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Ella Miller: Shortstop made all the plays, hit .800
Allowing an obvious nickname to go unused is among the most egregious errors possible on a softball field.
Ella Miller’s teammates really dropped the ball on that.
Named after her grandfather Newbill Miller, with whom she shares a birthday, Ella Katherine Newbill Miller played four years of softball and basketball at Highland School, but the inherent “cool” of her middle name went untapped.
Miller’s newest name won’t be as easily ignored. The Highland senior can now be called the Fauquier Times-Democrat 2009 Girls Athlete of the Year from Highland School.
“She is without a doubt the best all-around athlete I’ve ever worked with,” first-year Highland softball coach Renee Leake said. “I’ve been coaching over 20 years and I’ve never seen a player make the same plays in practice that she made in games….I enjoyed working with her. I was blessed.”
A two-sport team captain, Miller led the Highland softball team (19-4) to a runner-up finish in the state tournament this past season after guiding the girls basketball team (19-8) to a state semifinal appearance. She was selected to the all-Delaney Athletic Conference first team in both sports and added softball honors of Virginia Independent Schools all-state first team and DAC Player of the Year.
“I haven’t really gotten any big honors like that before. It was pretty cool,” Miller said. “Being picked over a lot of my teammates, that was a big deal because I have some really talented teammates.”
The 5-foot-7 shortstop beat out Highland pitchers Maire Shaughnessy and Ashleigh Williams and second baseman Morgan Stephens for DAC Player of the Year, in large part because she hit .800 (16-for-20) in conference play. Overall, Miller’s season batting average was .603 and she struck out only three times in 73 plate appearances.
“I think her bat surprised people,” Leake said. “She just adapted so quickly to a couple minor adjustments and just took off. Her bat became her strong point.”
Miller also finished with 16 RBI, 37 runs and a school-record 29 stolen bases in 30 attempts. Plus, as leadoff hitter, she was the catalyst of Highland’s offense.
“She’s quick. As soon as she gets on we’re going to move her,” Leake said. “She sets the tempo for the game. I told her, ‘I know that puts a lot of pressure on you, but that’s how much we count on you.’”
Yet, Miller credits her coaches and teammates for making 2009 a successful and memorable season, one that ended with a 1-0 loss to Greenbrier Christian Academy in the Division II state final. While the Hawks didn’t win a state championship as they did in 2007 and 2008, that didn’t diminish the season for Miller.
“It was the most fun and successful season I’ve ever been a part of,” Miller said. “I would trade a state championship for her [Leake] and our assistant coach Jerry “Frog” Williams and our team this year, any day.”
Miller said her teammates also stand in the forefront of her memories from basketball season. She played point guard for the Hawks, averaging eight points and two assists per game.
“She’s an excellent defender, she sees the floor well and she’s calm under pressure,” Highland's recently resigned girls basketball coach Donald O’Meara said. “Those are three things a point guard needs.”
Miller was also a premier scorer over her career, finishing with more than 1,000 points in four seasons. She broke that historic mark Feb. 18 this past season during a 62-19 win over Rappahannock County High. A Rappahannock County resident, Miller scored 11 points on three 3-pointers in that game.
Miller reached the 1,000-point milestone despite missing the first half of her senior basketball season with a knee injury. She first injured it as a sophomore when she suffered a hyperextention. She never fully recuperated from that and was also plagued by tendinitis and iliotibial band syndrome over her career...
See the Wednesday print edition of the Fauquier Times-Democrat for the complete story.
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