As a result of the conference and district championship season enjoyed by the Milford High School baseball team this spring, several members of the Eagles’ roster, in addition to head coach Tom Kilgore, have recently earned All-Eastern Cincinnati Conference and All-Ohio accolades. The big award winner is senior Brad Hall who was named the ECC’s Player of the Year for the second straight season, while also being tabbed first team All-Ohio. Kilgore, the highly-successful, veteran head coach of the Eagles, earned ECC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year and the third time in the four-year history of the league.
Other players to earn honors from both the ECC and in Ohio are the junior duo of Wes Reid and Sam Dobrowolski. Both players were among the league-best five first team All-ECC selections from Milford, with Reid also being named second team All-Ohio and Dobrowolski being tabbed honorable mention. The other three All-ECC first team honorees are junior Matt Kirk and seniors Nathan Kroger and Kyle Ruehlman. Sophomore Kyle Music was placed on the All-ECC second team, while junior Keith Carter was Milford’s honorable mention choice.
Despite a devastating injury that kept him from being the two-way standout he has been throughout his career, Hall proved to be the ECC’s most dangerous player in 2016. Hall wrapped up his prep career with a .424 batting average, a total of 15 extra-base hits and 35 RBI. A stellar all-around athlete, Hall also shared top honors in the league with 18 stolen bases, while committing just two errors in over 230 total chances at first base.
Reid also had a huge offensive season, hitting a team-high .481, with 11 doubles among 13 extra-base hits. He also knocked in 24 and swiped 11 bases. At shortstop, Reid was tagged with just four errors in 31 games.
In his first year as the Eagles’ varsity catcher, Dobrowolski came up large, hitting .421, accounting for 29 RBI and eight extra-base hits. Behind the plate, Dobrowolski picked off three runners and did not commit a single error in 31 contests.
Another first-year varsity player, Kirk also put up big offensive numbers for the Eagles. The junior was among the Eagles’ best with a .367 batting average, while pacing the club with 16 total extra-base hits. Kirk also drove in 26, while swiping five bases.
Kroger ended the season with the lowest ERA on the league’s best pitching staff at 1.62. Over 11 appearances that included seven starts, Kroger posted a 5-1 record with a pair of complete games (one a shutout), while also notching a save. Over 39 innings, he struck out 30.
For the third straight season, Ruehlman was the ace of the Milford staff, winning a team-high eight games in a best 13 appearances. Ruehlman finished his campaign with three shutouts among four complete games, while also coming out of the bullpen to earn a pair of saves. In a team-best 60 innings, Ruehlman led the Eagles with 56 strikeouts.
Kilgore earned his ninth career conference coach of the year award after leading the Eagles to a 28-3 record, a share of the ECC title, the Cincinnati Enquirer poll championship and a Southwest District crown.
Yet another first-year varsity player, Music excelled on the mound for Milford this year. Just a sophomore, Music posted a perfect 6-0 record on the mound and a sparkling 1.84 ERA over nine appearances. In addition, he recorded one complete game, one save and 32 strikeouts in just over 29 innings pitched.
Carter posted a team-best 41 RBI, while also pacing the Eagles with 14 doubles. In his second varsity season, Carter finished just behind Milford’s three first team selections with a .409 batting average.