Damian Miller has carved out a place for himself in the V-Hawk history book.
The first Viterbo baseball player to achieve major league status, Miller was
drafted in the 20th round by the Minnesota Twins in 1990. in his professional
debut with the Twins minor league team in Elizabethton, he hit a home run and
drove in 3 runs in his first at-bat. After stops in a number of minor league
cities, Damian finally broke through, playing for the Twins, and then, on to the
Arizona Diamondbacks as the team's starting catcher.
The tenacious work ethic and, never-quit attitude that worked so well for
Damian in the majors, was readily evident in his three seasons of play at
Viterbo. In his first year in a V-Hawk uniform, the West Salem native was an
unstoppable force en route to posting a .312 batting average. That was just the
start. In his sophomore year, he hit .409 and in the following year that average
skyrocketed to an astronomical .516.
In other honors, Damian was named NAIA District Player of the year in 1990.
He holds the school record for highest career batting average (.423), highest
single season batting average (.516), and most RBIs in a season (46).
In reviewing his career - high school through college play, and in the majors
- the La Crosse Tribune awarded Damian Miller its most prestigious honor: 2000
Sportsman of the Year. At Viterbo, Damian has indeed set a standard of
achievement that others will continuously aspire to attain.
Source: Viterbo University (link).
