University of North Carolina Athletics
Miller Named Baseball America National Player Of The Year
June 13, 2006 | Baseball
June 13, 2006
DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina left-hander Andrew Miller was named Baseball America's National Player of the Year Tuesday, becoming the third Tar Heel to win a national player of the year honor. He also picked up first-team All-America accolades from the publication, while teammate Josh Horton garnered second-team status. Miller was also named a first-team All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Tuesday.
Miller was the only member of Baseball America's preseason All-America squad - which is voted on by major league scouting directors - to make the postseason All-America first team. He also became the first left-handed pitcher to earn BA's Player of the Year award, though two-way talents John Olerud of Washington State (1988) and Todd Helton of Tennessee (1995) also pitched left-handed. He is also the sixth pitcher to win the award and sixth player from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Miller joins Dave Lemonds (1968) and B.J. Surhoff (1985), who were chosen as The Sporting News' award winners, as UNC players of the year on the diamind.
Miller is 13-2, 2.11 entering the College World Series, ranking second in the nation in victories to help the Tar Heels reach Omaha for the first time since 1989. He was brilliant in the postseason, beating Winthrop in the regional before dominating Alabama in a super-regional victory. He struck out 11 against the Crimson Tide in seven innings, giving him 119 in 110.2 innings on the season. The Tar Heels' career strikeouts leader with 311, Miller also ranked 22nd in the nation in strikeouts this season. The Detroit Tigers selected Miller, the consensus No. 1 prospect in the draft class, with the sixth pick in the 2006 draft.
"Andrew Miller lived up to his billing as the nation's most consistently dominant pitcher this season," said John Manuel, Baseball America's editor in chief. "While we had several worthy candidates, Miller's consistency and postseason performance, sending North Carolina to the College World Series for the first time in 17 seasons, helped make the difference in him winning the award."
Miller is one of three ACC players who made the first-team All-America squad, as Georgia Tech catcher Matt Wieters and Clemson's Tyler Colvin joined him. Horton was named the designated hitter on the second team and sports an ACC-best .404 batting average, as well as career highs of seven home runs and 55 RBI. He is just one hit shy of becoming the fourth Tar Heel to post 100 hits in a single season.
The staff of Baseball America selects the All-America teams after the round of super regional play.
