Former Lion and current Baltimore Orioles pitcher Wade Miley had his jersey retired at the Alumni Game in front of his family and friends. Miley has also been inducted into Southeastern Athletics Hall of Fame and the Southland Conference Hall of Honor.  
Nikisun Shrestha/ The Lion's Roar

Former baseball players joined hands with the current players to organize the Alumni Game at the Alumni Field.

On Saturday, Feb. 4, the Alumni Game provided the fans with the spectacle of witnessing the preparation of the baseball roster going into the season as they went shoulder to shoulder with the former players. 

“I tell you it’s an impressive bunch,” said baseball Head Coach Matt Riser. “To see so many guys within the seven, eight years show up. This has probably been our biggest crew. We had 40 to 45 alumni that showed up. Honestly, some of them hung up, didn’t want to play. It’s been a little bit of time since they last played. The alumni crew, you look over there and you see Jameson Fisher, Pat Cashman, Brock Hebert. So many of the professionals there, they know how to do it. I think it was good for our guys to see it. I think it was really neat for our guys to see how much this means to them as well.”

Before the game, the Lions retired the jersey of former Lion and current Baltimore Orioles pitcher Wade Miley.

“That’s an honor I didn’t expect at all,” said Miley. “For this school to do that, it means something special. It’s hard to put words on it.”

Riser was also happy with this decision and was commending the efforts Miley still does to the Lions baseball team.

“Very pleased with it,” said Riser. “Very well deserving, by far the most distinguished alumni we had with his professional career and what he’s accomplished. He’s still been always involved with the program. Comes out every spring training before he gets cranked up, comes out, works with the guys, talks and communicates with the guys from a mentality standpoint. Always been willing and looking forward to giving back to these guys.”

Miley cherished his time at the university and has fond memories of it.

“It was just an outstanding time,” said Miley. “You come out of high school, you’re a kid and you get an opportunity to play Division I baseball. I came here, Coach Artigues had taken over his first year. The welcoming I got and the friends you make, you know. Some of my best friends are on that dugout in the alumni.”

Miley also gave out some advice for the current crop of players.

“Just have fun,” said Miley. “It’s a dream. You’re blessed to play Division I baseball and make the most of it. Don’t forget it’s a game, keep having fun and see where it takes you in life.”

The Alumni Game saw the end of the pre-season preparations for the Lions. Riser assessed the team’s preparation and has set certain expectations from the upcoming season.

“We got a lot of work to do,” said Riser. “It has not been pretty so far. I thought this group would be a little more prepared when they came back. We’re still making a lot of the same mistakes. We’re really looking forward to all these guys doing a little bit of what they did last year. Our expectations are extremely high. We wanna go win and do more than we’ve ever done. There’s gonna be one team happy at the end of the year, that’s whoever wins the National Championship. That’s becoming more and more of a reality here at Southeastern. We’re getting closer and closer to that goal.”

The Alumni Game provided the fans with the opportunity to witness former baseball players compete with the current players. It is also the last event before the baseball season returns on Friday, Feb. 17. 
Nikisun Shrestha/ The Lion's Roar