Blake Miller just completed his fifth season as assistant coach with the Blue Hose baseball program in the spring of 2023.
The Blue Hose pitching staff for the second straight season finished with 400+ strikeouts as PC tallied 408 on the season. Freshman Kyle Mueller led the staff with six wins while senior Tanner Smith tallied a league-best eight saves.
PC pitchers earned four weekly honors during the 2023 season, Mueller (Freshman), Smith (2x Relief Pitcher) and Mason McDaniel (Freshman),
The Blue Hose pitching staff was led by sophomore's Duncan Howard and Charlie McDaniel who both tied the single-season DI program record with seven wins apiece in 2022. Howard also set the single-season DI record for ERA with a 2.69 mark.
PC's pitchers earned five weekly honors from the Big South Conference as Howard was named Starting Pitcher of the Week. Clark Dearman and Logan Ymker each earned a pair of Big South relief pitcher of the week awards.
The 2021 season set a pair of program firsts as the Blue Hose won their first Big South Championship in program history with two wins over Campbell and a victory over Gardner-Webb.
PC earned a spot in the Nashville regional that saw them face host Vanderbilt and Indiana State.
In 2021, PC tied for fourth in saves by a Blue Hose team in DI era with 12 saves led by Eric Toth with eight and Chris Veach with four.
Eric Miles also set the DI career record for wins during the 21 season against Eastern Kentucky.
Eric Miles closed out his Blue Hose career with the DI program-record for wins (24), second in strikeouts (231), third in appearances (73), sixth in ERA (4.47). He also finished fourth in innings pitched (296).
During the 2020 season, senior Eric Miles tied the D1 career record for wins with 21 victories over his career when he defeated Brown 6-3 on February 21st. Miles with his 21 strikeouts also moved to fourth in the D1 career record book for strikeouts with 192 over his time with the Blue Hose.
In 2019 the Blue Hose pitchers reached several milestones. Junior Eric Miles tied the single season D1 record for wins with seven while also checking in with 8.13 strikeouts per nine innings which is good enough for fourth in the D1 single season record book.
Miles also tied Bud Jeter for most strikeouts in a season with 84 and threw the fourth most innings by a Blue Hose pitcher in the D1 era with 93.0. PC struck out 395 batters which is second in the single season D1 record book. Jackson Dean finished the year with a 1.36 walks per nine innings which is fourth in the Blue Hose single season record books and also ranks top 20 nationally. Miles along with sophomore Reagan Fowler and sophomore Austin Paradis each earned a pitcher of the week honor from the Big South throughout the 2019 season as Miles and Fowler were Starting pitcher of the week, while Austin Paradis was relief pitcher. Miller comes to PC from Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where he was the post-graduate program’s head coach and director of player development since August 2017. While there, Miller oversaw all aspects of running the program including player development, recruiting, budgeting and games
Prior to his time at Inspiration Academy, Miller spent four seasons as the pitching coach at the United States Air Force Academy. In his tenure with the Falcons, he helped elevate their pitching staff to new heights and several new school records. The bullpen collected a program-record 381 strikeouts in 2015 and then 385 strikeouts in 2016. The team posted a program-best 4.54 ERA in 2015, its lowest since 1979. That season, the pitching staff also held opposing batters to a .265 average, the lowest since 1974. Miller helped the program improve its win total from 16 in 2013 to 30 in 2016.
Miller saw three of his players drafted during his time at the Air Force Academy. Senior closer Ben Yokley struck out 45 batters in 34.0 innings in 2015 and was a 29th round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals. Yokley went on to pitch for the Johnson City Cardinals, in the Appalachian League (Class A), during the summer of 2015. Then in 2016, juniors Griffin Jax and Jacob DeVries were both drafted. Jax was coming off a 9-2 season where he posted a school-record 2.05 ERA and was a third round selection (93rd overall) of the Minnesota Twins. The Cleveland Indians took DeVries in the 38th round of the 2016 MLB Amateur Players Draft.
Prior to his time with the Air Force, Miller spent two years as the pitching coach at Savannah State. He was a part of the program’s historic 2013 season that included winning the school’s first MEAC Championship and NCAA Regional bid. Along with defeating two top-25 teams that season, the Tigers improved their win total from 19 wins in 2012 to 33 wins in 2013 and lowered their team ERA from 6.15 to 4.93.
During the 2013 season, pitcher Kyle McGowin, under the tutelage of Miller, established himself as one of the best pitchers in the nation. McGowin posted a 12-2 record with a 2.02 ERA. He led the MEAC and ranked third nationally with 135 strikeouts that season. McGowin became the first pitcher in school history to be named a Division I First Team All-American (NCBWA) and win the MEAC Pitcher of the Year award. He was a top-10 finalist for the National Pitcher of the Year award and top-30 finalist for the Golden Spikes Award. Following his junior season, McGowin became Savannah State’s first pitcher to be drafted. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim selected him in the fifth round (157th overall) in the 2013 MLB Amateur Players Draft.
In addition to McGowin’s success, Miller had two pitchers named to the MEAC All-Conference Team and saw five members of his pitching staff earn MEAC Conference pitcher-of-the-week honors. In addition, pitcher Rex Davis was named MEAC Freshmen of the Year in 2012.
Prior to coaching at Savannah State, Miller was the pitching coach at Emerald High School in Greenwood, S.C. from 2008-10. While at Emerald, the pitching staff set school records for team ERA in 2009 and again in 2010. Two of Miller’s pitchers were named to the All-Region Team and three players went on to pitch at the collegiate level.
Miller holds a bachelors degree in history from Coker College. He graduated in 2007 after playing four years of baseball for the Cobras. A relief pitcher, Miller’s career record was 6-2 and during the 2005 season he set the previous school record for most appearances in a season with 28. Miller’s coaching career began at Coker when he was a student assistant for the Cobras during the 2007 season.
