STONY BROOK, N.Y. —  Jared Milch spent his second straight summer pitching in the Northwoods League this year. He credits his Year 1 experience with the Duluth Huskies for righting himself at the collegiate level.

Milch joined Stony Brook baseball in the fall of 2018 after a successful junior college career at the College of San Mateo in his native California. There, he had produced a 10-1 record and 2.55 ERA in 84 2/3 innings spanning 14 starts as a sophomore en route to first-team all-conference honors.

During a solid fall that year upon joining the Seawolves, the 6-foot-4 left-hander developed a following among pro scouts.

But after being awarded the No. 3 rotation spot for his inaugural spring at Stony Brook, things started off rocky. Milch allowed a combined 11 earned runs on 11 hits — seven for extra bases — in starts at Florida International and Southeastern Louisiana to open his Seawolves career.

He spent the rest of his junior year trying to dig out of that hole and regain a spot in the rotation, which he ultimately did when teammate Brian Herrmann's season ended April 13 at Binghamton due to injury. Milch even started the America East championship game, although he finished the college season with an 8.27 ERA.

In the Northwoods League that summer, Milch rediscovered himself — particularly his confidence, similar to how teammate Nick DeGennaro's resurrection occurred that same summer pitching in New England.

"It really gives you a chance to see other pitchers and how they work," Milch said about summer ball. "I got to play with a lot of good players from different schools. It really helped me blossom, just picking brains and figuring out new ways to get hitters out, and improving my game mentally as well.

"After my first year at Stony Brook, my confidence level was not where it needed to be. Doing well that summer really made me think I can do this. Nick DeGennaro and I would actually talk quite a bit about our confidence levels and how we were going to come back different the following year. We both knew we were good pitchers and had it in us."

That summer with Duluth, Milch particularly enjoyed learning from teammate Ricky Reynoso, a southpaw from the University of the Pacific.

"He was a little bit older than me and had a little more experience than I did at the Division I level — and starting, for that matter," Milch said. "I was picking his brain."

He also clicked with Duluth pitching coach Marcus Pointer, who worked during the academic year on the staff at Skyline Community College, not far from where Milch was raised in California.

"I really improved my mental game, but also my knowledge of the game," Milch said.

This past season back with the Seawolves, things quickly clicked for Milch.

Tabbed the Opening Day starter, he limited Texas State to one unearned run in five innings in a no-decision on Feb. 14. In his second start, Milch held Clemson to two runs in six innings and was the hard-luck loser in a 2-0 defeat. He got tripped up at Southeastern Louisiana for a second straight year, but rebounded against Central Connecticut State in his final start before the coronavirus shutdown, taking a no-hit bid in the sixth inning to earn his lone win of 2020.

Milch partly credited the thorough and devastatingly accurate scouting reports from pitching coach Tyler Kavanaugh. He also credited his experience the previous summer that restored his confidence.

"Rock bottom is usually where true colors come out," Kavanaugh said. "To his credit, he kept showing up for work. He asked questions, was receptive to feedback and did what he was asked. When midweek opportunities came in 2019, he produced. So when Herm went down, Jared stepped up. When you look solely at his solid numbers in conference and against regional opponents that year, you realize how rough those first two outings really were. He really did a great job climbing out of a hole. 
 
"We stress the importance of summer ball to the guys. Nothing replaces game action and experience. The summer of 2019 was huge for Jared. He came back with a different presence — more proactive than reactive, and totally in tune with the routine. It was special to see him throw as well as he did against Clemson and two regional-caliber teams, Texas State and Central Connecticut. I'm very proud of him. I think the best is yet to come."