ABINGTON, PA. – The Penn State Abington athletic department is pleased to announce that former Major League Baseball player and La Salle University head coach David Miller will take over the helm of the Nittany Lions' baseball program.

Miller brings a wealth of baseball experience, both on the field and in the dugout, to a Penn State Abington team that has recently posted the two best seasons in program history and has many key contributors returning in 2022.

"Growing up down the street from the campus, I'm really excited to be here," said Miller, whose father Ronald attended the institution when it was Penn State Ogontz. "I want to build off the success that the team has recently had and continue to grow it into one of the premier programs in Division III."

Miller was the head coach at Division I La Salle for four years until the school discontinued the program following the 2021 season.  He won 76 games during his time (which included the 2020 season that was cut short due to COVID-19), including 25 in just his second year.

In 2021, with the cloud hanging over the team that it was their last year of play, the Explorers went out and notched a school-record 32 wins, including 15 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. A school-record nine players earned all-conference honors and Miller was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year.

Miller was high school standout at nearby Chestnut Hill Academy before starring at Clemson University. He was an All-American and National Player of the Year finalist as a junior and helped the Tigers win three conference championships and one berth in the College World Series.

Miller was a first-round draft pick (23^rd overall) by the Cleveland Indians in 1995 and played professionally until 2005. In addition to the Indians, he was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburg Pirates organizations. Miller also spent time with the Camden Riversharks.

Miller began his coaching career at the University of Hawaii-Hilo and then had collegiate stints at Rutgers-Camden, Villanova and William & Mary. In 2013, he became the head coach at nearby William Penn Charter High School and produced a record of 88-27 over a four-year period. The team won a pair of Inter-Academic championships, including in 2017 when they went 27-2, were ranked first in Pennsylvania and 12^th nationally by USA Today. Five Penn Charter players were drafted by Major League Baseball teams under Miller's tutelage.

Following his professional career, Miller returned to Clemson and earned his bachelor of arts degree in communication (minor in social sciences) in 2004.