News Archive
Kilgore Named ECC Coach Of The Year; Eight Eagles Also Honored
The Milford High School baseball team, co-champions of the Eastern Cincinnati Conference this spring, recently had eight members of its roster named to the 2018 all-conference squads. In addition, head coach Tom Kilgore was chosen by his colleagues as the league’s top coach for this year.
Milford’s first team choices included sophomore Zach Byron, junior Calvin Hunter and seniors Mitch Mierke and Dylan Stewart. Second team honorees were junior Anthony Bassano, senior Kyle Minton and junior Brady Sluder. Senior Jared Dettmer was chosen as the Eagles’ honorable mention selection for this year.
Kilgore led the Eagles to a 19-8 record and an 11-3 mark in the ECC, good for Milford’s fifth conference title since joining the league for the 2013 season. The coach of the year honor was Kilgore’s eighth since taking over as the Eagles’ head coach in 1999.
In his first season of varsity action, Byron was the ace of a talented Milford pitching staff, ranking among the league leaders with five wins and 34 strikeouts. He finished the year with a 5-1 record and a 1.87 ERA in nine starts. He also combined on three shutouts throughout the year.
Hunter was one of a slew of multi-threat talents for the Eagles, proving to be a dangerous weapon at the plate and on the mound in his first varsity campaign. At the dish, Hunter led the Eagles with a .394 batting average and a .577 slugging percentage on the strength of eight doubles, a triple and a home run, along with 18 RBI. On the hill, Hunter posted a perfect 4-0 record and a 1.08 ERA in five starts, striking out 30. He also crafted a complete game shutout in a late season win over Clinton-Massie.
Mierke’s story was almost the same as Hunter’s as he was stellar both hitting and pitching. Offensively, Mierke ranked just behind Hunter in hitting with a .355 average, totaled eight doubles and two triples, along with 20 RBI and seven stolen bases. As a hurler, Mierke was also a perfect 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA in six appearances. His strikeout-to-walk ratio was a stellar 22 to 2.
Stewart ably manned the most difficult position on the field, catcher, for the Eagles again this year. As a hitter, Stewart hit a solid .318 with six doubles, one triple and eight RBI. Often batting lead-off, Stewart led the Eagles with 10 stolen bases. Behind the plate, Stewart threw out 15 of 34 base runners attempting to steal, while helping Milford to league-best 2.73 team ERA.
Bassano played both second base and shortstop throughout the year for Milford, committing only eight errors in 27 games. Offensively, Bassano led the Eagles with 23 RBI, batted .301 and recorded five extra-base hits. He also appeared in five games as a pitcher.
Minton was a starting outfielder and ace relief pitcher as a senior. After coming on strong at the plate late in the year, Minton hit .347, while leading the team with nine doubles, 29 runs scored and 15 walks. He also had two triples, 16 RBI and nine steals. Coming out of the bullpen, Minton led the Eagles with 11 appearances and three saves, posting a 3.00 ERA.
Sluder manned both first base and right field this season, handling 125 chances without an error. At the plate, Sluder tied for the league lead with five triples, adding four doubles and 21 RBI and batting .303.
Dettmer was another solid performer on the mound with eight of his nine appearances as a reliever. For the campaign, Dettmer posted a 1.91 ERA, while striking out 19.
