California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Kim Miller was a two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American and three-time all-conference third baseman for the softball team from 2001-2004.

A member of four PSAC West championship teams, Miller helped Cal U make four-consecutive NCAA Division II Regional Tournament appearances with two trips to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament Championship.

During her career, Cal U softball compiled a 126-35 cumulative overall record and a 72-8 PSAC West mark. She started and played in 159 of 161 games during her collegiate career.

She is the 15th softball player to be inducted into the Cal U Athletic Hall of Fame and played under current Cal U softball coach and 2013 NFCA Hall of Fame inductee Rick Bertagnolli. Miller was understandably thrilled when the veteran coach called her about making the Hall of Fame.

“When he called it brought back memories immediately and put me back on the field again, feeling the dirt and the air like when I was out there,” Miller said. “It kind of brings everything back into perspective again because over time you lose touch even though your teammates are your friends forever.

“I would not have wanted to hear this news from anyone else. It’s so special to be recognized and shows you must have left a mark.”

Miller recalled her first visit to Cal U as a high school senior was during a softball alumni weekend, which left her in awe.

“After that visit and watching the former players I did not think I was going to be good enough and frankly was pretty scared,” she said. “Because they have a presence among themselves that shows they mean business and you have to show something.

“I don’t think any player has great expectations when you begin at the college level, especially with a great program.”

Miller credited Bertagnolli for helping her transition to Cal U.

“The whole team is a family and that’s something he tells you from the beginning when he hands you your cleats,” she said.  “This is our sorority. “Making the Hall of Fame is a huge honor but it was also an honor to play for him.”

After becoming a starter and hitting .311 in her freshman season, Miller batted .409 her 2002 sophomore season and earned All-America honors for the first time while leading the Vulcans to a 34-7 overall record. She scored 36 runs that year with 34 RBI, three home runs and 14 extra-base hits.

Miller called her sophomore season a coming out year.

“I had a lot of fun that year because I realized I had to be a leader and enjoyed that role,” she said. “The being scared part was done. I wanted the ball to come to me; I wanted to be the one in the batter’s box when it mattered. I think I broke out of my shell that year and it kept going after that.”

As a junior, Miller helped the Vulcans reach the finals of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament.

She led the NCAA Division II in batting her senior season; her .523 average remains the single-season school record 10 years later. Miller also hit four home runs and scored 42 runs that year. Along with earning first-team All-America honors, she was selected as the 2004 PSAC West Athlete of the Year.  

More than a decade later, Miller joked about looking at the university magazine, The Cal U Review, to see if her batting average record remains intact.

“I look at the part on softball each summer to see if anyone has broken my batting average record and no one has yet, which is one thing I am very proud of,” Miller said laughing. “At the time I’m not even sure if I was aware of that but now I check each year.”

Miller’s .390 career batting average still ranks fourth in school history and her 338 putouts in 2001 are ranked ninth in the record books.

More important than her impressive individual statistics was her penchant for playing at her best in the post-season.

“I don’t know if it was because of the intensity or importance of the games but I just knew that was time for me to light it up,” she said. “I was fortunate to have many standout performances in the post-season because that’s when it mattered the most.”

Bertagnolli emphasized that Miller brought more than just a powerful bat and swift glove to Cal U softball.

“Kimmie Miller is one of many great Western Pennsylvania student-athletes that we’ve been blessed with here,” he said. “More important than her obvious athletic accolades were her character and leadership abilities. Those traits played a huge role in her individual success and our team’s success during her four years.”

Originally from Meadowlands, Pa., Miller is a 2000 graduate of Chartiers-Houston High School, where she was a four-year letter-winner in softball, volleyball and basketball.

A second baseman and shortstop, she helped the perennial-power Buccaneer softball team win the 1999 WPIAL Class A championship with two PIAA state tournament runner-up finishes in 1999 and 2000.

She began playing third base for the Metro Express AAU team while she was still in high school. She also played basketball for many years in the popular Brownson House League.

After attending Cal U and then working for several years, Miller returned to the university and completed her bachelor’s degree in special/elementary education in 2009.

For the past three years she has been a manager for Red Lobster, where she has worked for nine years.

Miller was the assistant softball coach at Peters Township High School for six seasons, and she has worked as a personal trainer for aspiring softball players. She still plays women’s and co-ed slow-pitch softball.

While her career has taken a different path, Miller is glad she completed her degree and appreciates her Cal U education.

“Absolutely it was important for me to come back and finish as soon as I could,” Miller said. “I have not gone that route but it’s a wonderful Plan B to have. The professors were very engaged and got you involved with a lot of field experience and projects. They got you out there living that life so you knew what to expect.”

Miller resides in Meadowlands, Pa., with her son Derrian, nine, and daughter Kenadie, who was born in December 2014.  


updated 2/11/15