Joaquin Rodriguez is an ASU Cronkite Journalism student assigned to cover Tempe High School for AZPreps365.com

The PlayStation controller rested in Ronin Miller’s hands as he sat on the couch, spending another quiet day of the COVID-19 shutdown playing Madden.

Like many teenagers in 2020, Miller suddenly had endless free time. School was remote, extracurricular activities were paused and the days blended together indoors.

Then his mom walked into the room with a suggestion that would change the direction of his life.

“She was like, ‘Why don’t you try playing baseball?’” Miller said.

At the time, the middle schooler had never seriously played the sport. While many of his future teammates had spent years in travel leagues and training programs, Miller was starting from scratch. What began as a way to pass time during the pandemic quickly turned into something much bigger.

Miller joined a recreational league and immediately found himself learning the game from the ground up. Early on, he was often stationed deep in right field and struggled to keep up with players who had years more experience.

“I wasn’t very good,” Miller said with a laugh. “But as I got better, I started having more fun and just fell in love with the game every single day.”

That love quickly turned into determination. Because he started later than most, Miller said he understood early that catching up would require extra work.

By the time he was 14, Miller began playing club baseball, where the competition and expectations rose dramatically.

“I remember a guy hitting a line drive right back at me and it hit my leg,” Miller said. “Just the level from rec league to club was different. It was like, ‘Dang.’”

But those early wake-up calls only pushed him to improve. Through weight-room work, backyard batting practice and extra training, Miller steadily developed his game. One of the biggest improvements came at the plate.

“When I first started, I could barely hit it out of the infield,” Miller said. “Now in summer ball, I’m hitting doubles off the wall and even hitting some home runs.”

His growth hasn’t gone unnoticed at Tempe High School. Now a senior pitcher and infielder, Miller has become a key piece for the Buffaloes, head coach Ed Johnson said.

“He’s a veteran guy,” Johnson said. “He’s been playing all four years of high school. … He’s definitely a guy that we’re going to rely on heavily this year.”

That leadership role wasn’t always guaranteed. After making varsity as a freshman, Miller said his early high school experience included some humbling moments.

Those lessons helped shape the player and teammate he is today.

“He’s kind of taken over a leadership role here,” Johnson said. “He’s kind of taken on that leadership role and embraced it.”

For Miller, the journey is still just beginning. He hopes to continue playing baseball after graduation and plans to pursue a walk-on opportunity at Mesa Community College while continuing his recruitment process.

Regardless of where baseball takes him next, Miller hasn’t forgotten how it all started, with a quiet afternoon, a video game and a simple suggestion from his mom.

“I didn’t plan on baseball being my thing,” Miller said. “But once I started getting better, I just fell in love with it.”