VYPE Athlete of the Month -- The Woodlands Brandon Miles

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BRANDON MILES, The Woodlands, Baseball

By Austin Staton

@astaton

BRANDON MILES (back right corner) will lead the Highlander pitching staff.

Injury setbacks can break a student-athlete or they can create extra drive and motivation to bounce back even stronger than before.

For The Woodlands’ Brandon Miles, the latter sums up his persona.

After suffering a full360-degreelabral tear that sidelined the right-handed pitcher for his sophomore year, Miles rehabbed with a purpose and is now a key component to the Highlanders' pitching staff this season.

“Not being able to play my sophomore season was a challenge,” says the 5-foot-11, 195-pound senior. “I had to bounce back after the injury and keep my hitting and throwing up while rehabilitating my right shoulder.”

With a fastball that currently sits in the upper 80s and tops out at 90 MPH, and a solid secondary pitch in a 75 MPH slider, Miles credits his increased velocity to his workout regiment over the summer which included daily long toss and throwing weighted balls to build arm strength. Additionally, he says that his time with the Houston Heat allowed him to gain extra exposure to collegiate teams following his injury.

“I believe the Heat helped me a lot with my recruitment to the University of Houston,” says Miles. “I liked the Cougars’ facilities, their pitching coach Frank Anderson, and the academic side with their athletic tutoring program.”

In his final season at The Woodlands, Miles says that the early exit in the state playoffs last season has given his team even more of a sense of urgency to achieve success this season. And he says the pitching staff will be one of the team’s strengths.

“What happened last season in the playoffs has fired this team up,” he says. “We’re looking strong during spring practice and our main strength is pitching with solid arms like Ryan Burnett and an up-and-comer in Chris Andristos.”

As for personal goals, the 35th-rated right-handed prospect in the state isn’t shy about individual aspirations.

“I want to be named all-State this season,” he says. “To get there, I’ll have to do my job and pitch well.”

With a strong two-seam fastball and a slider to compliment, don’t look past him. He’s proven that his injury hasn’t defined him; it only set his career in motion.