Greenbrier pitcher makes memories on the mound

Hunter Milligan went 4-2 with a 1.50 ERA as a junior at Greenbrier.

Editor's Note: Milligan decommitted from Mississippi State on June 29 and committed to Arkansas

Looks can be deceiving, but 6-foot-4-inch, 205-pound Hunter Milligan throws a baseball just like one would expect — hard and fast.

Milligan’s won-loss statistic may not knock anyone’s socks off, but he can blow the baseball past a batter.

The 17-year-old Milligan, who will be a senior at Greenbrier High School, is a left-handed pitcher for the Panthers and the River Valley & Ozark Edition Baseball Player of the Year.

“He throws in the upper 80s and [low] 90s, which is very impressive,” said Athletic Director Stephen Wood.

Milligan said his strength is his fastball, which usually clocks at 90-93 mph, he said. “That’s probably my best; my curve ball is the next best pitch.”

He had a rough start to his season last year because of a shoulder injury he received his sophomore year, Wood said. Milligan said it was just inflammation, nothing structural.

“I did six to eight weeks of rehab and everything went good, so I’m back to 100 percent,” Milligan said.

“He really did good when he got healthy,” Wood said. “He came in with a vengeance in conference play.”

Terry May, who has coached Milligan for three years, said Milligan had a “six-game stretch where he was pretty much unhittable and put up some great numbers.”

May said Milligan had a “ton of strikeouts” in those games, including 16 strikeouts at Harrison and beating Maumelle 1-0 with 10-12 strikeouts.

“He’s just a big, strong kid who can really throw it,” May said. “He’s fun to watch.”

Milligan said his worst moment was losing a no-hitter in Harrison in the bottom of the eighth inning. “It was rough,” he said.

His best memory was throwing a perfect game against Clarksville. “That’s probably one of the higher moments this year.”

Milligan’s won-loss record was 4-2; he pitched 42 innings and had 69 strikeouts, 16 walks and a 1.50 ERA, all over one season.

“Four and two is not very impressive, but 69 strikeouts and 16 walks is impressive, and 1.50 ERA is also very, very good,” May said.

“His won-loss doesn’t even begin to tell what he did for us.”

May takes almost no credit for Milligan’s success.

“Coachingwise, I didn’t mess with him too much,” May said. “Hunter’s been coast to coast playing baseball; he’s had a lot of different coaches. I tweaked a little bit here and there.”

He said his advice to the teenager was to just relax. “My biggest thing with Hunter was to make sure he was having fun playing baseball, and be a leader, and he really did that,” May said. He “stepped up” and was a leader.

Milligan, a son of J.C. and Diana Milligan, committed his freshman year to Mississippi State in Starkville. He also considered Arkansas and Ole Miss.

“I had my mind made up, and I was ready to get it out of the way and be able to relax. I like their facilities a lot better; it felt more like a home,” he said. Bulldogs coach John Cohen was a big part of his decision, too, Milligan said.

Milligan also is a big fan of May, who is stepping down this year as coach. He will continue as dean of students at Greenbrier Junior High.

“I loved him. He’s just a great guy; he’s fun to be around,” Milligan said.

The Greenbrier coaches praised Milligan, too. May said Milligan is a “good kid, good student.”

Milligan, who said his GPA is 3.5, is a member of the National Honor Society. “Baseball pretty much takes up a lot of my after-school hours,” he said.

“Hunter is a well-grounded kid,” Wood said, “obviously a very good baseball player and committed at a very young age to a major D-I school. He’s a very quiet kid, has a really good demeanor on the pitching mound; he’s not a cocky kid.”

May said baseball is one of the tougher sports to predict how far an athlete can go, but “the sky’s the limit” for Milligan.

“If he comes back really healthy next year, I think he has a chance to get drafted,” May said. “He’s got a lot of upsides.”

“If I get drafted — it’s got to be high in the first round or early in the second,” Milligan said. “You want to get enough money to live on the rest of your life in case you get hurt.” Milligan said he’s been told college is more fun than playing in the minor leagues.

And, he wants to get a degree. “I’ll probably do something in sports medicine, physical trainer,” he said.

He has time to decide all that; he has another baseball season left and a senior year to enjoy.

Tye Glover of South Side Bee Branch is the new Greenbrier coach. “I like him,” Milligan said. “I’m excited.”

Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.