Kyle Muller prepares to throw a pitch during a game with Nottingham this year.
Outside of Hamilton Township, it was safe to say not a large portion of Mercer County was familiar with Kyle Muller.
By early August, it was hard not to hear the 15-year-old’s name.
As a freshman, Muller made the Steinert High varsity baseball team and, although thrust into the unfamiliar role of reliever, he went 2-1 with a 0.64 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched. Muller allowed a total of four runs – just one earned – five hits and two walks.
He then went on to go 4-0 for the Hamilton Post 31 American Legion team before going 4-0 for the Nottingham 15-year-old Babe Ruth All Stars, who fell just two games short of a trip to the World Series.
It was Muller’s final appearance in a Babe Ruth uniform, and probably his last game under Nottingham skipper Anthony Francioso, who has managed Muller since age 7.
“I have always been impressed with his poise and ability to dig down deep and give all he had,” Francioso said. “As a pitcher he has matured and obviously gotten stronger each and every year.
“I know I always had confidence handing him the game ball to start and he earned the respect of his teammates to be confident when he took the mound. I know the guys truly believed that they will win the game when he pitches.”
Muller’s goal in the spring was to make the Steinert varsity, which finally happened when coach Brian Giallella brought him up midway through the season.
“I was a little nervous the first game but after that I relaxed and I did pretty well,” the right-hander said. “It was mostly a matter of location and going after guys, knowing I had a good defense behind me. A lot of times I had a great defense and it helped a lot.”
Although he was not used to being a reliever, Muller adapted. He knew, as a reliever, he could to throw hard the whole time he was in the game. Starters have to pace themselves since they usually pitch for longer.
When legion season came around, he was back as a starter.
“Legion was a little nerve-wracking,” he said. “You’re pitching to guys who are three and four years older than you. But it was like high school. After the first game I relaxed and was good from there.”
He actually considered high school tougher than legion because of his role.
“I was used to starting so coming in relief was a little different,” he said. “I just tried to throw strikes. If I had a lead when I came in, I pitched with a lead, if it was a tie game I had to make sure I kept it tied and gave us a chance to win.
“When I got to legion, I had already talked to coach Rick (Freeman) and coach (Rich) Giallella and they said I was going to be a starter. So that was comforting to know.”
It wasn’t comforting for opposing batters, however, as Muller looked like a seasoned veteran in his first year. The right-hander went 4-0, with a 2.27 ERA, 32 strikeouts, 10 walks and 32 hits in 35-2/3 innings pitched. He had one shutout and opponents batted .175 against him with just one extra-base hit.
“I got back to pacing myself more as a starter,” Muller said. “I wouldn’t throw as hard at the start of the game but would go harder later on.
“I kind of surprised myself. I didn’t think I’d have that good a year. I thought I’d have at least one loss. But I didn’t really have to pitch that many games.”
Freeman feels Muller’s success was as much a part of attitude as it was talent.
“In addition to his physical gifts, Kyle pitches with a presence,” the Post 31 manager said. “Some pitchers go out to the mound, Kyle takes the mound. He pitches with the confidence that success brings, and it serves him well.
“He throws strikes and can locate to all four quadrants of the strike zone. He does need to develop his third pitch, and that will happen in due time. Kyle was a huge part of our pitching staff, and not having him available for our state tournament put us at a disadvantage.”
That it did, but Muller made sure to talk with the Post 31 coaches prior to the season to let them know he wanted to pitch for the Babe Ruth All-Stars for as long as they remained in tournament play.
He had played with Nottingham teammates Frank Lucchesi, Shane Keledy, Alec Gerasimowicz, Steven Moticha and Anthony Francioso since they all started in Nottingham Little League at age 7, and wanted to take one more shot at success with his old pals.
“I told the Post coaches I wanted to do everything I could in my last year of Babe Ruth,” Muller said. “I had been playing with those guys a long time, and we wanted to see what we could do one last time together. And I’m glad I did, we ended up having the best of our three years this year.”
That’s putting it mildly. It initially looked as if it would be its worst year when Nottingham was seemingly eliminated from the District One Tournament by West Windsor-Plainsboro. But when third-place Hopewell dropped out of the states, Nottingham got a reprieve and was inserted in Hopewell’s spot. The Hamilton Square boys finished third in states, which qualified them for the Mid-Atlantic regionals.
Nottingham then went 3-1 to win its pool at regionals, but had the season end with a 4-1 defeat to South Shore in the regional semifinals.
“We got a second chance, and we did what we had to do,” Muller said. “We nearly got there.”
The hurler was outstanding throughout. In seven appearances, he went 4-0 with a 1.47 ERA, 40 strikeouts, 16 walks and 22 hits in 38 innings pitched. He was 2-0 in both the states and regionals, and pitched seven scoreless innings in what would become a 1-0, eight-inning loss to Mercer East in the districts.
“I’ve obviously had the good fortune to be able to coach him for quite some time,” Francioso said. “He has a special talent and has put in the hard off-season work to continue to get better.”
Naturally, the time he spent with Steinert and Post 31 made Muller a more effective and confident pitcher when he got back to his own age level in Babe Ruth.
“It really helped me a lot,” he said. “When you get to high school and legion you can’t try to blow it by people. You gotta locate your curve and your fastball and change-up. If you miss they’ll get a hit or home run, and I tied to carry that over to Babe Ruth.”
He also had the advantage of throwing harder than most pitchers who are 15. The one concern might be that he was throwing too much at such a young age, but Muller said it wasn’t a problem.
“I’ve been icing it, and doing a lot of running,” he said. “I pitch when my arm doesn’t hurt. If it hurts I have to tell someone I can’t pitch. If not, I’ll pitch.
“At the end of high school I felt it a little bit but. But the break between high school and legion gave it time to rest.”
Muller is now trying to make the Steinert varsity as a quarterback as he looks for new horizons to conquer. As for Francioso, he will look back on nine satisfying years with Muller.
“Kyle is a quiet leader and always wants the ball in the big game. He’ll never complain and give you everything he has in his right arm.
“I think sometimes we focus only on the baseball accomplishments, which are well-deserved for Kyle and the rest of the team. But he has a wonderful family and when you speak to him he is extremely humble. Let’s not overlook that he has developed into a great young man and I am proud to say I know him.”
,
