Mississippi State softball coach Jay Miller recorded his 1,000^thcareer win in last Friday’s victory over the Auburn Tigers. For Miller, it was just another milestone in a career that has taken him around the world and left him as one of 13 Division I head coaches with 1,000 or more wins.
In his ninth year as head coach at State and 29th overall as a head coach, Miller has compiled a record of 1,001-657 and led the Bulldogs to six postseason appearances in his first eight seasons.
Before even thinking about coaching, Miller played some softball of his own. He played men’s fastpitch softball in high school and throughout college. As he was completing his masters at the University of Purdue, he was asked to help pitchers on the women’s club softball team, and when the head coach resigned the next year, Miller took over the reigns. He then coached at the University of Missouri for 15 years and saw only one season below .500. Miller’s teams finished fifth and seventh in two appearances in the Women’s College World Series, and he received three conference coach of the year awards.
However, 2002 was a year of change as Miller departed from Columbia and headed to Starkville. The jump from the Big 12 to the SEC was made with ease by Miller, who said the SEC is arguably the best conference in the country.
“At that time the Big 12 was probably the second-best conference in the country for softball; since that time the SEC has overtaken that,” Miller said. “It’s a great conference to be a part of, and it’s a tremendously competitive conference.”
Miller’s success did not diminish in the least when he came to State. So far in his time with the Diamond Dawgs, three players have earned Louisville Slugger/NFCA First-Team All-American honors a total of eight times, and 42 single-season records have been set.
Miller’s success on the field is complimented by his team’s achievements in the classroom. Last year, the softball team led MSU’s female athletic teams in the spring with a school record 3.48 GPA. The team also had 10 players named NFCA All-America Scholar Athletes, giving Miller a total of 59 Bulldogs to receive that award. Eighty-five players have received SEC academic honors under Miller, as well.
This desire for scholastic excellence has been noticed by Miller’s players from the start of their time in Starkville. Senior Brittany Bell said when she came on her official recruiting visit, Miller had already laid out all of the information about her desired major.
“He took an interest in what I wanted to major in,” Bell said. “I was very impressed by all that; that showed me he cared about my education. Other people didn’t really have all that out for me.”
Through all of these accolades, Miller remains humble and enthusiastic. He never gives credit to himself and constantly focuses on his players. The 1,000-win mark would be a time to shine for most coaches, but Miller continues to divert the attention to others.
“It means I’ve been around a long time. That’s about all,” Miller said. “It means we’ve had some great players and great teams along the way; it’s neat to get any kind of milestone.”
Senior Courtney Nesbit explained Miller’s demeanor after defeating Auburn.
“Coach Miller is not one for emotion, but it meant something to him,” Nesbit said. “That was a big milestone for him. We were just happy to get that big win against Auburn, and I think he was the same.”
As if Miller’s resume is not crammed already, he has also coached the women’s USA National Team the past two years and accumulated seven gold medals. His USA team won the Japan Cup and World Cup twice along with the Canada Cup, ISF World Championship and the Junior World Championship. Miller said he felt honored to coach such a talented group of softball players as well as working with such an esteemed coaching staff.
Now one of the most respected coaches in all of college softball, Miller plans on continuing his career in Starkville as long as possible. Miller said coaching is not just a job for him because he looks forward to going to practice and games everyday.
“No matter what you’re doing, if you don’t love what you’re doing and have a passion for it, you should probably find something else to do,” Miller said. “I’ve been fortunate to be able to make a living doing something that I really enjoy. It’s not a chore to get up and go to work every day.”