BGSU pitcher Jackson Miller tossed the best start of his freshman campaign Sunday afternoon against Western Michigan at Steller Field, picking up his first collegiate win.
Miller hurled five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out a career-high nine batters.
The Falcons hung on to win 7-5, keeping the team in the hunt for a Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament spot with just three conference games remaining. The victory also marked Bowling Green’s first Sunday win of the season.
The left-hander controlled the zone with his fastball and cutter while also mixing in a changeup early in his outing.
Later in his start, Miller began featuring a breaking ball, which he had been working on in practice for weeks.
Miller also showcased his elite pickoff moves, catching two runners leaning off first base.
“He’s already got big-time stuff, and he’s always been a strike thrower,” head coach Kyle Hallock said. “You combine his ability with the desire to control the game, and it’s going to be really tough to score off of him.”
Miller dominated Western Michigan’s top four in the batting order, which includes Tanner Mally, who leads the nation in batting average and on-base percentage.
The first four Broncos, who were hitting a combined .367 entering the game, went 0-7 against Miller, striking out five times and drawing just one walk.
“I didn’t think too much about it,” Miller said. “I just trusted what coach Hallock was calling and went with it.”
Miller has been the team’s Sunday starter since the beginning of conference play.
After some early struggles, the southpaw has found his stride in the high-pressure role for the Falcons.
Over his past four starts against UMass, Toledo, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan, Miller has a 2.70 ERA. Over 16.2 innings pitched, Miller has struck out 22 batters while walking only five and allowing just 22 hits.
“Presence is a big thing that me and coach Hallock have talked about,” Miller said. “Just going through weekly bullpens, I think each start I have made progression to where I want to be.”
The 6-foot-4 arm has also found consistency in his routine, which includes watching video with Hallock at the beginning of the week and a bullpen-type session during a late-week practice.
“Execution over time leads to results,” Hallock said. “You never know when it’s going to happen, and fortunately for us, today it all clicked, and I think it’s a sign of what’s to come out of his career here at BGSU.”
