Seminole freshman pitcher Andrew Mills will miss the rest of the season due to an accidental shooting at a friend’s house on Sunday.
According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Mills, 14, was at the home of Matthew Emerick, 16, on Sunday afternoon when Emerick showed Mills a .22-caliber rifle.
The gun accidentally discharged and hit Mills in the abdomen. Mills was taken to Bayfront Medical Center by helicopter with non-life threatening injuries.
“It is not the kind of phone call you want to get,” Seminole coach Jeff Pincus said. “Right now, it does appear that he is going to make a full recovery. The baseball part of it takes a backseat.”
Pincus said Mills will likely remain in the hospital about a week. The hope is that he will be able to sit in the dugout with his teammates before the season ends.
Mills, a left-hander, made four appearances for the Warhawks this season. He was 1-1 with a 0.75 ERA in 9.1 innings pitched. Mills’ win came against Naples Barron Collier, when he pitched four shutout innings as the starter in a 1-0 win.
“He was an integral part of what we were trying to do,” said Pincus, whose Warhawks are rebuilding after losing nine seniors. “But more than that, he’s a great kid. He’s a straight-A student and very well known by the Seminole community. Just the epitome of the kind of kid you want on your team.”
No charges will be filed against Emerick; the shooting was ruled an accident.