By KELLY FENTON
Leader sports editor
Denny Tipton encourages his batters to keep their swings as compact as possible. But there is one player the Sylvan Hills head baseball coach is willing to grant a little license to in the matter of batting strokes.
When Hunter Miller’s typically aggressive swing resulted in a towering game-ending shot over the fence in left against Searcy last Tuesday, Tipton wasn’t inclined to tell Miller to shorten it up. After all, it was Miller’s 10th round-tripper of the season.
He’s batting .397 with 32 RBI and 39 runs in just 28 games. In other words, if it isn’t broke …
“We work hard on keeping swings a little shorter,” said Tipton, whose Bears just clinched the 6A-East title with a sweep of Searcy and are 22-6 overall. “But Hunter’s always going to be naturally long. To me, he’s just a natural hitter.”
Tipton said Miller actually has made some improvements in his swing over the past three years. Used to be, Tipton said, Miller would hit towering fly balls that would be caught 10 feet short of the fence. Now, he gets on top of the ball better. The result:
Ten home runs this year to go along with eight his junior season. He hit only one as a sophomore.
Miller doesn’t particularly look like a power hitter. But Tipton said his bat speed, explosiveness and leverage help offset any brawn deficiency he may suffer from.
“I take my hacks when I get up to the plate,” Miller said. “I don’t go up there looking for walks. I’m up there swinging the bat.
That’s just how I am.”
As far as his size, that’s getting ready to change. Miller, an All-State quarterback and free safety with blazing speed, signed with Ole Miss in February to play football. He knows — and his new head coach Houston Nutt knows — 185 pounds isn’t going to cut it in the Southeastern Conference.
So Miller plans on hitting the weights as soon as baseball season ends, which Miller and Tipton hope isn’t until the May 17 championship game at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.
Given the Bears’ deep pitching, solid hitting throughout the lineup and outstanding defense, anything less than that is probably going to be a disappointment.
The Bears, who suffered an early exit in the state tournament last year and came up short in the semifinals two seasons ago, lost a lot of talent off last year’s team. But they enjoyed an influx of talent in Abundant Life transfers D.J. Baxendale, Justin Treece and Jake Chambers.
“This is the most athletic team I’ve played on since I’ve been here,” said Miller, who saw some action as a freshman and has started all three years since then. “We can compete with anybody in the state. It would be very disappointing [if we don’t reach the championship game] because we have every player in the book we need to win it.
“So we think we should get there and win it.”
Tipton knows he’s got a loaded club, but he isn’t as willing as Miller to turn this into an all-or-nothing season. Winning the conference is always the No. 1 goal, he said. After that, it’s to win one game at a time in the state tournament.
“Is [getting to the championship game] what we expect?” Tipton asks. “Yes. I’d be lying to people if I didn’t say that. But there are some good teams out there and only two teams ever make it. If we take care of ourselves, I think we’ve got a good shot.”
They have a solid one-two punch in their starting rotation, beginning with the often-unhittable Baxendale, a junior who is leaning toward Missouri State. Miller has become a dependable No. 2 man, usually pitching the second game of conference doubleheaders. Tipton said the greatest development he’s seen in Miller over the years has been on the mound where, he explained, he has become less of a thrower and more of a pitcher.
“He’s always been gifted with a good arm, but he had some arm trouble in football,” Tipton said. “I think that made him a little nervous on the mound.
“This year, I think he really decided he wanted to work at being a pitcher. He’s turned out to be pretty good. His velocity may be off a little bit this year, but he’s more concerned with his form now.”
Miller said he relishes the opportunity to be such a key component of the Bears’ pitching rotation, insisting that it doesn’t take away from his offensive focus in the least.
“I know, if we win that first game, we want to go for the sweep,” he said. “I know I need to go out there and mow them down.”
Mostly, he has done just that, compiling a 5-2 record this season. Miller pitched some as a sophomore before hurting his arm, and was used sparingly last season.
Despite his 4.5 speed, his arm was so strong that Tipton used him behind the plate in the early part of his sophomore season. But when his arm became sore, Miller moved to the outfield, something he didn’t regret a bit.
“It bothered my knees,” Miller said of his time as a catcher. “I felt like I was getting all tight, like I couldn’t run.”
Miller can run, of course. If you’ve ever seen him tear around second base and turn a routine double into a dazzling triple, or, from his center fielder’s spot, turn an opponent’s routine double into a routine out, you know that. With all his power, all his hitting ability and, now, his newfound pitching proficiency, it is Miller’s defensive speed that Tipton may miss the most.
“That speed and natural ability, you just can’t replace that,” Tipton said. “Anytime you have an athlete who can track down base hits and make it look so easy, that’s just something a coach loves.
“We have a lot of upperclassmen, and I think we’ll be pretty good next year. But that will be hard to replace — having that natural center fielder with a great arm.”
Miller comes from a long line of Sylvan Hills athletes, including uncles who played quarterback and a brother, Hayden, who is currently playing baseball at Arkansas Tech.
Miller, who threw for more than 1,000 yards and rushed for nearly 1,400 in his senior season, will play defensive back and safety at Ole Miss. He figures he’ll likely redshirt as a freshman, though there is a possibility he could see some special teams action.
As much as Tipton thinks Miller would benefit from focusing on just one sport — something he’s never had the opportunity to do in high school — the coach also thinks Miller would make a fine college baseball player.
“Football coaches in the SEC don’t usually like to see them play another sport,” Tipton said. “I’ve tried to contact the Ole Miss [baseball] coaches to see about Hunter playing. If they ever see him play, I think they’d jump at the opportunity.”
Miller said he loves both sports equally, that it would be hard to give up either one. With Nutt’s blessing, he said, he’d like to try to continue his baseball career.
“That’s something I want to talk to him about,” Miller said. “I want to talk to the baseball coach and see what he thinks. If he thinks I could help out, and if Coach Nutt would let me, then I would do it. I’d love to have that chance.”
