After Taking Leap, Gators’ Miller Ready For Challenge of Playing in SEC

New Florida shortstop Sam Miller got an early taste of what it’s like to play for the Gators.

Last season, he was playing in front of a few hundred fans last season every weekend at Columbia University. At Florida, even a fall scrimmage draws that size of crowd.

“[There were] probably 100 people there [at one of Florida’s October scrimmages],” said Miller, who is projected to be the Gators’ starting shortstop in 2026 after spending three seasons playing at the Ivy League institution. “That’s usually what either a weekend series or a midweek at Columbia had, so it’s definitely crazy.” 

Robertson Field at Satow Stadium, where Columbia plays its home games, has a capacity of 1,500 fans. Meanwhile, UF’s Condron Family Ballpark can hold up to 10,000.

But it’s not just the crowds that will be a significant step up, it’s the competition. After transferring to Florida in July, Miller now also must adapt to the level of talent in the SEC, which is widely regarded as the best conference in college baseball. Since 2019, the SEC has produced every College World Series winner. Six different SEC schools have won a championship since 2017, when Florida won its first college baseball title.

Miller knows it will be an adjustment.

“I mean, I don’t see 97 every day in the Ivy,” Miller said. “The biggest adjustment I’d say is [velocity], and just the intensity of everything. It’s a step up, everything is done with more intent, but I’ve adjusted pretty well. It’s the same game, no matter at what level you play at.”

The 6-foot, 225-pound Miller is coming off back-to-back excellent seasons at Columbia. He hit .355 with 12 homers as a sophomore and followed that up with an even better junior year. Miller was named the Ivy League Player of the Year last season, batting .338 and leading the conference in both home runs (16) and RBIs (57). He also had a .407 on-base percentage and slugging 1.013.

“[My 2025 season] definitely helped my status,” Miller said. “But I didn’t really think about going in the portal until like two weeks before it closed. I was really sitting back and thinking, ‘Am I going to regret going another step further and seeing if I can play with everybody here in the SEC?’ 

“And I ended up taking that leap.”

It’s not totally unfamiliar for Miller, who did play some big games at Columbia that featured the type of elite pitching he’ll see consistently in big-time college baseball.

First, he played in Gainesville as a sophomore when the Lions visited Condron in 2024. Miller went 1-for-4 in that series with a walk, starting one game. Last season, Columbia also played at Georgia; Miller went 2-for-10 with two RBIs that series. He also went 4-for-14 with two RBIs in the Hattiesburg Regional in the NCAA tournament, facing top-seeded Southern Miss twice and Miami. 

But for Miller, as a native of McMurray, Pennsylvania, who has lived in the Northeast his entire life, the decision to transfer was not easy.

“It was very hard,” said Miller, who credited Florida’s history of sending players to the major leagues as one of the biggestfactors that impacted his decision to commit. “It’s very emotional. You know, one day I’d wake up, and I’m staying. The next day, I wake up, and I think I’m gonna leave.”

Miller could be a significant addition to Florida’s infield for his senior season.

Last season, the Gators had Colby Shelton at shortstop, who was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the sixth round of the 2025 MLB draft. Miller is projected to step into Shelton’s role, where he will team up with senior second baseman Cade Kurland to make up the primary double-play connection for the Gators. 

“I’m excited. It’ll be pretty fun,” Miller said of his early relationship with Kurland. “He’s a good guy, a veteran guy, knows a lot, so I’m excited to just keep getting better with him.” 

Kurland has also felt the chemistry growing between the two since Miller arrived on campus.

“He’s awesome. He’s my boy,” Kurland said. “When you spend so much time together, you just develop those relationships that are kind of inseparable, honestly.”

To help prepare for the increase in competition, Miller played this summer for the West Virginia Black Bears in the MLB Draft League. He hit just .212 with no homers and 14 RBIs in 25 games with the Black Bears,  but he still learned a lot from the experience.

“I didn’t play too well, but it helped a ton because I saw velo, and the coaches I had were awesome,” Miller said. 

The learning has carried over to the fall. Miller said he has felt fine about his performances in fall scrimmages and already feels like he’s adjusting. He went 2-for-6 (.333) with an RBI in the Gators’ exhibition games against Georgia Southern and Jacksonville.

“On defense, I could play a little better,” Miller said. “But I feel like I’m handling the bat pretty well. I just got to stay on the fastball a little bit better.”

Despite being Florida’s projected starting shortstop, Miller remains grounded and is quick to point out that talent exists everywhere, at every level. For Miller, his transfer from the Ivy League is not just about playing in front of more fans. Rather, it is about proving that his talent can translate anywhere. 

“I think you come here and people get blindsided by the SEC being the best,” Miller said. “There’s talent everywhere, people are getting so much better, and baseball just continues to get better at each level.”

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