Connor Graham

June 7, 2007

OXFORD, Ohio--Miami University junior pitchers John Ely (Homewood, Ill./Flossmoor) and Connor Graham (Bowling Green, Ohio/St. Johns) were selected in the top five rounds of the Major League Baseball Draft, upping the RedHawks' number of players drafted over the past eight years to 22. Ely was selected in the third round as the 119th overall pick by the Chicago White Sox, while Graham was selected in the fifth round as the 162nd overall pick by the Colorado Rockies.

Ely was a two-time first-team all-Mid-American Conference selection and one of eight unanimous first-team selections in 2007. He ranks second all-time at Miami in strikeouts, compiling 284, which is the most by any player over a three-year span in program history. Ely is tied for fifth in career wins with 26 and ranks seventh in career innings pitched (281.2). Additionally, Ely ranks among Miami's top 10 on three single-season lists. Amassing 10 wins as a freshman, Ely ties for third in single-season wins. He owns the No. 3 and No. 5 spots on the RedHawks' single-season strikeout chart, recording 108 as a freshman in 2005 and 96 as a junior in 2007. Ely also ranks seventh and ninth in single-season innings pitched, throwing 103.1 in 2005 and 102.2 in 2007. This season Ely made 14 appearances, forging an 8-3 record and posting a 2.89 ERA. In his first win of the season, Ely pitched a complete game in a 6-2 win against then-No. 12 Texas. Ely ranked among Mid-American Conference statistical leaders in ERA, wins, innings pitched, strikeouts, games started, complete games and opponent batting average in 2007. Twice this season he was tabbed MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week, earning the honor on April 23 and 30.

Graham has appeared in 53 career games for the RedHawks, throwing 160.2 innings. He made 26 appearances as a freshman, which is tied for eighth on Miami's single-season list. This season, Graham pitched 6.0 innings to pick up a 6-2 win against then-No. 22 Winthrop. He made 13 appearances as a junior, posting a 5-4 record and notching a 4.24 ERA. He ranked second on the team in innings pitched (80.2) and strikeouts (76) and limited opposing batters to a .261 batting average. He ranked among Mid-American Conference statistical leaders in ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts in 2007. Twice this season he was tabbed MAC East Division Pitcher of the Week, earning the honor on Feb. 27 and Mar. 26.

Last season, Miami had three players selected in the MLB draft with Matt Long being drafted by the White Sox in the second round, Keith Weiser being drafted in the third round by the Rockies and Graham Taylor being drafted in the 10th by the Florida Marlins.