Where the Stars of Tomorrow Shine Tonight!

Article By: Kaileigh Grieb

If you have been to Guv Fuller Field to support the Falmouth Commodores at any point this summer, odds are you have seen 12- year old Travis Miller, a longtime fan of the Commodores.

Growing up, Travis Miller has summered in Falmouth and has attended Commodore games alongside his family. But, this summer is different for Travis.

Travis will be representing the Falmouth Commodores at the annual Falmouth Road Race this coming August.

Growing up summering on the Cape, the Millers were familiar with the Falmouth Road Race and now that Travis was older, he wanted to give running in it a try. However, his mother, Nina Miller, told him he could run under one condition. He was going to run for charity.

So, Travis began to look for charities that he could support in his race. The Cape League stood out to him above others, specifically the Falmouth Commodores.

“I went to the race last year and watched. I just wanted to run, too. My mom said if I wanted to run, I had to do it for charity, so I chose this one,” said Travis excitedly, when asked for his reasoning to run.

Since the start of the summer, Travis has raised over $1,200 for the Cape Cod Baseball League, beating his original goal of $1,000.

Travis’ donations are being put towards the CCBL’s new Hall of Fame museum, which will be holding monumental pieces of the CCBL’s history including autographed memorabilia, notable photographs, and plaques for past Hall of Famers.

When asked what sparked the drive for Travis to want to run in the road race, his mother, Nina, said this:
“We went to see the race last year, it was his first time seeing it as a spectator. We had some friends running it. I think we were at the six mile mark, we saw some kids passing us and he was really jazzed up about it. He kept saying , “I think I can totally do this! What do you think? I think I’m going to start training today!”

Eager to do whatever it takes to prepare for the race, Travis was determined to keep his eyes on the prize.

“He just kept talking about it and the months went on and it still seemed like it was top of mind for him. So, I thought why not? It would be a great experience especially if he picks a charity to raise money for,” reflected Nina.

Training since March, Travis is up to running nearly 12 miles a week. With the help of the Falmouth Road Race itself, the Millers have also been following a training plan set out to help beginner runners train and prepare.

To kick start his summer of fundraising for the race, the Commodores even honored Travis by letting him throw out the first pitch in their game against Bourne on June 11th.

But being a baseball player himself, this was nothing new for him. He even set his own personal record for catching fly balls at games proudly sharing that he's up to four already.

With Travis being so driven at such a young age, Nina was asked what she expected him to gain from this experience. She had this to say: “I wanted him to learn that if he wants to do something, that he should go after it. Things sometimes aren’t easy so you really have to work hard if you want to get to the finish line. I think that's what it's all about.”

Cape kids like Travis help show what the Cape Cod Baseball League is truly all about. Watching these games through the eyes of a child is something you truly cannot put into words.

To some of these players and coaches, they simply are just playing a game of summer ball. But to kids like Travis, they’re opening their eyes to a whole new world of meaning behind the game of baseball.

You can support any of the 10 CCBL participants in the Falmouth Road Race, with proceeds benefiting the CCBL Hall of Fame, by clicking here.