Miami Baseball Inks Five New Recruits To 2005 Squad
11/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 13, 2003
OXFORD, Ohio - Miami University head baseball coach Tracy Smith announced today the early signing of five incoming freshmen to National Letters of Intent for the 2005 season. The class includes three pitchers and two position players.
Evan Armitage (Milford, Ohio/Milford), a senior at Milford High School in Milford, Ohio, signs a letter of intent to attend Miami after finishing his junior year with a .455 batting average and Greater Miami Conference First-Team honors. Armitage a 5-foot-10, 155-pound middle infielder, recorded 31 RBI, four doubles, two triples and five stolen bases last season as a junior. Last season, Milford was 30-3 overall and ranked as high as No. 5 in the USA Today high school baseball poll.
"Evan is a probably one of the smallest kids we have ever recruited. However, do not let his size fool you, he can really swing the bat," coach Smith says. "We think he has the ability to not only be that pesky out at the top of the order, but also a guy that can drive the gaps with some power."
Also signing with the RedHawks is Connor Graham (Bowling Green, Ohio/St. John's Jesuit), a senior at St. John's Jesuit high school in Bowling Green, Ohio. A 6-foot-6, 235-pound, righthanded pitcher and middle infielder, Graham was 4-2 last season with a 2.14 earned run average for St. John's in the Toledo City League. Graham was named a First Team All-City selection last year as well being a Second-Team All-District honoree. This past summer, Graham pitched for Underwood-Orr and notched a 5-2 record with a 1.37 ERA.
"Connor has emerged as one of the premier pitchers in the midwest with his recent performances at national showcases and professional workouts," coach Smith says. "He has worked hard to get himself conditioned to pitch at the Division I level, and he is on the verge of reaping the benefits of his hard work."
Christopher Niro (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit), a 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior outfielder at Walsh Jesuit high school in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, signs with the Red and White after batting .424 with six home runs and 30 RBI last season. In 2003, Niro was voted to the All-Ohio Second Team and All-Cuyahoga River Baseball Conference team. While on his 2003 Summer League team, Diamond Boys travel team, Walsh was named the Most Valuable Player of the Nitschwitz Tournament at Wright State University.
"Chris is a tall, wiry, athletic kid. I had the chance in the past to recruit a couple kids with bodies and tools like his, and passed on them," coach Smith says. "They ended up being pretty good players. We were not going to make that mistake again. Chris has a chance to be one of those 'special' players."
Hailing from north of the border in next year's freshmen class is Tom Boleska (Burlington, Ontario/Notre Dame), a 6-foot-0, 185-pound, righthanded pitcher from Notre Dame High School. While high school statistics were not kept last season for Boleska, his 7-1 record for Team Ontario commands quite a bit of attention. Boleska maintained a 2.41 ERA in 64 innings pitched with 67 strikeouts in 2003 for Team Ontario. He has a cumulative 18-4 record over three years with Team Ontario, and is a two-time Central Ontario All-Star selection.
"Tom has a 'big time' curve ball right now. With the way he locates his fastball, we feel he is going to have instant success in our program," coach Smith says. "Not a lot of the pro guys have seen him because he is from Canada, but I think they will be impressed when they see him with us next year."
The final installment to next year's freshman class for the baseball team is John Ely (Flossmoor, Ill./Flossmoor), a 6-foot-2, 185-pound pitcher at Flossmoor High School. With three years on the mound in the books, Ely has compiled a 27-5 career record along with one perfect game. He was an all-conference and all-area selection as a junior, and was named the 2002 SICA East Pitcher of the Year.
"A lot of guys look at John's mechanics and shy away from him. However, for us, it was tough to walk away from a legitimate 90 mile an hour arm," coach Smith says. "He is a competitor on the mound, and, when you combine his stuff with his attitude, you have a pretty good pitcher."