Chicago Cubs pitcher and former UTM student Alec Mills delivered the keynote address at the Skyhawk Baseball team’s annual First Pitch Dinner in the UC Ballroom Jan. 26.
Mills, who attended UTM from 2009-12, is the first UTM baseball player to play in Major League Baseball making his debut for the Kansas City Royals in May of 2016, but as Mills explained during his speech, he almost missed his chance to play baseball at UTM altogether.
After playing baseball in high school, Mills did not receive a single college offer to play baseball. Instead, he began studying Engineering at UTM in the fall of 2009.
During his freshman year, Mills contacted the head coach, Bubba Cates, for a tryout and made the team after pitching for him. By the end of Mills’s junior year, he was ranked sixth in the OVC for strikeouts (74), sixth for least walks per nine innings (2.63) and eighth for innings pitched (89).
“I was going to be the best pitcher on that team and knew that nothing was going to stop me,” Mills said. “That mindset helped me work hard.”
Mills addressed the team, urging them to be the best teammates they could possibly be.
“The group of guys around you are the guys you will stand toe-to-toe with against the opposition for roughly 55, hopefully, more than that, games this year,” Mills said. “You will only go as far as your weakest link. Every person on the bench has a purpose.”
Mills referenced an analogy made by Duke University basketball coach, Mike Krzyzewski, who said, “When you try to hit someone with just one finger or even two fingers, you’re not going to do much damage and probably hurt yourself more than actually accomplish anything. But if you put all five fingers together and make a fist, real damage can be done.”
Mills acknowledged that while there are more than five members on a baseball team, the analogy still connected with their purpose of working together to better not only themselves but the team.
“As a pitcher, my job is to access weaknesses and exploit them to the best of my ability. When all nine guys are competing every at-bat, not wavering one bit, that really can get frustrating [for the opposing team].”
Mills also encouraged the team to be the best competitors they can be.
“I’m probably not the guy that is going to blow up stat-sheets or throw 100 mph… It’s not going to be me, but it’s a good reason of what has gotten me to where I am today,” Mills said. “When I step on that mound, I always believe that I am the best player on the field that day. Whether I’m not the guy who throws the hardest, I’m will be the best player on the team.”
“I will give my team the best chance of winning that day. I will get this guy out. I will throw as hard as I can for as long as I can until coach takes the ball from my hand. And then I will cheer on the guy who comes in the game after me as hard as I can.”
Mills explained that in baseball, a little bit of cockiness can go a long way.
“After all, a skinny white guy who wears glasses on the mound, that had no offers out of high school, that walked on at Tennessee Martin and was drafted 673 overall, got to pitch at Wrigley field this year for the Chicago Cubs.”
As Mills concluded, he answered questions from the audience. One member asked what two things he hopes his teammates will say about him when he retires from his baseball career. After pausing for a moment, Mills said, “One of those things is I guess I want them to say I was one of the best teammates to play with, always on their side, always had their back, always wanted them to succeed.”
“I guess the second thing is… I don’t want to be remembered for baseball; I want to be remembered for who I am off of the field… Baseball is not going to be who I am. Hopefully, they say that.”
After the dinner, Mills and the UTM baseball players had a team meeting to discuss any questions the players had for Mills.
The annual First Pitch Dinner acts as a fund-raiser for the UTM Baseball Team.
Chicago Cubs Pitcher and former UTM student Alec Mills gives the keynote speech at the annual First Pitch Dinner Jan. 26, in the UC Ballroom. | Photo credit/Sarah Knapp
