Softball: DuPage County All-Area captain Miller delivers when lights are brightest for DVC champ Naperville Central

The Naperville Central softball team had itself a highly notable 2026 season.

Longtime coach Andy Nussbaum’s squad went 25-10, won the DuPage Valley Conference title with an undefeated 15-0 record and also won a Class 4A regional title before losing in the sectional semifinals to eventual state fourth-place finisher Oswego, 2-1.

And right square in the middle of all that success was junior pitcher Avery Miller.

“We did not play an easy schedule,” said Nussbaum, who ticked off games the Redhawks played against Class 4A state-champion Lincoln-Way West, Oswego (twice), St. Charles East and DuKane Conference-champion St. Charles North, among others. “We played the right teams and Avery was tested and came out pretty good against that kind of competition. It’s been a long time since we had a pitcher perform at that level (Nussbaum listed former Central circle luminaries like Halle Arends, Julie Kestas and Keegan Hayes, who all went on to play Division I softball).

“Her improvement from sophomore to junior year was, what’s the word I am looking for? Significant.”

Miller, the DVC pitcher of the year, an Illinois Coaches Association Class 4A All-State second-team selection and now the captain of the 2026 Daily Herald DuPage All-Area softball team, went 19-6 with a 1.82 ERA. She struck out 213 of the 706 batters she faced, working 161 2/3 innings. Miller allowed 148 hits and walked only 51.

In DVC play, she was a perfect 13-0 with 1 save to go with a 0.79 ERA (7 shutouts). Miller struck out 135 of the 392 league batters she faced, walked only 31 and gave up 67 hits in 93 DVC innings. Nussbaum noted in Central’s 3 playoff games, Miller gave up 5 runs in 20 innings.

“Avery was better and our defense was better,” Nussbaum said. “One thing I noticed that she did better this year is she went after people with runners on base. She pitched well under pressure circumstances.”

Nussbaum recalled a game against Benet Academy in the bottom of the seventh when the Redwings had a runner on third and 1 out. “We walked 2 batters and then she struck out the next batter and got a fly out or popup to end the inning,” he said. “She did so much better this year under pressure.”

Miller said improvement this season was simply a matter of betting on herself.

“I definitely compared this season to last season and trusted myself a bit more and trusted the work I did in the offseason,” she said. “I had a better mentality to go after everybody and do the best I could. I didn’t worry about outside factors. You control the controlables. I did what I could and took deep breaths. I didn’t get in my own head. I had the confidence to calm myself down.”

Miller unabashedly admitted she would talk to herself while on the mound.

“I was definitely telling myself that I have this and not to let anybody else get in my head,” she said. “I was always positive. Let’s go and you got this. You can do this and I believe in you — those type of affirmations. I didn’t let the pressure get to me this year. One thing I did was really improve on learning how to play loose. The games are very important and you want to win, but you don’t have to stress about it. It’s more of a fun and loose mindset. I was positive.”

And, oh, by the way, Miller was also a force at the plate. She was second on the team with a .392 batting average, led the team in home runs with nine and tied for the team lead in RBI with 34. Miller finished with a .742 slugging percentage and a 1.230 OPS. She hit .390 with 3 homers and 10 RBI in conference play.

“I usually don’t hit very often on my travel team (Tennessee Mojo),” she said. “My mentality on hitting is go up there and ball out. The first pitch, if I like it, I am going to attack it and swing. Go after anything you can get and be aggressive with counts and try not to get behind.”

Nussbaum pointed out Miller increased her win total and strikeout total in the circle, “and, of course, not to be greedy, she led the team in home runs, tied for the team lead in RBI and batted fourth 95 percent of the year,” he said. “Obviously, she was integral to our success. In the conference, I thought we had a chance, but I didn’t think we would run the table. We had a very satisfying DVC year, again Avery was the main cog in that wheel for us. We won 10 of our last 11 before losing the sectional game. We played good ball at the end and, obviously, Avery was a huge part of that. In the circle and as our cleanup hitter, her performance was vital to our success.”

Senior Natalie Lau, one of 3 captains along with Miller and junior Cali Lenz, echoed Nussbaum’s words regarding just how pivotal Miller was.

“Avery did a great job pitching and hitting,” said Lau, headed to the University of Pennsylvania. “She led our team through a lot of tough games. It’s great to see her succeed on the mound and also exciting to see her hit. There were a couple really crucial times she came through. She had the 2-run walk-off home run on senior night (against St. Charles East) that was super awesome. She had a 2-run single in the regional championship against Plainfield North. Her being able to come through on defense and offense is very special.”

Lau has watched Miller develop as a player and a leader over the past 3 years. “Since her freshman year, she has done a great job pitching and has been reliable for us every year,” she said. “This season, she was lights out and was much stronger both hitting and pitching. When we start an inning and go in the circle together, she always gives us something inspirational. It’s a good way to establish standards of what we expect of ourselves and it’s a great way she demonstrates her leadership.”

“She’s a good kid,” Nussbaum said of Miller. “She’s one of those kids who would tell me she had an AP test and would be late to the bus — a good student and a good kid. She was one our captains with Cali (DVC player of the year) and Natalie being the primary senior leader. We had a great year where there was very little drama. That goes a long way with a team being successful and Avery was one of the key parts of that.”

Lau said Miller still has room for even more improvement.

“She hasn’t hit her ceiling yet,” she said. “She has a lot of time to grow over the summer and also her senior year. I’m hoping she has the opportunity to play in college as well. She works very hard for that. I’m excited to see all the things she does next year and in her college career as well.”

Miller said this year was a blast and she’s ready for even more fireworks.

“I’m very happy with how our season went,” she said. “Everybody worked super hard and we all got along very well. I’m very glad we all balled out together and put in our 100 percents. I’m very motivated. Every year, the goal is to do better than the previous year. Senior year next year is my last year. I definitely want to end it with a bang.”