Steady. According to his coach, B.D. Parker, that word best sums up Nicholls third baseman Luke Muller. “Luke (Muller) is a steady player because he’s a steady person,” Parker said of Muller, who he coached at Butler Community College in Kansas, before the two reunited at Nicholls.
“He’s an outstanding student who is in class everyday, and at practice he always gives it his best effort.”
Muller said Parker was looking for infielders when he came to Nicholls, and Muller fit the bill as a third baseman.
“Early in November is when he offered me the scholarship,” the 21-year-old Muller said. “At first I did not know if I wanted to come down here, because I had a couple of friends that played in the Northeast who left the South because of the heat.
“But, I liked playing for coach Parker and that was the determining factor in me coming here.”
When Muller arrived at Nicholls, it came on the heels of a season that saw him hitting for a .402 average at Butler. He also tallied 18 home runs to go along with 80 RBI’s.
Although his numbers are not at the level they were last year, Muller said he is pleased with his performance thus far.
Currently, Muller ranks high in several team statistical categories including batting average (third at .331), RBI’s (second with 26) and slugging percentage (fourth at .500).
“Coming here (Nicholls) I wanted to hit over .300 because I knew from JUCO to Division I the pitching would be better, and it has been,” Muller said. “I haven’t seen as many fastballs, but I have seen a lot of curveballs and changeups. I think so far I’m doing just fine.”
Recently, Muller performed a feat few accomplish when he hit three home runs in one game. His big day at the plate helped him garner Southland Player of the Week honors this past week.
Muller said he never hit three homers in one game, not even when he was playing at his former high school, Arapahoe, in Littleton, Colo.
“After the second one, I was going up there, and I felt that if I got a good pitch I would get another one, and I don’t normally feel like that,” Muller said about hitting his third homer against Northwestern Sunday. “It was an unbelievable thing. I did not seem too excited because I really did not know what to do. I just ran around the bases and acted like it was normal.”
With everything that has happened to Muller, which includes garnering All-State honors in high school and All-America honors in junior college, the one thing which shocked him more than anything was when he heard about the shootings at Columbine High School in his hometown of Littleton, Colo.
“I was at Butler when that happened and I think it was just around this time,” Muller said. “Columbine’s probably about five to ten minutes from where I live, and they were a rival school.
“When someone told me about it I did not believe it. I knew a couple of people who went there, but I didn’t know anyone who was killed or the killers. It is definitely an eye opener when it happens in your hometown.”
In terms of looking ahead, Muller said he likes the team’s chances for having continued success, but at the same time he’s not making any predictions.
“I think for the rest of the season we definitely need to win every (SLC) series, and we need to set high goals for ourselves,” Muller said. “Everyone in our conference is playing really tough right now, and we need to continue to play well. I think our upcoming 12 game road trip will be a determining factor for us.”
No matter what happens, Parker said he is glad he has a player of Muller’s caliber competing at Nicholls.
“When I came here I knew we needed to get good players in here with good attitudes and good work ethics, and Luke (Muller) is all of the above,” Parker said.
