Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Kevin Miller Assigned to Gulf Coast League's Bradenton Pirates
6/18/2004 8:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 18, 2004
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell right-hander Kevin Miller, a 2004 graduate and under the employ of the Pittsburgh Pirates after being drafted by the club last week, will begin his professional career in Bradenton, Fla., as part of the big club's rookie league team. Miller was selected in the 25th round on Wednesday, June 8, during the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Miller went 2-5 this year with a 3.73 ERA while leading the Bison (20-24) with 54 strikeouts. His 60 1/3 innings also led a squad that held onto hopes of making the Patriot League postseason until the final day of the 2004 campaign. As a junior, Miller went 8-2 and started Bucknell's NCAA Tournament opener versus Texas as the Bison won the Patriot League title. That came two years after a successful freshman campaign that saw the Rochester, N.Y, native earn a 7-0 record, as well as his first NCAA berth, on his way to a 17-10 mark for his career.
The Bradenton Pirates play in the Gulf Coast League, which consists of 12 rookie-level teams. Games will get underway on Monday, June 21 and run through August 28. The surroundings will be somewhat familiar for Miller, as the Bison have made Bradenton their Spring Break baseball destination for the past few seasons.
