Ewing’s Miller proudly graduates as program’s only senior

Ronnie Miller is a good example of a member of the Class of 2020 for whom people understandably feel badly.

This Ewing High senior was to be the Blue Devils baseball team’s lone returning elder statesman this spring from a club which graduated 11 players in 2019.

Though he played other sports at Ewing, Miller’s main focus was baseball.

He set aside time between running cross country and winter track to do whatever he could to help the Blue Devils’ fledgling baseball players improve.

“I’d take a bucket of balls and a tee, and tell the other guys, ‘I’m going to hit. Come with me if you want,’” said outfielder Miller, who was on the baseball roster with classmates Jaden McCall, an outfielder and left-handed pitcher, and Jacob Elam, a utilityman.

All Miller wanted to do was make his team better. His first three years with the program had seen Ewing win four, four and two games, respectively. Yet, Miller believed this was to be the Blue Devils’ year to improve.

“I was not going to go out like this,” Miller said, thinking back to Ewing’s 2-19 campaign of 2019. “I believe this was the season for us. I was on it early. I was the only senior returning, so I saw myself as the team captain without officially being team captain.”

Before Miller and his teammates could get too excited about 2020, the coronavirus pandemic robbed them of the chance. However, Miller’s determination was not lost on the Blue Devils’ coaching staff.

“I feel sad for Ronnie. He played other sports, but this was the season he was gearing up for,” said sixth-year head coach David Angebranndt, who was being assisted by

Ryan O’Donnell, Brian Dudeck and Mike Villella. “We had a 14-man roster when we got cut off. It was a very young team. About nine or 10 of them were sophomores or freshmen. This would have been a promising year to gain experience. It’s unfortunate we had to end right when all their hard work from the offseason was starting to pay off.”

“The worst part about it,” Miller said, “was that the Friday when we had to stop, we were going to have our first scrimmage.”

Miller kept hoping things would swing his way, but then not only was the spring sports season called off, but also students had to finish the year learning from home as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy kept school buildings closed for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year. Many chances for summer baseball were also lost for this young man who plans to continue his baseball career at Centenary University in Hackettstown in the fall.

Finally, Tuesday, Miller and the rest of the Class of 2020 got a ray of hope when Murphy announced that outdoor graduations can be held, with limitations, as of July 6.

That will help in some respects, yet it will not keep Miller from remembering fondly a high school baseball career which ended a season too early.

“I remember my first year on varsity we were playing West WindsorPlainsboro North and we were losing,” Miller said. “I was a freshman, but Coach put me in. I got down in the count, then worked it to 3-2 before I drove one up the middle for a single. I came around to score from first base when the next batter, Anthony Yarson, doubled.”

Fun memories like those may be overshadowed by how this season ended. That’s even more reason that Miller and the Class of 2020 should be remembered for all their contributions to their teams and their schools.