Whether he has been mowing down hitters on the mound, driving in runners at the plate, or flashing leather in the field, Milton’s Dylan Cease has had a huge hand in the Eagles strong start on the baseball diamond.

Using a blazing fastball that has been clocked in the low to-mid 90’s, the 6-foot-2 righty has fanned 16 hitters in 11 innings on the bump — allowing just four hits and nary a run, posting a perfect 0.00 earned run average and winning his two starts against 2012 state quarterfinalists Mill Creek and North Cobb.

In the batter’s box, the talented junior is hitting a robust .421 through six games and has driven in six runs. As the team’s shortstop, his defense hasn’t been too shabby either.

Milton baseball coach Joey Ray chalked up Cease’s success to good old-fashioned hard work, a trend he has seen from Cease the past two seasons.

“He worked really hard last year on his defense and matched that effort this year with his pitching,” said the Eagles coach of Cease, whose play has garnered scholarship offers from the likes of Georgia, Georgia Tech and many others across the Southeast.

“He has all of the natural ability, but it takes practice and repetitions to improve the skills it takes to be a good shortstop [and pitcher]. He loves to work hard and it is paying off for him,” he said.