Andrew Bovich, Point Loma Nazarene University’s (PLNU) pitching ace this past season, was signed by the hometown San Diego Padres in June to play in the rookie Arizona League at Peoria. “He was signed about a week after the baseball draft,” said PLNU head baseball coach Joe Schaefer. The Padre scout worked him out and he was signed on the spot.” The 23-year-old southpaw helped lead the Sea Lions to the best season in the program’s 60-year history with his personal 13-1 record. He also was undefeated in the regular season and posted a dominant (1.70) earned run average (ERA). After the College World Series, Bovich attributed his outstanding year to his time in the Carolina League this past fall, where he gained much-needed experience against professional players. Bovich had modest numbers the previous year (2008) with a 6-4 record, while the rest of the young Sea Lion pitching staff struggled during the first part of the season. Despite the struggles, Bovich showed signs of promise during the course of the year with a 43-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 75 innings of work and two complete games. “He’s very excited about getting the opportunity to play with an affiliated club,” Schaefer said. “Before he was signed, he called me for advice and was thinking about playing for an independent league in the Midwest until the Padres signed him.” The San Clemente native transferred to PLNU two years ago from Riverside Community College and was part of a state championship team. His Arizona League numbers included allowing 10 hits, 4 runs and 8 strikeouts in 9.1 innings of work, with a 2.89 ERA in 7 games. Bovich then moved up to Eugene, Ore., where he has appeared in three games. “The Padres scouts were interested in him (Bovich) before the draft, but he didn’t throw too fast, about 82-84 mph. Teams don’t always want to take a risk,” Schaefer said. Bovich is one of three players from the 2009 PLNU squad to sign with a major league club. Kurt Steinhauer was drafted in the 24th round by the New York Mets, then played 12 games in the Gulf Coast League. But he has quickly moved up to the advanced rookie Appalachian League at Kingsport, Tenn. the past 12 games. “It is very exciting to get a chance to play,” Steinhauer said. “When I was a kid, I would dream about getting the opportunity to play baseball. Even though I grew up a Dodgers fan, I’m definitely a Mets fan now.” The Kingsport Mets are currently 14-23 but have won four straight games. Despite the relatively short time since he was drafted, Steinhauer has been able to compare college baseball to professional baseball. “They almost feel like different sports,” Steinhauer said. “In college, you play three or four games a week then get days off and are well-rested. But professional baseball is more of a grind because you play every day. “Personally, I like it better because you get the opportunity to come back the next day if you didn’t play that well the day before,” he said. “I love playing baseball and it is awesome to get the opportunity to play everyday.” Steinhauer is currently hitting .324 at Kingsport. Meanwhile, former Sea Lion Kaohi Downing was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 50th round and is also playing in the Arizona League. Other PLNU players who have been signed by major league teams are pitcher Mike Ekstrom, a member of the 2004 College World Series team who has split time between the minor leagues and the Padres, and Jonnie Lowe, who is currently pitching in the Class A advanced Carolina League with the Winston-Salem Dash. Lowe went 5-7 in 22 appearances with a (4.10) ERA with Class A Kannapolis in 2008.