by Sarah Mummert, Student Public Relations Writer
It’s the dream of every young baseball player to make it to the major leagues, and Max Miller is helping rookies make it to the Boston Red Sox. A 2021 Cedarville University graduate with a degree in exercise science, Miller recently accepted a position with the Florida Complex League (FCL) in Ft. Myers, Florida. He works as an assistant strength coach for the FCL Red Sox, a minor league team owned by the Boston Red Sox. 
Miller, who played baseball himself since the age of 4, works primarily with young men who are just getting started in professional baseball.
But this isn’t his first job in the field.
After working as a strength and conditioning intern with Athletes in Action (AIA) in Xenia, Ohio, during his final semester of college, Miller joined AIA full time for two years after graduation.
“It was the connections and experience I gained from working at AIA that played a big role in the opportunities I have now,” said Miller. “And where I am now, it’s my job to keep the guys healthy.”
Ironically, it was Miller’s own health that took a downward turn during his sophomore year at Cedarville that gave him a deeper passion for the field of exercise science.
Miller began dealing with frequent nagging injuries like pulled muscles, or so he thought. But when a knee injury failed to show up on an MRI, he began going through testing for autoimmune disease, ALS and muscular dystrophy, all of which came back negative. He spent about a year seeing doctors, athletic trainers and physical therapists.
A year later, in August 2020, Miller was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, or “chronic pain syndrome,” which at times was debilitating to the point that he could hardly move.
“I was an exercise science student at Cedarville, as well as an athlete, and here I was struggling just to move,” said Miller. “That was a very difficult time in my life.”
But he applied his education from the coursework in his classes to research his condition and find what might be able to help him through his pain. Surprisingly, the best treatment was exercise and diet, two things he knew a lot about.
By February 2021, Miller was defying the limitations that had been set on him by doctors.
“Over the course of that year, I saw a lot of growth and healing,” said Miller. “And that’s partly the grace of God, partly some wonderful teaching and resources from Cedarville and then some determination to push myself in the weight room.”
His own journey with injury and disease drove Miller’s love for the field of exercise science in a new way.
“Going into my senior year, I decided that I wanted to help other people stay healthy, to help them achieve high levels physically,” said Miller. “I deeply struggled with not being able to do things physically. But once I began seeing some successes there, I knew I wanted to help other people see that same sort of success.”
Though his own baseball career was cut short, Miller will continue working to build strength in others to help him achieve the dream that was his own.
Perhaps someday he will see some of his former Fort Myers Red Sox players succeeding in Boston’s famed Fenway Park, and he will know his work brought value to the players he coached.
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 5,082 undergraduate, graduate, and dual-enrolled high school students in more than 175 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio, recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including its Bachelor of Science in exercise science, high graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and the #4 national ranking by the Wall Street Journal for student engagement. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.