Coming into this past spring tennis season, Aaron Miller was relaxed.

Miller, the 2021 Schuylkill League golf champion, had already figured out his college plans.

He will attend Indiana Wesleyan University to continue both his golf and academic career.

Miller’s success on the links fueled one of the best tennis seasons in Lehighton history.

He finished the regular season campaign with a 14-0 record, which has earned him the 2022 Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Boys Tennis Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

“I just came into this season with a carefree mindset. I was focused on playing good tennis, but I already had my college plans figured out. I knew I was going to play golf at the next level, so I didn’t feel any pressure. I could just go out there and play,” said Miller. “And honestly, I didn’t play much tennis this offseason, because I was so focused on golf. I really think it was just my mindset coming into the season that helped me play so well.”

Miller’s path to tennis is certainly an interesting one, and has become a common tale around the local tennis circuit because of his talent level.

His tennis prowess has been one that has relied on a lot of natural ability and feel for the sport.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a funny story of how I got involved in playing tennis in the first place. My dad told me I needed to play a spring sport, if I wanted to continue skiing, so I picked tennis. From the beginning, it’s something I just kind of had a knack for and a natural feel for,” said Miller. “My dad got me a cheap racket and I just worked on my game. I watched videos on fundamentals and then once I got that down, I was able to use my athleticism and quickness, I think, to just keep getting better.

“Now, I even prefer tennis to golf to be honest, because it’s constant action and you’re constantly moving, and what’s even funnier is that I don’t even ski anymore.”

Miller used his athleticism and quickness to put together an undefeated regular season in which he earned the No. 3 seed in the District 11 2A singles tournament.

He picked up a win in Lehighton’s loss in the District 11 2A team tournament, and also picked up a win in the District 11 2A doubles tournament with teammate Bayto Cokrlija to advance to the quarterfinals.

Miller’s singles run ended with a loss to Moravian Academy’s Brian Yang in the opening round of the 2A singles bracket.

It was also a successful team season, which was driven by Miller’s dominance in singles competition. After a tough 1-3 start, the Indians closed out the regular season by winning their final 10 matches, which earned them the No. 5 seed in the District 11 2A tournament.

“I was definitely disappointed at my loss in district singles. I feel like I put too much pressure on myself, which was the opposite mindset that I played with all season long,” said Miller. “But even with the loss for me in singles, you look back on the season as a whole, and we won a lot of team matches and finished the regular season strong. We were able to also get a doubles win as well in districts with myself and Bayto. I’m excited for his future, being just a freshman.”

Miller broke out onto the high school tennis scene in his junior season. After a solid freshman campaign that had him slotted in as the No. 3 singles player for the Tribe, his sophomore season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that didn’t slow Miller’s development, as he finished with an 11-2 record as a junior. Over the past two regular seasons, he put together an exceptional 25-2 record.

“Aaron was just locked in this season, and he was just hitting his spots and hitting the shots you need in order to win matches,” said Lehighton head coach Cody Schuler. “He just got better it seemed each and every match, and his improvement, really over the past two seasons, is just a testament to the kind of athlete he is, his focus and tenacity out on the court and his passion for the game.

“It’s just been great to see his development, and I think it shows our younger players that if you focus on the game and work hard on the court, what kind of a player you can turn out to be.”

Miller credits his hustle - and his willingness to outwork his opponents - for his success over the past two seasons.

“I don’t really win off my power. I use my quickness and I try to out-hustle everyone I compete against,” said Miller. “I always just try to get to everything an opponent hits at me, and then set them up to make mistakes. Frustrating an opponent, making them rush themselves, is a big reason why I have won so many matches over the last two seasons.”