CLEVELAND -- Case Western Reserve University infielder Sarah Miller may be a freshman, but she plays with a mental toughness that is both beyond her years and inspirational to those that share the softball diamond with her.
Whether or not the playing conditions are ideal, or if she takes a cleat to the face, Miller is a spark plug for the Spartans, who are set to make their return to the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament this week after a 17-year absence.
“I’ve always been determined and very hardworking,” Miller said in an interview with WKYC.com. “I’ve played a bunch of sports in my life, so I’ve been through a lot, but yeah, I recently got the grit title, getting cleated in the face and everything.”
With the Spartans fighting to improve their resume for an at-large bid as much as they could over the final week of the season, Miller was not to be deterred by anything, not even a kick to the face from an opposing runner.
During one of the games against the University of Chicago in the final days of the season, Miller went to double off a runner at third base when the runner kicked her in the face. Miller estimates the game was delayed by 15 to 20 minutes while she was attended to on the field.
“I couldn’t exactly find the bag with my foot right away, so I turned around, and when I turned around, the runner dove back in and her feet kind of arched over her back,” said Miller, a native of Lorain and graduate of Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst. “She did like a scorpion and hit me in the face.
“Right away, I kind of sat on the ground. I didn’t even know I was bleeding, and all of a sudden, there was a lot of blood.
“I kind of just laughed because stuff like that happens all the time, I guess. There’s always something new that’s going on, and so, when I got cleated in the face, it’s like, ‘Of course that would happen.’ I remember telling the coaches, ‘There’s been worse things that’s happened to me.”
It is that kind of hustle despite adversity that earned Miller the respect and admiration of her teammates and coaches alike.
“She’s definitely a game-changer,” Case softball coach Josie Henry said. “She brings a spark and a fire like none other. I would definitely say for the entire team, she’s a spark. She’s our grittiest player that we have.
“She’s just mentally tough. She doesn’t let things rattle her. She can be down in the count, and when it’s a big moment, she steps up and she shines.”
That mental toughness allowed Miller, a chemistry major, to collect 32 hits, including nine doubles, five triples and three home runs, with 24 runs batted in and 22 runs scored in 117 at-bats over 42 games for the Spartans, who qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2001.
Case Western Reserve began postseason play with a one-run loss to Ohio Northern, but rebounded with day-two wins over Mount Aloysius and regional host, St. Mary’s College, in Notre Dame, Indiana.
“It’s definitely one of the most exciting moments of my life,” Miller said. “This has been a dream. Growing up playing softball, you always want to go to the NCAA Tournament, so being a part of it, especially in my first year, it’s like so exciting.”