Sports Spotlight: Lambert fights for baseball dream to earn spot at UNC Pembroke, hot start for Pitt County Post 39

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - D.H. Conley senior Luke Lambert is one of those kids that didn’t give up on his dream to play his sport. It has led him to a new team this summer and will again in the fall. We feature him in our Pepsi Sports Spotlight.

“My older brother when I was younger, he started playing,” says Pitt County Post 39 pitcher and utility player Luke Lambert, “I was like dang that looks like fun so I started playing with him. Playing in the yard. Hitting off the tee.”

It has always been baseball for D.H. Conley soon-to-be graduate Luke Lambert from little league on up.

“Played on Ross. Won the city championship,” says Lambert, “I was on the 2017 team that went to the Little League World Series. Great experience. Definitely grew my love for the game. I didn’t play much but it was fun to watch them.”

Fast forward to high school at Conley. Luke’s love for the game got tested.

“My freshman year, I got cut,” says Lambert, “and that really motivated me to prove somebody wrong.”

Luke faced adversity head on, made the team, and had a solid career with the Vikings. He was Conley’s leading hitter this season with a .382 average, he scored 24 runs, and drove in 12.

“Stuck with it and kept trying,” says Lambert, “and now here I am.”

Sticking with it and earning himself a spot with the UNC Pembroke baseball team starting this fall thanks to a recommendation from his coach Jason Mills.

“He hooked me up with a camp there. I did really well. I really liked the campus, really liked the coaches... they offered me and I took it on the spot,” says Luke, “I will be the first collegiate athlete of my family.”

Luke is playing his first season for American Legion ball for Pitt County Post 39. He’s already making waves.

“You are facing the top guys from every high school on one team,” says Luke, “It’s a lot of fun. Just playing ball. Not much practice. Justing going out here and living the dream.”

He plays everywhere for them. He will pitch in college and they have plans to use him a lot this summer.

“High leadership guy, high character guy. On the field, his production has been really good. We are trying to get him a bunch of innings this summer to get him ready for college,” says Pitt County Post 39 head coach Ryan Meadows, “He has a really, really big ceiling. He’s just such a competitor. He doesn’t waste pitches. He wants to win every single pitch, every single batter, and we look forward to having that this summer.”

Luke went 2-4 Monday night and drove in three runs for Pitt County Post 39. They won their game 10-6 over Louisburg.

If you have an athlete you would like to see featured in our Pepsi Sports Spotlight you can email us at spotlight@witn.com .

Copyright 2023 WITN. All rights reserved.