Grady Miller, who played three seasons in a Torero uniform from 2019-21, will enter his fourth season as an assistant coach in 2027 after joining the San Diego staff in 2024.
In 2026, he served as pitching coach and was tasked with leading the Toreros' efforts on the mound. With Miller overseeing the San Diego pitching staff, the Toreros notched a handful of marquee non-conference wins to begin their 2026 schedule, including a season-opening series victory at Charlotte (February 13-14), an extra-innings triumph at Long Beach State (February 17), and wins over Utah (February 20), Creighton (February 21), crosstown rival San Diego State, (February 22), and Michigan (February 27) upon returning to America’s Finest City. All told, USD continued its tradition of playing a tough early season schedule by completing the 57th most difficult non-conference slate in the country. San Diego swept both Santa Clara and LMU in West Coast Conference play en-route to a 12-14-1 mark in league play (and a 20-30-1 overall record), missing the 2026 WCC Tournament by just half a game.
After the season, Miller mentee Diego Gutierrez — a right-handed pitcher who ranked fifth in the WCC in total strikeouts — received an All-WCC Honorable Mention before being selected by the Baltimore Orioles (17th round, 500th overall selection) in the 2026 MLB Draft.
The Toreros won conference championships in each of Miller’s first two seasons on the San Diego staff, including the 2024 WCC Tournament and Regular-Season Championships and the 2025 WCC Regular Season title.
In 2025, Miller coached two of the West Coast’s top young arms in Cal Scolari and Logan Reddemann. Reddemann led the WCC in earned run average (1.22), while Scolari was named WCC Pitcher of the Year.
He helped mentor one of the nation’s premier pitching staffs in 2024, as San Diego ranked in the top 25 of every major pitching category (Earned Run Average, WHIP, Hits Allowed Per Nine Innings, Strikeouts Per Nine Innings, Walks Allowed Per Nine Innings, Strikeout-To-Walk Ratio, and Shutouts). The 2024 Toreros’ 41-15 (20-4 WCC) overall record was the 15
th best winning percentage of any program in the country.
Three of USD's pitchers that Miller worked with went on to earn National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American Honors in 2024: Conner Thurman (First Team), Austin Smith (Third Team), and Logan Reddemann (Freshman/Second Team). To tag along with these All-American accolades, Thurman was recognized as a finalist for the 2024 NCBWA Stopper of the Year, Smith was named a finalist for the 2024 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year, and Reddemann earned the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year award.
During the 2024 MLB Draft, three Torero pitchers that received mentorship from Miller were picked up by professional organizations, including Josh Randall, who became the highest-selected collegiate pitcher from the state of California in 2024 when he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the third round (85th overall pick). Additionally, Drake Frize was later selected in the 17th round by the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Ivran Romero signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Twins.
In three years playing at USD, Miller accumulated a 9-3 record in 39 appearances (12 starts). He threw 92.2 innings while striking out 71 hitters and recorded one save.
During the shortened season of 2020, Miller made five starts and notched a 2-0 record, including throwing six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and a walk against UC Irvine. In that season, he accumulated a 3.13 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 23.0 innings of work.
In his final season at USD in 2021, Miller made 11 appearances with two starts, going 2-1 while striking out 14 hitters in 19.1 innings pitched. His best performance was a four-inning outing when he did not allow an earned run and struck out four to get the victory in an 8-2 win against crosstown rival UCSD.
Miller began his collegiate career at the University of Portland and spent his sophomore season at Central Arizona College before his time in San Diego.
In high school, Miller was a two-time First Team All-State baseball player for Wenatchee High School in Wenatchee, WA in 2015 and 2016 and a four-time Central Basin Big Nine First Team honoree from 2013-16.
He helped his team win three conference championships in 2013, 2015 and 2016 while finishing third in the state tournament in 2014 and 2016. Miller recorded 24 career victories and set the school’s single-season and career saves record with six and 13, respectively.
Miller, who was a three-sport scholar athlete in high school, also played basketball and football, where he was both a basketball and a baseball captain for three years. On the hardwood, Miller was a two-time all-conference player and was known for his play on the defensive side of the ball, setting season and career record for charges taken with 16 in a season and 33 for his career.
