 In 1981, he received first team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) and SEC All-Tournament honors.The Minnesota Twins selected Lombardozzi in the ninth round of the 1981 MLB Draft after which he was assigned to the Elizabethton Twins in the rookie-level Appalachian League where he hit .321 with 6 home runs and 38 RBI in 65 games.The following years, he made steady progress through the Twins' organization spending 1982 at class-A Visalia, 1983 at AA Orlando, and 1984 at AAA Toledo.