LAFAYETTE CO. LEFTY, MILLS, INKS WITH TIGERS

May 14, 2007
By John Davis
Sports Editor
OXFORD EAGLE

A passionate love for baseball and a tireless work ethic to become the best paid dividends for Lafayette senior first baseman Jake Mills during his high school career.

With Mills anchoring first base the last two years, the Commodores won the Class 4A state title last year and advanced to the second round of the playoffs this season. Helping a team win a championship starting from ground level is something Mills has already helped the Commodores do, and it was a big reason why signing and playing for Northeast Mississippi Community College the next two years was so appealing.

"Coach (Kent) Farris wants to turn that program around, and he made me believe that they were going to get over the top," said Mills, who signed with the Booneville-based school this morning. "They're getting there as a program, and they told me that I was a player that could help them get over the top.

"I liked Northeast, it was a place I wanted to go," Mills added. "I bonded with Coach Farris. They really pursued me, I felt they really wanted me. I had a good tryout earlier in the year, and I had a good time on my official visit. I'm excited about the opportunity, it's been a dream of mine to play at the next level."

Mills, who hit .341 with three home runs and 35 RBIs this year, is expected to compete for the starting spot at first base as well as pitch for the Tigers. The left-hander was 6-3 on the mound in 2007 with a 3.33 ERA. Mills also had 54 strikeouts in 48.1 innings pitched for LHS coach Richy Harrelson.
"I think Northeast is really a good fit for him, and I think he'll like the area up there," Harrelson said. "He can play first for you or pitch. Every team is looking for a left-handed pitcher, and he did a great job for us on the mound this year. I think the thing about Jake is he's a good baseball player now and will only get better when he just concentrates on it full time."

Harrelson has seen Mills mature as a player since he started coaching him as a ninth grader, and he has been impressed with his quick transformation into a team-first player.

"He was cocky when he was in ninth grade, and I used to get on to him all the time about it. I wondered if he would actually be a contributor, but he started to figure it out in 10th grade and he got better," Harrelson said. "It usually doesn't happen that early. Jake is just a good guy to be around. He's the kind of player that keeps everybody else working, he's just a winner and he really turned into a great player for us.

"The thing that impressed me the most about him the past few years is his ability to control the bat," Harrelson added. "He's good at doing things that go unnoticed. He had 20 walks this year because he can control that strike zone with his bat and patience at the plate. He also did a great job for us in clutch situations and putting the ball in play."

Mills led the team with an on-base percentage of .479 this year and getting on base more for a cleanup hitter like Josh Thomason was a goal he set before the season began.

"When I came up as a ninth grader, I wasn't a good hitter. I pulled everything. I don't know if I was cocky, I would say hard-headed. I thought I knew more baseball than I really did, and I finally started buying into what coach was saying. I realized that I wasn't going to hit 20 bombs a year, and I would rather have the on-base percentage,"

Mills said. "I think I excelled at being patient at the plate. I tried to work the count so that it would pay off for the other guys down the line. I wanted to give myself up for the betterment of the team. The first two games of the year, I went up there hacking. I wasn't very patient, I had a lot of pressure on me being a senior. But I started to relax after that, saw more pitches and ended up getting more hits. I stuck with the plan the rest of the year."

Harrelson may get the credit for transforming Mills' game at the plate, but it was Commodore assistant coach Ryan Taylor who proved to be the biggest help on the mound this year.

"He was the reason I was so successful, there's no doubt," Mills said of Taylor. "He taught me how to pitch. He taught me that it wasn't all about speed, it was about keeping the ball low and getting ground balls. He taught me how to hit my spots every time instead of just doing it here and there. He really helped me a lot."

Before Mills heads off to Northeast later this year, he will play his summer ball for Senior Legion Pontotoc Red Sox.
"I want to get stronger and get some more muscle," Mills said. "I can't get satisfied now that I've gotten to college. Everybody else is going to be working out and doing the same things to get better."

johndavis@oxfordeagle.com