Lake Michigan College Women’s Athletic Pioneer Liz Miller and Family Honored with Softball Field Dedication

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – Lake Michigan College honored the founder of LMC's women's athletics program and her family on Saturday, Sept. 20, during the dedication ceremony of the Liz and Lloyd Miller Family Field. The ceremony took place on the recently built softball field at the West Campus Complex before a softball doubleheader between the LMC Red Hawks and Bethel University Pilots.

 

More than 100 attendees celebrated the honor, including softball alumni, former coaches and alumni from multiple sports, current student-athletes and coaches, friends, and colleagues. LMC President Dr. Trevor Kubatzke, LMC Board of Trustee members, and LMC administrators joined the Miller family on the field for the ribbon cutting.

 

Liz, who coached LMC softball for 17 seasons, was joined at the event by her children Jennifer Hoover and Jeremy Miller, son-in-law Lonnie Hoover, Jill Miller, and grandchildren. Lloyd passed away in 2023.

 

"From Liz's foundational work in building LMC women’s athletics and softball, to Lloyd's unwavering support of Liz and the team, to Jennifer and Jeremy's childhood experiences traveling and living alongside the program, this family has been woven into the fabric of our softball community from the very beginning. Dedicating this field in their honor is a tribute to their enduring impact on Lake Michigan College and its students," stated Doug Schaffer, LMC Vice President of Advancement & Community Impact & Executive Director, LMC Foundation.

 

Miller joined LMC in 1974 as the first head coach of women's volleyball, basketball, and softball. After coaching all three simultaneously for three seasons and establishing a winning tradition, she became the College's first female athletic director in 1978 and focused her coaching efforts solely on softball.

 

Miller's softball teams became national powerhouses with a 541-143 record (.792), the second highest total in NJCAA history at the time. From 1981-1985, LMC finished in the nation's top five, and from 1987-1991 the team ranked in the top 10. Miller earned Region XII Softball Coach of the Year honors 10 times from 1980-1990.

 

Lloyd actively supported LMC athletics for over three decades as a first base coach, team bus driver, official scorekeeper, media liaison, grounds staff, fundraiser, contributor, and tutor. His volunteer work at more than 1,000 athletic events earned him induction into the LMC Athletic Hall of Fame as an associate member in 2007.

 

Jennifer played second base for LMC for two seasons during 1989-91, earning NJCAA Distinguished Academic All-American honors and all-conference, all-state, and All-Region XII recognition while batting .380 with 40 runs as a sophomore.

 

In 1991, Liz accepted the head softball coaching position at the University of Notre Dame. However, even after leaving her official LMC roles, Liz and Lloyd continued to support LMC students. Both served on the LMC Foundation Board of Directors, with Lloyd serving as Board president. For more than 10 years, the pair held leadership roles on the annual LMC Winner’s Circle Benefit Auction committee. They also established the Liz & Lloyd Miller Athletic Endowment Fund. Together they were awarded the Bernard C. Radde Distinguished Service Award in 1987 for advancing the cause of LMC and higher education.

 

“Lake Michigan College was a special place for my immediate family to connect, on almost a nightly basis. The LMC student-athletes became our extended family, and continue to be so to this day,” stated Jennifer Hoover.

 

The new AstroTurf softball field is part of the renovated West Campus Athletic Complex that also includes new baseball and soccer AstroTurf fields. Following the dedication, a reception was held at LMC's Welch Center.