With a master’s of business and administration, a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a professional career that harvested one gold medal and one silver medal, ETSU’s new assistant softball coach Blake Miller brings quite a bit of experience to the table.
His MBA, which he obtained from Mesa State College, Grand Junction, Colo., has helped him to be able to put things together on and off the field.
He uses his business tactics in bringing the team together, and helping them feed off each other.
Coming in to his first season with the ETSU Bucs, whose 2004 record was 24-29, Miller has high hopes for the team. The softball team can expect practice six days a week this season.
“He’s doing tremendous things with their hitting,” ETSU softball coach Amy Fuller said.
Miller started his first ETSU season by giving the girls a “High Performance Blueprint,” and talking with the team about taking care of every aspect of their lives, Fuller said.
Having played the game with men all his life, women are a lot different in what they bring onto the field, Miller said, and are generally more loyal.
“Once they get focused, they stay focused longer,” he said.
Miller got his bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Pembroke.
“It helps a lot,” he said.
He has been picking the minds of great players and coaches for insight throughout his career, he said.
Miller’s team outlook is good, and he expects to beat teams that other people may not believe they can beat. One of his goals is to make the team believe in themselves, he said.
“There is always stuff you have to work on,” he said. “The school is pushing this program in the right direction.”
Overall, Miller says his inspiration is to be the best. Miller hits three times a week.
Miller’s biography is a short one – he is 32 years old and has a daughter, Ashley, who is 8.
His list of achievements is longer. While Miller played baseball at UNC Pembroke, he played softball during the summer.
Miller played four years of collegiate baseball at UNC Pembroke, and men’s fast pitch softball from 1995-2003. He garnered a spot on the U.S. Men’s National Fast Pitch team.
He served as the assistant women’s softball coach at Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph, Mo., during the 2004 season and also served as the assistant coach at Mesa State College for the 2002-03-campaign.
“The more variety of experience you bring, the more viewpoints you are going to get,” Miller said.
The ETSU women’s softball team will play its first game at home on March 8 against Mercer.

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