Dragons Name #1 Draft Pick Rhett Lowder as Opening Night Starter on Friday

DAYTON, OHIO—The Dayton Dragons announced today that Rhett Lowder, the #1 draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2023, will make his professional debut as the Dragons starting pitcher on Opening Night, Friday, April 5. The Dragons will host the Lansing Lugnuts at 7:10 pm at Day Air Ballpark in their 24^th annual Opening Night game.

For Dragons ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.

Lowder was the seventh overall selection in the 2023 draft out of Wake Forest, where he enjoyed one of the finest seasons as a starting pitcher in college baseball history in 2023. Lowder was named Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year and ACC Male Athlete of the Year, ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year, and First Team All-American. He went 15-0 with a 1.87 ERA, walking just 24 with 143 strikeouts in 120.1 innings, and led the nation in wins while finishing fourth in ERA and strikeouts. He also earned ACC Pitcher of the Year in 2022 and is one of only two pitchers ever to win ACC Pitcher of the Year in consecutive seasons. In 2023, he led Wake Forest to its first berth in the College World Series since 1955. In the 2023 College World Series, Lowder fired seven scoreless innings against eventual national champion LSU in his final college appearance.

Lowder is currently ranked as the Reds #2 prospect by both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline (Lowder is #1 among active players; the highest-rated prospect on both lists, Noelvi Marte, is currently inactive).