Cal Poly Shortstop Miller Remains on Brooks Wallace Award Watch List

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Cal Poly senior shortstop Mike Miller remains on the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award watch list.

The original quarterfinal-round list of 50 nominees was pared to 25 by the National College Baseball Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

The Brooks Wallace Award, sponsored by Mizuno, recognizes the nation's top shortstop and will be presented on June 30 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the College Baseball Hall of Fame's "Night of Champions".

Miller, a 2008 graduate of De La Salle High School in Concord, Calif., is hitting a team-leading .364 with 16 doubles, four triples, three home runs and as Cal Poly's leadoff hitter, has a .420 on-base percentage.

Miller leads the Big West with his 84 hits and 53 runs scored and has committed eight errors in 233 chances -- only one error in the last three weeks -- for a .966 fielding percentage. He had a 14-game hitting streak as well as a streak of reaching base safely in 25 consecutive contests earlier this season.

Miller has started all 53 games at shortstop and in the leadoff spot in the Mustang batting order. He has gone 34-for-77 (.442) in last 17 games at the plate with 11 multiple-hit contests, including seven games with three or more hits.

Miller has a Big West-leading 26 multiple-hit games this season, including a five-hit game against Pacific, a four-hit game against Loyola Marymount and 10 three-hit contests. Miller also has 10 multiple-RBI games.

Miller is the centerpiece of a Mustang defense that leads the Big West and ranks No. 18 in the country with a .977 fielding percentage.  He has helped turn 23 double plays this season and, in conference games only, Miller has committed just three errors in 21 games.

The Pac-12 and the Southeastern Conference lead the pack with five players each on the Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award watch list. The Atlantic Coast, Big 10 and Ohio Valley each has two representatives.

Richie Rodriguez, a senior at Eastern Kentucky, leads the list with a .388 batting average. He also has 17 doubles, two triples and 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. Zach Vincej, a junior at Pepperdine, continues to lead the list in fielding percentage at .991. He has 14 doubles and 22 RBIs on the season.

"Watching the success these 25 players have had this season has been great," said Kevin Dunagan, Wallace Award co-chair. "We look forward to seeing how they do as we near the end of the season and head into postseason play."