The Gainesville, Fla. native beamed when he received word that Florida toppled Virginia in the NCAA tournament. The North Carolina graduate laughed even after the Red Sox’s 2-1 loss, when No. 15 Lehigh eliminated Duke, UNC’s rival.
Oh, and that baseball outing turned out pretty well, too. Making his return from a stiff elbow –– an injury that caused him to miss his last start –– Miller fanned two batters as he tossed another scoreless inning.
"Tonight was the best stuff I’ve had — I felt as good, across the board, between the ball coming out of my hand and the breaking ball, as good as it's been in the last few years," Miller said. "You talk about relieving — if I can come in and do that for an inning, I'll take my chances every time."
His ultimate goal remains to crack the Red Sox rotation. Although he pitched one inning on Friday, Miller expects to get stretched into multiple innings during his appearance in three days.
"I've got the stuff to start," Miller said. "I know that, coming into spring, that was an opportunity I had. I hope that this setback doesn't eliminate me from that. But, like I said, first and foremost I just want to be on the team."
Miller said he is hoping for a chance to throw for at least five innings like his other counterparts.
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