After leading her team in nearly every offensive category, Daviess County’s Millie Roberts has been named the The Owensboro Times 2019 Softball Player of the Year.
Roberts has plenty of confidence with a bat in her hands, and for good reason. The freshman catcher shattered the previous school record of 11 home runs in a single season by hitting 16, and she’s got three more years to keep going.
“At the start of the season, I knew the home run record was 11, so I knew I could beat that for sure,” she said. “That was my initial goal for the season, so now my goal is to get the career record.”
Even when she’s not hitting dingers, Roberts is a powerful hitter that’s hard to keep off the base paths. She led the team in triples (4), doubles (9) and total hits (59), as well as RBIs (64) and runs (51). She also drew 19 walks — several of which were intentional — and struck out only seven times in 107 at bats.
Roberts said DC head coach John Biggs has helped her stay patient at the plate, and it’s helped drive her numbers up.
“Coach Biggs always stresses to me to get my pitch and not swing at everything when I go up there,” she said. “That’s helped me a lot. During practice he never throws me the ball right down the middle. He always challenges me with outside or inside or high so I can get used to hitting balls that aren’t always strikes.”
Biggs said while Roberts put on an offensive showcase this year, he’s just as impressed with her development on defense.
“She’s got the fastest hands,” he said. “It’s just amazing. Even with what she’s done with improving at batting, she’s also improved her skills behind the plate — framing pitches, throwing runners out — that progression has really come on. I can’t say enough about her.”
Though she is just a freshman, Roberts stepped into a leadership role and was embraced by all the Lady Panthers.
“They don’t don’t treat me as an underclassmen,” she said. “They treat me as one of their own. Everyone on the team is equal.”
Biggs said it’s easy for others to look to Roberts because of her dedication and desire to continuously improve.
“She is so mature for her age,” he said. “She has grown so much from even last year. She’s getting a lot of accolades, but she takes it in stride. She still works as hard as anybody on this team. She’s just a good kid. She keeps everything in perspective. That’s the key. She’s got a bright future. Even being at such a young age, she’s become a leader on this team.”
Roberts and the team experienced some ups and downs this season before finding their groove, ending the year with 9th District and 3rd Region championships and an appearance in the state tournament.
Roberts is hoping to keep improving her own game to help the Lady Panthers find similar success in the coming years.
“I can never be content with what I want to be,” she said. “I’m at a good place. I can always improve on everything, but I feel like I’m at a good point.”
Biggs said he expects great things as Roberts continues her career.
“It’s amazing to think where she could be,” he said. “There’s no doubt we haven’t seen the best of Millie Roberts with as hard as she works and the amount of dedication she puts in each day.”
