Sage Hill’s Milder plays big

Some kids like to lessen part of their academic or athletic load in order to better enjoy their last year of high school. But Sage Hill School’s Zach Milder is getting it done academically ? he’s going to Pitzer College next year ? and athletically.

Milder, at just 145 pounds, not only continued to play baseball and soccer this season, he also added a third sport to his repertoire ? football. Milder said he’s keeping busy and having a blast doing it.

“Soccer and baseball are my top sports, but I had a lot of fun playing football this season,” Milder said. “I always played football with friends for fun. I finally decided to get out there. I think I picked it up pretty quickly.”

After playing varsity football for the first time ? helping the team as a scrappy wide receiver, safety and, occasionally, kicker ? Milder went on to have a stellar season for the Lightning boys’ soccer team, for which he was a first-team All-Academy League selection.

Now Milder is getting it done on the baseball diamond. On April 13 against Brethren Christian, Milder went 3 for 4, stole a base, scored two runs and drove in a run in the Lightning’s 8-7 victory over Brethren Christian. Milder was especially aggressive on the basepaths, where he scored twice on wild pitches, including the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

In the sixth inning, Milder slugged an RBI double and then stole third base. When Brethren Christian’s Tommy Kilbane threw a pitch that bounced off the catcher and away from the plate, Milder took off for home. He had scored on a similar play earlier in the game. This time, the ball didn’t bounce as far away as he thought it might.

The play at the plate was close, but Milder was called safe with the tying run.

Milder, who plans to play soccer and possibly baseball at Pitzer College, also got it done on defense. The shortstop helped keep Brethren Christian from mounting a rally when he scooped up a ground ball that looked ticketed for center field, spun around and threw to first base to get the out.

Fittingly, Milder assisted on the last out of the 8-7 win, fielding a ground ball and throwing to first base a little bit into the runner. He graciously credited first baseman Zach Shockley with bailing him out by coming off the bag to take the throw and make the tag.

Milder may not be the most imposing-looking athlete around, but he plays hard and is effective in whatever sport he competes in.

“I don’t think size has anything to do with my work ethic. I feel if I’m going to do something, I might as well give 100%,” Milder said. “I see my size as an advantage, especially in football. They look past me. They see me and don’t give me a second thought until I’m attacking their ankles.”

And in baseball, he doesn’t necessarily look like the guy you’d expect to make the big plays he makes.

“I get underestimated a lot,” he said.

The Zach Milder File

Hometown: Laguna Beach

Height: 5-foot-10

Weight: 145

Sport: Baseball

Position: Shortstop

Coach: Bert Emerson

Favorite food: Lasagna from Star Grazer’s Catering in the school cafeteria

Favorite movie: “City of God”

Favorite athletic moment: “It was my sophomore year, scoring the game-winning goal to beat St. Margaret’s for the first time ever in soccer, 1-0.”

Week in review: Milder went three for four, stole a base, scored two runs, drove in a run and made a couple of big defensive plays in the Sage Hill baseball team’s 8-7 victory over Brethren Christian on April 13. Milder scored the tying run on a wild pitch.dpt-athlete21.IMGGraphicInfoQG1Q654220060421QG1Q6542No Captiondpt.21-aow-milder-BPhotoInfoUO1Q651R20060421iy1t68ncKENT TREPTOW / DAILY PILOT(LA)