FARMINGTON – During pool play games on Saturday afternoon at Ricketts Park, a moment of silence took place during a break to pay respect to slain Alamogordo police officer Anthony Ferguson.
Moments later, Steven Milam of the Albuquerque Baseball Academy cranked a two-run home run over the right field wall to help lift the ABA to an 8-4 win over the Oklahoma Express.
Milam, a recent graduate from Centennial High School in Las Cruces and a commit to Louisiana State University, is a nephew of the late officer, who was killed in the line of duty on July 16.
“It was a really surreal moment, because he took me to my first Connie Mack game here back in 2009,” Milam recalled. “And this was my first time back here since that night and so it just made for a really incredible moment for me and my family.”
To say it’s been an emotional time for Milam would be a massive understatement.
“It’s been real up and down these past few weeks, but you just have to learn to take the good with the bad,” Milam said. “My uncle is in a better place and I’m sure he’s watching everything happening here.”
Milam, who turned down an opportunity to join a Major League Baseball organization after not being drafted in the MLB amateur draft earlier this month, is eager to prove himself at the Connie Mack World Series.
Not that Milam has a lot to prove. The 2022 recipient of Gatorade’s high school player of the year award from the state of New Mexico, Milam is coming off a spectacular senior season at Centennial High School, in which he batted .627 with 34 extra base hits, 50 runs batted in and 65 runs scored. The Hawks reached the Class 5A state championship game before losing to Rio Rancho by a final of 9-6.
Milam, who plays shortstop for the ABA during the Connie Mack World Series, will report to LSU following the conclusion of the tournament. The Tigers won the Men’s College World Series earlier last month, earning the school its seventh college baseball national title, moving into second place alone, trailing only USC's 12, all but one of which were won in 1978 and earlier.
“I’m ready to go to work in Baton Rouge and ready to try winning another national championship,” Milam recently told KTSM-TV in Las Cruces.
But first, Milam is leaning on his coaches and teammates on the ABA to bring a Connie Mack World Series title to the state of New Mexico. Farmington has been the host of the CMWS for nearly 60 years, but no team from the state has ever won the championship.
“That really means a lot to me,” Milam said. “The guys I play with on this team, we’re all from here and have played with and against each other since we were kids, so to represent the state this way means a lot.”
ABA head coach Tim Campos said that having a player like Milam on the roster for the CMWS makes them a formidable candidate to win the World Series.
“Having someone like him on the roster automatically makes us better,” Campos said. “He’s such a good athlete he’s got a real passion for the game.”
In addition to playing at the Connie Mack World Series in tribute of his fallen uncle, Milam is also playing with an eye toward his future.
Not being selected in the most recent amateur draft gave Milam a sense of motivation to prove to himself and to others how valuable an addition he’ll be playing at the next level.
“I felt a little disrespected from some of the offers I was getting,” Milam said. “Hopefully, everyone’s going to see that at LSU and in two or three years, they’ll see that I made the right decision.”
Milam recalled a recent conversation he had with Houston Astros slugger Alex Bregman, who also hails from New Mexico and was a Connie Mack World Series star in 2012. Bregman, a two-time World Series champion, was selected with the second overall pick in the 2016 MLB amateur draft after playing three seasons at LSU.
“ (Bregman) said that I should go to school, bet on myself, take a chance and believe in myself,” Milam said about his conversation. “We’ll see what happens.”
In the meantime, Milam is thankful for the support and encouragement he’s received since joining the ABA in the Connie Mack World Series.
“We’re all really close to each other and wanting to go down this road together and win for each other,” Milam said. “The coaches are all in and giving us our best chance to go out there and win games.”
After going 2-1 in pool play games last weekend, the Albuquerque Baseball Academy lost its first game of the championship bracket, coming up short in a 10-4 final against the Colton Nighthawks. The loss means the ABA will face elimination Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Farmington Sports Complex against the D-Bat United, losers in a dramatic 5-3 game against the Mississauga Tigers from Ontario, Canada.
For more information on the ABA, as well as the entire 12-team field for the Connie Mack World Series, visit the official tournament website at CMWS.org.
