July 22, 2009

Former Tiger signs professional contract

Drew Graham, who helped the Cowley College baseball team to the JUCO World Series in 2007, signed a professional free agent contract with the Detroit Tigers organization Wednesday morning.
After spending his first collegiate season at Southeast Missouri State University, Graham went 4-1 with a 3.23 earned run average in his lone season at Cowley. The hard-throwing right-hander struck out 32 batters in 26 innings pitched during the 2007 season.
He spent the past two seasons pitching at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. As a junior, Graham pitched the third most innings (60) on the Warhawks’ pitching staff as he helped the squad capture the Sun Belt Conference Championship. He capped his collegiate career by pitching in a team-high 22 games and going 3-2 with two saves and a 4.85 ERA as a senior. He also struck out 54 batters in 52 innings.
Graham, who reported to the Lakeland Flying Tigers of the Gulf Coast League, is looking forward to the opportunity to continue playing baseball.
“This is something that I have been dreaming about my entire life and it is a great feeling,” Graham was quoted as saying on the University of Louisiana at Monroe web site. “I am excited about this opportunity to prove myself as a professional baseball player.”
Along with Graham’s signing with Detroit, six current or former Tiger baseball players were selected in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
Cowley head coach Dave Burroughs was pleased to learn of Graham’s signing with Detroit.
“We are excited for him that he has the chance to continue to play,” Burroughs said. “It’s what every college baseball player dreams of.”
Another former Tiger, Ryan McMillan, was a teammate of Graham’s at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. McMillan batted .298 with seven home runs and 46 runs batted in this past season. Graham’s brother, Daryl, played at Cowley in the 2004-2005 seasons.