Padres draft Lovett

By Gabe Whisnant
Published in Sports on June 9, 2004 1:56 PM

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Current Louisburg College baseball player and Southern Wayne graduate Erik Lovett was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 37th round of the Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday afternoon.

The left-handed hitting and throwing Lovett was able to listen through the 35th round of the draft on Major League Baseball radio through the internet before leaving for New Bern with the Wayne County American Legion team. He said he received a congratulatory call from a friend while he was on the bus.

Lovett was selected as a "draft and follow," meaning the Padres have the rights to Lovett for one year leading up to the 2005 draft. Ten days before the 2005 draft, San Diego will decide whether or not to keep Lovett's rights or allow him to re-enter the draft with the possibility of being selected by another team.

"I talked with the scout from the Padres, and he told me I would probably be drafted late, but it would be "draft-and-follow," Lovett said. "That was fine with me, because it was more than I expected.

"They saw me hit and liked the way I swung the bat. He saw me take BP (batting practice) and saw me hit a few times in games."

Lovett is currently hitting near the .400 mark with four home runs and 12 RBI for Post 11 through seven games. He will return to Louisburg for his sophomore year next fall.