By TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Few student-athletes provided a larger two-year impact for Tennessee Tech athletics than Daniel Miles did from 2013-14, establishing himself as one of the best baseball players in program history.
He is one of five inductees into the 50th class of the Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame. Along with Miles, Judson Dillard (men's basketball, 2009-2013), Angela Freund Bobo (soccer, 1998-2001), Michael Penix Sr. (football, 1992-1995), and Zach Stephens (baseball, 2011-2014) will be inducted during the annual Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. CT at the Roaden University Center's Multipurpose Room. Tickets for the dinner are on sale by calling (931) 372-3940, visiting the Eblen Center ticket office, or by visiting TTUsports.com.
A junior college transfer, the third baseman became just the second Golden Eagle ever to earn All-American honors in multiple seasons, piling up six total honors across his two seasons in Cookeville. He also littered his name across the Tech record books across the board.
Behind his bat and glove, the purple and gold set a program record with 40 wins and an OVC record with a mark of 24-6 in league play (both broken by the 2018 Tech squad), capturing the 2013 OVC regular season title. Following his junior campaign, Miles picked up All-American Honorable Mention honors from College Baseball Insider and was named to the All-OVC First Team. During the season, he picked up National Player of the Week accolades from both Collegiate Baseball and CollegeBaseballInsider.com.
The third baseman was even more special in 2014, leading Tech to another 40-win campaign while topping the team with a .380 batting average, 90 hits, 67 runs scored, 39 walks, and a .481 on-base percentage. He also contributed 17 doubles, 11 long balls, and 54 RBI while posting a .945 fielding percentage, once again leading to a program-record .979 mark for the team.
He tied the school record by earning five All-American nods that season, including First Team recognition from Collegiate Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, Second Team honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association, and Third Team accolades from Perfect Game and College Sports Madness. He also became just the third player in program history named a semifinalist for the NCBWA Dick Howser Trophy, given annually to the national college baseball player of the year.
Additionally, he earned a spot on the ABCA All-South Region First Team, his second-straight appearance on the All-OVC First Team, and a bid to the OVC All-Tournament Team. He picked up his third National Player of the Week and OVC Player of the Week honors of his career during the season and was late named Tennessee Tech co-Male Athlete of the Year, sharing the honor with teammate Brandon Thomasson.
During his time in Cookeville, Miles set the program's single-game record for RBI with eight in a contest against NYIT in 2014 (now tied for third) and tied the single-game mark of three home runs in a tilt at in-state rival Austin Peay in 2013. His 2014 marks for hits and runs were both the third-best totals in school history at the time (now seventh and ninth, respectively), while his walks total ranked seventh (now 16th), on-base percentage ranked 15th (now 16th), and batting average ranked 25th.
Despite playing just two years in the purple and gold, the Pascagoula, Miss. native still finished his time ranked among the Golden Eagle career charts in several categories, including eighth with a .601 career slugging percentage (now 10th), 10th with 23 home runs (now 20th), 11th with a .360 batting average (still 11th), and 12th with a .450 on-base percentage (still 12th).
Following his senior campaign, Miles was selected in the eight round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He became the second-highest draft pick among position players in program history, behind only former Tech catcher Eric Brown, who was selected 164th overall in the seventh round of the 1973 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros.
After playing one season professionally for the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Short-Season A affiliate of the Tampa organization, he returned to Tennessee Tech and spent the 2015 season as a volunteer assistant coach under head coach Matt Bragga.
Miles earned his bachelor's degree in exercise science and physical wellness with a concentration in fitness and wellness from Tech in 2014.
