Former NCCU baseball star killed in motorcycle crash

A former baseball star at N.C. Central University was killed Thursday night after his motorcycle crashed in Johnston County.

Dylan Lee Drayton, 23, of Charlotte was riding a 2003 Suzuki on McLemore Road when he lost control, said State Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. Jeff Gordon.

Drayton’s mother, Deidre Wolfe, 44, of Clayton, was a passenger on the motorcycle and was taken to WakeMed Raleigh, where she was treated for injuries not considered life threatening, Gordon said.

The accident took place about 10:40 p.m. on McLemore Road near Cleveland Fire Road, in the Clayton-Cleveland area of Johnston County.

Wolfe told state troopers that her son was going too fast for a curve and ran off the right side of McLemore Road. Investigators determined the motorcycle struck a ditch and overturned, then struck a culvert on the shoulder. The force on the impact threw Drayton and his mother from the bike, Gordon reported.

Drayton was a 2010 graduate of Middle Creek High school and played college baseball at NCCU in Durham where he majored in criminal justice, according to the school’s website.

He starred at shortstop with his college baseball team and was nominated All-MEAC in 2012 after he became the sixth NCCU baseball player to record 100 career hits. While in high school he was named to the TRi-Nine All Conference Baseball team during his sophomore, junior, and senior years.

Drayton was also an A/B honor roll student in high school and was all named to the Academic All-Conference squad, according to his college website.

This story was originally published July 10, 2015 at 7:59 PM with the headline "Former NCCU baseball star killed in motorcycle crash."