Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2009 4:20 pm

Bubba Cates

MARTIN, Tenn. — Bubba Cates, the head baseball coach at the University of Tennessee at Martin, realized he was going to lose a lot of pitching experience when the 2009 season was over. Among the losses, his son Lin Cates, Tanner Hensley, Adam Bowker and Travis Webb. The four combined to account for 71 appearances, 16 starts and 149.2 innings.
"We need the experience factor and we thought we could find it at the junior college level," Cates said.
Cates' first move toward adding experience on the mound is the signing of right-hander Matt Miller from Tallahassee Community College. Miller helped lead Tallahassee to the 2009 Panhandle Conference Championship. He appeared in both a starting and relief role during his career.
As a freshman, Miller led Tallahassee with a team-best 2.61 ERA while holding opponents to a .209 batting average. He also tossed a complete-game five-hitter against Northwest Florida State College.
Miller prepped at North Florida Christian School. In 29 career games, Miller went 2-0 with a 5.03 ERA and four saves. He helped lead his team to the 2007 Class 2A Florida State Championship. He was a two-time all-state selection, a Louisville Slugger Pre-season All-American and a TPX All-American.
"We feel like Matt will help us right away," Cates said.
In addition to his junior college resume and his stellar prep career, Miller has played summer league baseball in the Great South Collegiate League with the Florida Legends.
"I chose UT Martin because it seemed like the right place for me to continue my baseball career," Miller said.