s so many opportunities for him to play amazing. His teammates are really supportive of him and the other pitchers are helping him get to where he needs to be.”

Since joining the team, Miller has been stepping up, exceeding coaches expectations. However, there is much concern for injuries as that could cause Miller’s progress to ‘reset’ and fall behind the other pitchers.

“If he has success this year, then he’ll bump his way up into the rotation for next year,” Degelia said. “His success for this year necessarily won’t make him successful next year. He’s gonna have to do it on and off the field, making sure he properly stretches because injuries are probably my biggest concern for Cole.”

Miller’s success on the team could fall short if he doesn’t perform well during his first game with the team. He has tried to work his way into the starting pitching rotation, and coaches expect him to play during the game.

“I really want to prove to the coaches I can perform well in the game,” Miller said. “I know playing in a game is the best way to tell if a player is good or not and I think I’m ready to show my teammates and coaches that I can be an important part to the team.”

During the season, the baseball team plays around 25 district games. Prior to that, the team is included in many tournaments and scrimmages that begin soon. During these tournaments and scrimmages the coaches expect Miller to prove his pitching ability, which will determine his in-season playing team.

“He’s going to learn from some of the other pitchers who have played district games before and hopefully he’s learning the right things from them.” Degelia said. “I have no problem with where he’s at right now, that could change depending on how he performs. Especially at the district games, if he doesn’t have very good outings in these tournaments, It’s gonna drop him down significantly. I have faith he will perform.”