FORMER ARKANSAS TECH HURLER AUBREY MILLER EARNS FIRST
WIN OF THE SEASON AT CLASS A LEVEL DELMARVA SHOREBIRDS

        EASTLAKE, Ohio – Former Arkansas Tech University baseball pitcher Aubrey Miller (Van Buren, Ark.) earned his first win of the season and just fourth win in his professional career here Tuesday with his four inning relief effort in the Delmarva Shorebirds come-from-behind 7-5 win over the Lake County Captains in Class A Level South Atlantic League action at Classic Park.

Miller, who was a 23rd round selection by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, is in his first season of playing for the Orioles Class A level full-season Shorebirds. Last season, Miller pitched with the Class A level short-season Aberdeen [MD] Ironbirds of the New York-Penn League, after beginning his professional career in 2006 with the Rookie League Bluefield Orioles of the Appalachian League.

In Tuesday’s game against Lake County, who is the Class A level affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, Miller scattered just two hits, while walking one and striking out three in four innings to help keep the Captains offense in check. Miller relieved Shorebirds starter Robert Neigebauer in the fifth inning after Neigebauer allowed four hits and five runs over the first four innings of the game. Shorebirds closer Mick Mattaliano picked up his 17th save of the season with a perfect ninth inning of relief.

With Tuesday’s win, Miller improved his record to 1-3 on the season with the Shorebirds and 1-4 overall on the season as he made a spot start on May 17 with the Frederick Keys, Baltimore’s Class A Level advanced team in the Carolina League. In his one start at Frederick, Miller tossed 3.2 innings and allowed six hits and two earned runs, while walking two and striking out one.

On the season with the Shorebirds, Miller has a 1-3 record and a 5.18 earned run average. He has made 10 appearances and two starts and in 33 innings of work, Miller has allowed 37 hits, 19 runs, 19 earned runs, five home runs, while striking out 26 and walking just seven opposing hitters. When combining his one appearance with Frederick, Miller is 1-4 on the season with a 5.22 ERA. In 11 appearances and three starts, Miller has tossed 36.2 innings and allowed 43 hits and 21 earned runs, while striking out 27 and walking nine.

Delmarva, who is 3-3 in the second half of the South Atlantic season, has a combined 41-34 record on the season and is in third place in the South Atlantic’s Northern Division. In the first half of the season, Delmarva finished with a 38-31 record and was 2.5 games behind first-half Northern Division winner, Lake County (41-29).  

Last season at Aberdeen, Miller, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound right hander, posted a 3-5 overall record with a 4.91 earned run average. In 16 appearances, Miller made 10 starts and tossed 55 innings. He allowed 66 hits and 30 earned runs, while walking 17 and striking out 40. As a rookie at Bluefield in 2006, Miller went 0-4 with a 6.59 ERA. He made 16 appearances, had five starts and tossed 42.1 innings for the Orioles.

Miller, who was the 685th player selected overall in the 2006 MLB Draft, was the eighth player chosen in the 23rd round and was the first Tech player selected in the MLB Draft since former Wonder Boy first baseman John Paul Davis was selected in the 22nd round by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2001.

In his only season as a Wonder Boy in 2006, Miller made 16 appearances and nine starts and recorded a 4-3 record and a 4.41 ERA, which was best among Tech’s pitchers. For the season, Miller, who was a Second-Team All-GSC West Division selection, tossed three complete games and earned two saves. He pitched a team-best 69.1 innings and allowed 71 hits and 34 earned runs, while striking out a team-high 52 and walking only 18 opposing batters and allowed opponents to hit a combined .274.

         For more information on the Delmarva Shorebirds, please check out their official team website at www.theshorebirds.com.

 -- Tech Athletics --