Miller, seated second from the left, signs her National Letter of Intent with her family: her mother, Kortney, her father, John, her sister, Miranda and her brother, John.

Miller, seated second from the left, signs her National Letter of Intent with her family: her mother, Kortney, her father, John, her sister, Miranda and her brother, John.
By Chris Chaney
Sun staff

Glen Este High School softball star Bailey Miller signed her National Letter of Intent to continue her athletic and academic career at Ohio Dominican University before an audience of classmates, family and friends in the high school’s cafeteria on Nov. 15.

Miller, a pitcher and power-hitting first baseman, led the Eastern Cincinnati Conference (and formerly, the Fort Ancient Valley Conference) in home runs each of the last two years and has been near the league lead in runs batted in and strikeouts.

Her reason for choosing Ohio Dominican was one of familiarity and dedication, according to her father, John Miller.

“She set this as a goal for herself when she was 9 years old and began playing travel ball for the Cincy Doom,” he said. “She’s worked hard as a pitcher and as a hitter. She’s turned herself into a good hitter. She loves the game; lives it and breathes it. I never have had to push her.

“Ohio Dominican really made her feel wanted. She felt she could go there and make a contribution early on. They want her to pitch and hit and just really made her feel wanted.”

As for Bailey, the campus and surrounding area had a lot to do with her choosing the Panthers.

“(The school) is in the middle of Columbus, so that’s cool because it’s such a fun town,” she said. “They have a smaller campus with not a lot of people, but with a bigger campus feel. All the players and coaches, the whole dynamic, it made me feel like I was a part of their team even when I was still deciding on where to go.

“I’ve met some of the girls and they were really nice. They seemed really welcoming and I’m excited to play with them. The coaches are all really nice and determined to make the team better each year.”

Miller will bring a strong bat and added depth to the Panthers’ pitching rotation. She plans to have an immediate impact as a freshman, especially on the offensive side of the ball and add in some pitching as needed.

In the classroom, Miller plans to major in middle education in hopes of going on to become a math or science teacher.

During her junior year at Glen Este, Miller pitched in 10 games, throwing 63.0 innings and accumulating a 5-5 record. Her 1.67 earned run average was sixth best in the ECC and she struck out 80 batters. At the dish, Miller hit .378 with five home runs, 19 batted in and got on base at a .439 clip.

A two-time team captain in her first three years, Miller will also bring leadership and likely another nomination as captain during her senior season.

The Lady Trojans finished in third place in 2013 and return a full compliment of players from a team that had no seniors on the team last season.