Jul. 14—The 2023 baseball season has been remarkable for Lane Miller.
He began the college season as a batting practice pitcher and student assistant for the Indiana State University baseball team, and wound up moving into the Sycamores’ starting rotation and pitching key victories for an ISU club that reached the NCAA Tournament’s super-regional round.
Now, he’s signed a professional contract with a team from the MLB Draft League, a circuit formed in 2021 that provides a pro format for undrafted players that have exhausted their amateur eligibility. Miller signed with the league’s Trenton Thunder club, according to a news release Friday from ISU sports information.
Indiana State coach Mitch Hannahs’ staff gave Miller his first start on March 28 against Purdue. Miller went eight innings allowing two runs while striking out five in the 8-2 win over the Boilermakers. The Boonville native followed up five days later allowing one run and three hits while striking out four in a 10-1 win over UIC.
The victories led to Miller solidifying his spot as the Sycamores’ Sunday starter in the rotation. He went at least five innings in each of his first six starts including series clinching victories over UIC, Evansville, and Murray State. In the postseason, Miller got the win against Evansville to propel the Sycamores to the MVC Tournament Championship. Miller also drew the start in the NCAA Terre Haute Regional contest against Iowa.
The Sycamores won all 11 of Miller’s starts in the 2023 season as the redshirt senior posted a 7-0 mark with a 2.77 earned-run average over 61.2 innings. He recorded at least five strikeouts in six different games including a career-high six in the MVC Tournament against the Aces. Opponents hit just .219 from the plate against Miller in 2023.
He also earned ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest Region First Team honors, 2023 MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the spring 2022-23 MVC State Farm Good Neighbor Award.
The MLB Draft League is a six-team baseball league featuring a split-season amateur-professional format, according to MLB.com. The first half of the MLB Draft League season features draft-eligible players aiming to improve their stock ahead of the annual MLB Draft in July, which concluded earlier this week. The League switches to a professional format in the second half, with paid players comprising the six rosters.
Miller will be playing in the league’s second half, which runs through Sept. 2. Players receive housing, meal money, travel and weekly compensation. Each team plays 50 games.
Since its inception in 2021, the MLB Draft League has produced 86 MLB Draft picks and had nearly 50 undrafted free agents sign with a major league organization. Additionally, four players from the professional half of the 2022 MLB Draft League season had their contracts purchased by a major league organization.
Miller becomes the third Sycamore pitcher to draw professional interest this season. Matt Jachec was drafted in the 18th round by the Cleveland Guardians, and Connor Fenlong signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Royals.