Palm Beach 5A-1A baseball player of the year: Jackson Miller, Benjamin sophomore

Benjamin’s Jackson Miller had a solid freshman season, batting .295 with a pair of home runs. But he felt he needed to mature before his sophomore campaign.

He did, and it showed on the field.

In his second year of varsity baseball, Miller punished opposing pitchers, earning Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County Class 5A-1A player of the year honors in the process.

“I think that I matured a lot as a player from this year to last year,” Miller said. “Going up to bat, I matured a lot with my thoughts in the box, my confidence and the way I carried myself. I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Miller said he was focused on “impressing people around me and more showing people what I was capable of.” But when he focused on himself, his production jumped.

The sophomore became a major contributor to a loaded Benjamin lineup. He hit .457 with five home runs, driving in 20 runs and posting an OPS of 1.371.

Miller also credited new Benjamin assistant coach David Thompson, a former Miami Hurricanes player and New York Mets minor leaguer, with helping him grow.

“He really helped a lot the past year in boosting my stats and how I am as a player now,” Miller said.

The Buccaneers had a loaded team, going 24-3 with nine other Benjamin players earning All County spots this season.

“Honestly, I think playing on a team with a bunch of good players, it makes you play better,” Miller said. “I think it makes some of the players play at a higher level, and it makes it more professional. It makes it fun, at the same time, but you also have to play professional because you need to get the job to play on the field. You can’t just show up thinking that you’re going to have a starting job.”

Miller is committed to Ole Miss, and he said he looks forward to the chance to play in the SEC.

“I always wanted to play in the SEC,” Miller said. “I always wanted to play with the biggest competition. I love the atmosphere at Ole Miss. They have a lot of fans come to the games, and I wanted to go somewhere with a lot of fan interaction with the players, somewhere where they love the players.