June 9, 2007

VILLANOVA, Pa.-- On the second day of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft on Friday, right-handed pitcher Mike Loree (Gillette, N.J.) was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 50th round by the San Francisco Giants. His selection marks the fifth straight year that Villanova has had at least one player chosen in the major league draft.

The Wildcats have also had at least one pitcher drafted in five consecutive seasons. Loree was the 1,441st overall pick and becomes the latest in the long line of Villanova pitchers to reach the professional level.

Loree flourished during his senior season with the Wildcats in 2007, pitching Villanova to a berth in the BIG EAST Championship, the team's first playoff bid since 1997. Along the way, he set the career innings pitched record for both Villanova and the BIG EAST Conference, while moving up to third place all-time in school history in victories and fourth in strikeouts.

For the season, Loree made 14 starts and compiled a 7-4 record in a school-record 99.0 innings pitched. His seven victories tied the most in a season by a Wildcat pitcher in the last 12 years, and he pitched four complete games. Loree pitched a four-hit shutout to defeat Louisville in the regular season BIG EAST opener, and took a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Cardinals in the conference tournament.

Since the inception of baseball's amateur draft in 1965, Villanova has had a total of 46 players drafted 54 times by major league teams. The Wildcats currently have four alumni playing in the minor leagues.

Villanova finished the season with a 29-25 record and advanced to the third day of the BIG EAST Championship with a 3-2 victory over Notre Dame in its second game. The Fighting Irish were the five-time defending league champions, while the Wildcats ended the season with at least a .500 record for the fifth time in the last six years.