Milroys, Marmion help Cadets to record-setting season

With all due respect to any player on Marmion's baseball team who doesn't have the last name of Milroy, perhaps the Cadets wouldn't have had the season they had if it wasn't for two players with that last name.

Matt Milroy, a junior pitcher/first baseman, and his older brother, Tim, a senior outfielder/first baseman/pitcher, have done wonders to this Marmion team who not only set a school record for wins and finish second in the Suburban Catholic Conference (at 10-3), but helped the Cadets win their first regional title since 1969.

"Without Matt and Tim, we wouldn't have made it as far as we did in conference and in the playoffs," Marmion coach Dave Rakow said. "They definitely are a big piece in the puzzle."

Tim is the soft-spoken, quiet one who didn't play basketball his senior season mainly so he could focus on baseball. He's the type of pitcher who is more finesse and pitches for location rather than power.

Matt is the No. 1 starter who throws hard for strikes and has a fierce bat. He's among the leaders in the Tri-Cities Area in several batting categories and is without a doubt the more outspoken and vocal of the two.

Coming into this season, Rakow, a first-year varsity coach, knew Matt better than Tim because Matt was on his sophomore team last year. He was fully aware of the potential Matt had on the mound and at the plate, but what he's done this year for the Cadets has been outstanding.

In 85 at-bats, Matt has 39 hits, 12 doubles (second in area), 3 triples (tied for first), 4 home runs (tied for seventh), scored 31 runs (third), 36 RBI (second) with a batting average of .459 (third).

"We knew he had the potential," Rakow said. "It was just a matter of harnessing that potential. When someone is good as a sophomore, it doesn't necessarily mean it will transfer over to varsity as a junior, but he's met the potential we thought he could meet."

"He's hitting a lot better than what's I've seen out of him before," Tim Milroy added. "He's always had a high batting average, but his power has really come around this season."

"This is the best hitting year I've ever had," Matt added.

Matt's pitching has stood out as well. He is 3-2 with a 3.32 ERA with 72 strikeouts as the team's ace.

"His pitching has been phenomenal this year," Tim said.

So is Matt a better hitter or hurler?

"We don't even know," Rakow said. "We talk about it all the time. If he plays college ball, will they want him as an outfielder or both? We knew he was a really good pitcher, but his hitting has surprised us a bit."

Tim hasn't been too shabby either in both categories. Last year, he was the Cadets' No. 1 pitcher, but stepped aside for Matt and Brian Burns, the No. 2 starter.

Did he mind?

"Not at all, as long as we keep winning," Tim said.

As a pitcher, Tim is currently 3-3 with a 4.32 ERA in 34 innings pitched. As a batter, he's third on the Cadets in batting average at .385. In 65 at-bats, he's scored 12 runs with 25 hits, 1 home run and 16 RBI.

"We haven't needed (Tim) yet in the playoffs to pitch, but he's a nice third option," Rakow said. "(With Matt, Tim and Burns), it's definitely a selection most teams don't have."

It's also nice to have two different kinds of pitchers when it comes time to mixing things up.

"Matt is more of a power pitcher," Rakow said. "He throws harder than Tim. (Tim) doesn't strike out as many as Matt does. He relies on the defense more, hitting groundouts. Hitters will touch the ball more against Tim, not necessarily hitting the ball hard."

Their pitching styles may be different, but the way they feel about each other is the same. Both encourage each other and said they never argue or get loud with one another.

"We don't fight at all," Matt said. "We are competitive, but we don't get on each other. We just play. He wants me to do well. He's happy for me. He wants me to do the best I can."

"In practice, they hang around each other all the time," Rakow added. "Game time, if one of them is having a tough time, one will talk to the other, especially when Matt is on the mound and Timmy is at first base. It's not competitive or anything like that."

The Batavia residents, whose uncle John is the Headmaster at Marmion, will be split up for the first time when Tim heads to college at Concordia College in Minnesota to play baseball.

"It will go two ways," Matt said of missing Tim when he is gone. "There will be an extra room at the house, but I'll also want to go visit him…I'll miss his leadership and him being someone I can always talk to."