Waynesburg's Miller, a Bethel Park grad, to continue baseball pursuits at Division I Gardner-Webb

When the NCAA announced that collegiate athletes affected by the cancellation of spring seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic would receive an extra year of eligibility, it created an opportunity for Bethel Park graduate Mason Miller, a senior on the Waynesburg University baseball team.

After three-plus successful seasons for the Yellow Jackets, the right-handed pitcher will continue his career one more season at Division I Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina.

“I had dreams to compete at the highest collegiate level during high school, but quickly realized my talents then lined up better with D3,” Miller said in a release announcing the transfer.

“I did not even have an idea that there was still a possibility until the virus canceled our season and we were awarded another year of eligibility. It all happened very fast and once I entered the portal, it took an extremely short period of time before I realized how realistic it was to have an opportunity the D1 level.”

Miller, who graduated from Waynesburg earlier this month with a degree in finance, said Coastal Carolina and Arkansas also were options after he was released by the Waynesburg athletic department.

He will pursue a graduate degree at Gardner-Webb as he also hopes to one day play professionally.

Gardner-Webb plays in the Big South Conference against teams such as UNC Asheville, Charleston Southern, Radford and Winthrop. The Runnin’ Bulldogs were 8-8 in nonconference games before the season was halted.

Miller enjoyed a strong start to the 2020 season. He owned a 2-0 record with a pair of complete games, a 2.57 earned-run average, 24 strikeouts and a .160 opponent batting average over 14 innings.

In 2019, he finished 8-2 with a 1.86 ERA, and his 97 strikeouts over 67 2/3 innings set a Waynesburg single-season record. He led the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in ERA, strikeouts and opponent batting average (.173) and earned first-team All-PAC recognition and All-Region laurels from D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association.

“Mason has come a long way from his freshman year as a baseball player,” Waynesburg coach Mike Humiston said in the release.

“His work effort and determination to be the best he could possibly be was the primary reason for becoming a dominant player in our conference and the opportunity to play at the D1 level.”