Lehigh University Athletics
Leary welcomes A.J. Miller to coaching staff
10/26/2015 1:20:00 PM | Baseball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Former Patriot League Player of the Year A.J. Miller has been hired as the Lehigh baseball team's hitting coach, as announced by head coach Sean Leary Monday. Miller joins the Mountain Hawks after a stint in professional baseball and an accomplished career at Lafayette in which he earned All-America laurels.
"We're very excited to welcome A.J. to our Lehigh baseball family," said Leary. "He was an outstanding player in our league and truly understands the type of student-athlete the Patriot League produces. Our guys have already been able to see his knowledge base and his enthusiasm for hitting,
"We have a strong offensive core returning and with Coach Miller guiding that core we feel like we can have another productive offensive team," continued Leary. "We're super excited about getting him on board working with our guys."
A 2011 graduate of Lafayette, Miller brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the Lehigh dugout. The Leopards' three-year starting catcher, Miller earned CollegeBaseballInsider.com Honorable Mention All-America status, a spot on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List that honors the top 50 DI catchers, as well as Patriot League Player of the Year and first team All-League honors as a senior in 2011 after hitting .385 with 52 RBI and a .705 slugging percentage. He was a .313 career hitter at Lafayette and is still tied for the program record with 22 career home runs. Miller earned is B.A. in Economics and Business.
Upon graduation, Miller went on to play professional baseball for the Normal Cornbelters of the Frontier League and Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Miller also owns vast coaching experience, having spent time as a coach with the All-Star Baseball Academy and Condon's Baseball. Miller currently works as the Operations Manager at the Phillies Baseball Academy where he handles all logistics related to the Phillies' youth summer camps.
Leary also announced that assistant coach John Fugett has been formally elevated to the program's recruiting coordinator following the proven strength of Lehigh's most recent recruiting classes. Fugett will continue to handle day-to-day recruiting responsibilities in addition to serving as Lehigh's full-time assistant coach working specifically with the Mountain Hawk pitching staff.
"We're very excited to welcome A.J. to our Lehigh baseball family," said Leary. "He was an outstanding player in our league and truly understands the type of student-athlete the Patriot League produces. Our guys have already been able to see his knowledge base and his enthusiasm for hitting,
"We have a strong offensive core returning and with Coach Miller guiding that core we feel like we can have another productive offensive team," continued Leary. "We're super excited about getting him on board working with our guys."
A 2011 graduate of Lafayette, Miller brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the Lehigh dugout. The Leopards' three-year starting catcher, Miller earned CollegeBaseballInsider.com Honorable Mention All-America status, a spot on the Johnny Bench Award Watch List that honors the top 50 DI catchers, as well as Patriot League Player of the Year and first team All-League honors as a senior in 2011 after hitting .385 with 52 RBI and a .705 slugging percentage. He was a .313 career hitter at Lafayette and is still tied for the program record with 22 career home runs. Miller earned is B.A. in Economics and Business.
Upon graduation, Miller went on to play professional baseball for the Normal Cornbelters of the Frontier League and Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Miller also owns vast coaching experience, having spent time as a coach with the All-Star Baseball Academy and Condon's Baseball. Miller currently works as the Operations Manager at the Phillies Baseball Academy where he handles all logistics related to the Phillies' youth summer camps.
Leary also announced that assistant coach John Fugett has been formally elevated to the program's recruiting coordinator following the proven strength of Lehigh's most recent recruiting classes. Fugett will continue to handle day-to-day recruiting responsibilities in addition to serving as Lehigh's full-time assistant coach working specifically with the Mountain Hawk pitching staff.
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