Former NHHS Baseball Star To Play For Wilmington Sharks In Coastal Plain League

Submitted by Cape Fear Sport... on Fri, 05/09/2008 - 7:24am.READ MORE:

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WILMINGTON, N.C. - Leading off the Sharks' new signings, is 6-2, 210-pound right-handed pitcher Jarrad Miller out of Valparaiso. The freshman righty has had a solid rookie campaign closing ballgames for the 16-28 Crusaders, leading the team with six saves. Miller has appeared in 19 games, compiling a 3-1 record while posting a 5.96 ERA. He’s struck out 17 and walked eight in 25.2 innings pitched. At Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Miller is a three-time letterwinner whose accolades include Honorable Mention All-State, First-Team All-Northeast Hoosier Conference, First-Team All-Area, and Team MVP in 2007 as a senior. Miller participated in the North-South All-Star Game during his senior season. Miller is majoring in Education. The Sharks continued to add solid arms to the pitching staff by bringing on Nebraska freshman Matt Freeman. The 6-1, 185-pound righty out of Omaha, Nebraska has seen limited but solid action so far in 2008 for the 36-8-1 Cornhuskers. Freeman has appeared in eight games, throwing 8.2 innings, striking out 10 and walking four while posting a 2.08 ERA. At Elkhorn High School in Omaha, Freeman was named the Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year and Louisville Slugger Player of the Year as a senior, earned First-Team All-State honors along with being named Honorary Captain of the World-Herald’s All-Nebraska team after compiling a 5-1 record with three saves while notching a 0.76 ERA also as a senior. Freeman helped lead Elkhorn to a Class A state title. Head back east, the Sharks also signed Brad Mincey of East Carolina University. The 5-11, 173-pound freshman out of Wilmington, North Carolina has put together a solid debut season going 3-0 for the 36-13 Pirates, pitching primarily in relief. Mincey has made 19 appearances with two starts, throwing 44.1 innings, striking out 28, and walking 18 while posting a 5.08 ERA. Mincey might be a familiar name around the community as he was standout for New Hanover High School. While at New Hanover, Mincey earned three varsity letters in baseball, meanwhile as a sophomore compiling 43 innings pitched with a 1.94 ERA, striking out 35, walking only nine. As a junior, Mincey improved on those numbers by throwing 73 innings, striking out 92 and walking 11. Mincey helped lead New Hanover to a Mid-Eastern Conference championship and a No. 9 ranking in the state in 2006. He earned Player-of-the-Year honors from the Wilmington Star-News, and also notched Mid-Eastern 4A All-Conference honors as a sophomore and junior. Mincey is a two-time participant of the N.C. State Games in 2005-06. Mincey is currently majoring in Engineering and received the ECU Director of Athletics Honor Roll award for the Fall 2007 semester. The Wilmington Sharks are a member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation’s hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 12th season, the Coastal Plain League features 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league Web site at www.coastalplain.com.

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT

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