Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

TAKE FIVE: Chad Miller

Age: 21

Position: Designated hitter

Size: 6 feet-2, 235 pounds

Hometown: Phoenix.

Resume: Earned Arizona co-player of the year as a senior at Mesquite High ... helped Chandler-Gilbert Community College to a combined record of 72-38 as a freshman and sophomore ... drafted twice by the Milwaukee Brewers, after high school and during his junior college career ... entered a weekend series at Air Force with 11 home runs. He's hitting .313 and slugging .550.

UNLV junior designated hitter Chad Miller is one of the most polite Rebels on campus, always ready with a "Yes, sir" or a "No, ma'am," like Beaver Cleaver.

It's how he was raised, said Miller, a devout Christian who was baptized a second time, on his own volition, after graduating from high school.

He has always taken pride in the way he acts and how he carries himself.

"Thank you, sir," Miller said when complimented about his manners.

But Miller also has a high-voltage competitiveness and an extreme distaste for losing, which teammates say contradicts his nice-guy image.

"I get more ripped for my personality and intensity," Miller said. "Sometimes I'm too intense, too fired up. And, sometimes, I'm a goofball. I get ripped for those things."

1. Yes, please

Miller gets his politeness from his father, Randy, and mother, Paige. He's very aware that everything he says and does is a reflection of them. "There's no reason not to be respectful toward people," he said. "I definitely respect my elders."

2. The belting bard

One day in English class, the subject was poetry. Miller thought it was interesting, and he has composed poems and song lyrics ever since. He flips words and meanings around, and he's most proud of a one-page poem he wrote about his family. "Those people mean the most to me," Miller said.

3. Lineman at heart

He moved from outside linebacker to defensive tackle during his prep football career, and Kansas and Colorado showed interest in him in that sport. Yes, he misses football. "I miss hitting people," Miller said. "I'm real intense, very emotional."

4. A lot to learn

Miller's toughest transition to Division-I baseball has been using an aluminum bat. Arizona junior colleges, like Nevada's, use wooden bats. Pitchers who can throw a breaking pitch for a strike at any point in a count also required an adjustment. He's learning plenty and is happy he didn't sign with the Brewers.

5. Rebel yeller

The most distinct voice at Earl Wilson Stadium this week, for the Mountain West Conference tournament that starts Tuesday, just might be Betty Loveridge. "Yeah, that's my grandma," Miller said. She sits high in the stands on the first-base side of the field. You'll hear her before you see her.

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