2023 Baseball Roster
Lowder, Rhett
Jersey Number 4
Rhett Lowder
- Height:
- 6-2
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Albemarle, N.C.
- High School:
- North Stanly HS
- Deals:
Bio
Drafted with the No. 7-overall pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Wake Forest Records Held
Wake Forest Single-Season Wins (15)
Wake Forest Single-Season Strikeouts (143)
Wake Forest Single-Season Win-Loss Percentage (15-0)
Career Accolades
2023 Anthony J. McKevlin Award (ACC Male Athlete of the Year)
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Year
2023 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2023 Baseball America First Team All-American
2023 Collegiate Baseball First Team All-American
2023 ABCA First Team All-American
2023 NCBWA First Team All-American
2023 National Pitcher of the Year Finalist
2023 First Team All-ACC
2023 All-ACC Academic Team Selection
2023 Dick Howser Trophy Finalist
2023 NCBWA District 4 Player of the Year
2023 First Team CSC Academic All-American
2023 Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
2023 Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
2023 ACC All-Tournament Team
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (May 8)
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (April 17)
2023 Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (March 27)
2023 Perfect Game National Pitcher of the Week (March 27)
2023 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
2023 Perfect Game First Team Preseason All-American
2023 Collegiate Baseball First Team Preseason All-American
2023 Baseball America First Team Preseason All-American
2023 D1Baseball First Team Preseason All-American
2023 NCBWA First Team Preseason All-American
2023 D1Baseball Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
2023 Perfect Game Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
2023 Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
2022 ACC Pitcher of the Year (First ever in program history)
2022 Unanimous All-American (Third in program history)
2022 ABCA First Team All-American
2022 Baseball America First Team All-American
2022 D1Baseball Second Team All-American
2022 Perfect Game Second Team All-American
2022 Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American
2022 NCBWA Third Team All-American
2022 ABCA/Rawlings First Team All-Region
2022 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Member
2022 First Team All-ACC
2022 Pitcher of the Year Finalist (First ever in program history)
2022 All-ACC Academic Team Selection
ACC Pitcher of the Week (May 23, 2022)
Perfect Game Pitcher of the Week (May 23, 2022)
2023 (Junior)
Became the second pitcher in ACC history to win back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Year awards... Posted a historical season on the diamond, setting program records in wins (15) and strikeouts (143) while tossing the fourth-most innings (120.1) by a Demon Deacon ever....His 15 victories led the nation while ranking fourth nationally in ERA (1.87) and strikeouts (143) and eighth in WHIP (.95)... Finished the regular season as the conference’s leader in ERA (1.73), wins (12), innings pitched (88.2) and strikeouts (108).... Also led the conference in those same categories in ACC play... Tossed at least six innings in 15 starts, while allowing three runs or less in 18 outings... Was a part of six shutouts... Held opponents scoreless in seven outings while walking no batters in three starts... Blanked a conference opponent four times during the 2023 season (Miami, Louisville, BC and Florida State)... Ended the season with seven shutout innings and six strikeouts in the Men's College World Series against eventual national champion LSU (June 22)... Broke the Wake Forest single-season win record with his 15th win of the season in Wake Forest's Winston-Salem Super Regional win over Alabama (June 10)... Broke the Wake Forest single-season strikeout record with his 141st punchout of the season in the top of the fifth inning against the Tigers in the Men's College World Series... Struck out a career-high 12 batters for his career-best and nation-leading 12th win of the season against Virginia Tech (May 18)... Moved to 11-0 on the season against Florida State (May 12) after tossing seven scoreless frames with six strikeouts and zero walks, the second time not walking a conference opponent to that point in the season... Retired 14 of the final 16 batters he faced over his final five innings against the Seminoles... Posted the fifth double-digit strikeout performance of his career against Illinois (Feb. 18) to earn first victory of season.
2022 (Sophomore)
Became the first Demon Deacon in program history to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year... Became the third Unanimous All-American in program history... Earned First Team All-America honors from the ABCA, First Team All-America honors from Baseball America, Second Team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball, Second Team All-America honors from Perfect Game, Second Team All-America honors from D1Baseball and Third Team All-America honors from the NCBWA.. Landed on the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team... Named a First Team All-ACC selection... Became the first Demon Deacon to be named a finalist for the Collegiate Pitcher of the Year Award... Finished the season with a 11-3 record in 99.1 innings... Became just the fifth pitcher in program history and the first since 2002 to reach 11 victories in a season... Struck out a career-high 105 batters, the 10th most in program history... Entered the NCAA Tournament as one of four pitchers in the nation with 11 wins, which was also an ACC best... Ended the regular season as the only pitcher in the ACC to rank in the top three in wins, strikeouts, ERA and innings pitched... Also ranked in the top 10 in WHIP (fourth), walks allowed per nine innings (seventh) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (seventh) heading into the NCAA Tournament... Registered the lowest ERA (2.60) and the most innings (65.2) in addition to the second-most victories (six) in conference play,... Went at least six innings in 11 of his 16 starts... Allowed three earned runs or less in 15 of his 16 starts... Walked two batters or less in 13 appearances...Fanned double-digit batters in three games, matching his career-high of 11 strikeouts against NJIT (Feb. 25), Clemson (April 15) and Louisville (May 6)... Started the season a perfect 5-0, highlighted by conference wins in the series openers against nationally-ranked Florida State (March 11) and nationally-ranked Georgia Tech (March 18)... Threw the first complete game by a Demon Deacon since 2017 on just 87 pitches, striking out six batters while allowing just five hits and no walks against NC State (May 19)... Earned ACC Pitcher of the Week and Perfect Game Pitcher of the Week honors for complete-game gem... Reached 150 career strikeouts with his first punchout of his start against Louisville (May 7)... Tossed a then-career high eight scoreless innings against Clemson (April 15)... Also blanked Lafayette (Feb. 18) and Boston College (April 1), allowing no earned runs.. Walked no batters against Duke (April 8), Notre Dame (April 22), Longwood (April 30) and NC State (May 19)... Conceded a season-low three hits against Lafayette (Feb. 18), UMass Lowell (March 4) and Clemson (April 15)... Retired the first 10 batters he faced against Duke (April 8)... Kept UMass Lowell hitless until the top of the sixth (March 4)... Earned second win of the season against NJIT (Feb. 25), retiring nine-straight batters over the second, third, fourth and fifth innings.
2021 (Freshman)
Appeared in 14 games in first collegiate season, making 12 starts in the weekend rotation... Posted a record of 4-2, tying for a team high in wins... Registered 78 strikeouts, the third most in program history by a freshman... Tallied a strikeout-walk ratio of 3.55, the second highest by a freshman Deac... Finished regular season tied for the ninth-most punch outs in the conference... Made collegiate debut against Northeastern (Feb. 20), striking out the side in one relief inning... Tallied a career-best 10 K's in first career start against Coastal Carolina (Feb. 23) as the Deacs combined for 20 strikeouts, the most by a Wake Forest pitching staff since at least 1999... Registered victories in starts against Louisville (April 4), NC State (May 1), Belmont (May 9) and Pitt (May 21)... Tossed a career-long seven scoreless innings in Sunday win at Louisville (April 4), allowing just three hits and walking just two batters while striking out seven... Did not walk a single batter in doubleheader victory versus Belmont (May 9)... Fanned nine batters in first game of a conference doubleheader at Clemson (April 25).
Summer Ball
Registered a 2-0 record in four starts for the Strasburg Express in the Valley Baseball League... Fanned 27 batters while only allowing five earned runs in 19.0 innings... On July 15, Lowder joined Crawford Wade and another Express teammate to combine for a no-hitter... In that performance, Lowder started and tossed 10 K's in six innings... The Express took home the VBL championship with an undefeated playoff run.
Background
Ranked as the No. 491 recruit in the nation by Perfect Game, as well as the No. 12 prospect in North Carolina ... Twice named the Pitcher of the Year in both his conference and county ... Two-time all-state honoree ... In a shortened senior season, went 2-0 with 27 strikeouts and one walk, not allowing an earned run in 13.2 innings ... As a junior, tossed a pair of no-hitters en route to a 9-0 record and 0.61 ERA, totaling 115 strikeouts with just seven walks in 68.1 innings ... In his sophomore season, finished 9-2 with a 1.03 ERA, 96 strikeouts and seven walks in 61 innings ... Played club baseball for the South Charlotte Panthers ... Selected Wake Forest over UNCW, App State and Campbell.
Personal
Born on March 8, 2002 ... Son of Anthony and Annette Lowder ... Cousin, Joseph, plays baseball for App State ... In high school, was a member of National Honor Society, Beta Club, president of North Stanly chapter of National Art Honor Society, and a member of the Jr Dream team for the Dream on 3 Foundation.
Wake Forest Records Held
Wake Forest Single-Season Wins (15)
Wake Forest Single-Season Strikeouts (143)
Wake Forest Single-Season Win-Loss Percentage (15-0)
Career Accolades
2023 Anthony J. McKevlin Award (ACC Male Athlete of the Year)
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Year
2023 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2023 Baseball America First Team All-American
2023 Collegiate Baseball First Team All-American
2023 ABCA First Team All-American
2023 NCBWA First Team All-American
2023 National Pitcher of the Year Finalist
2023 First Team All-ACC
2023 All-ACC Academic Team Selection
2023 Dick Howser Trophy Finalist
2023 NCBWA District 4 Player of the Year
2023 First Team CSC Academic All-American
2023 Winston-Salem Regional All-Tournament Team
2023 Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist
2023 ACC All-Tournament Team
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (May 8)
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (April 17)
2023 Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List
2023 ACC Pitcher of the Week (March 27)
2023 Perfect Game National Pitcher of the Week (March 27)
2023 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List
2023 Perfect Game First Team Preseason All-American
2023 Collegiate Baseball First Team Preseason All-American
2023 Baseball America First Team Preseason All-American
2023 D1Baseball First Team Preseason All-American
2023 NCBWA First Team Preseason All-American
2023 D1Baseball Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
2023 Perfect Game Preseason ACC Pitcher of the Year
2023 Perfect Game Preseason All-ACC
2022 ACC Pitcher of the Year (First ever in program history)
2022 Unanimous All-American (Third in program history)
2022 ABCA First Team All-American
2022 Baseball America First Team All-American
2022 D1Baseball Second Team All-American
2022 Perfect Game Second Team All-American
2022 Collegiate Baseball Second Team All-American
2022 NCBWA Third Team All-American
2022 ABCA/Rawlings First Team All-Region
2022 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Member
2022 First Team All-ACC
2022 Pitcher of the Year Finalist (First ever in program history)
2022 All-ACC Academic Team Selection
ACC Pitcher of the Week (May 23, 2022)
Perfect Game Pitcher of the Week (May 23, 2022)
2023 (Junior)
Became the second pitcher in ACC history to win back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Year awards... Posted a historical season on the diamond, setting program records in wins (15) and strikeouts (143) while tossing the fourth-most innings (120.1) by a Demon Deacon ever....His 15 victories led the nation while ranking fourth nationally in ERA (1.87) and strikeouts (143) and eighth in WHIP (.95)... Finished the regular season as the conference’s leader in ERA (1.73), wins (12), innings pitched (88.2) and strikeouts (108).... Also led the conference in those same categories in ACC play... Tossed at least six innings in 15 starts, while allowing three runs or less in 18 outings... Was a part of six shutouts... Held opponents scoreless in seven outings while walking no batters in three starts... Blanked a conference opponent four times during the 2023 season (Miami, Louisville, BC and Florida State)... Ended the season with seven shutout innings and six strikeouts in the Men's College World Series against eventual national champion LSU (June 22)... Broke the Wake Forest single-season win record with his 15th win of the season in Wake Forest's Winston-Salem Super Regional win over Alabama (June 10)... Broke the Wake Forest single-season strikeout record with his 141st punchout of the season in the top of the fifth inning against the Tigers in the Men's College World Series... Struck out a career-high 12 batters for his career-best and nation-leading 12th win of the season against Virginia Tech (May 18)... Moved to 11-0 on the season against Florida State (May 12) after tossing seven scoreless frames with six strikeouts and zero walks, the second time not walking a conference opponent to that point in the season... Retired 14 of the final 16 batters he faced over his final five innings against the Seminoles... Posted the fifth double-digit strikeout performance of his career against Illinois (Feb. 18) to earn first victory of season.
2022 (Sophomore)
Became the first Demon Deacon in program history to be named ACC Pitcher of the Year... Became the third Unanimous All-American in program history... Earned First Team All-America honors from the ABCA, First Team All-America honors from Baseball America, Second Team All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball, Second Team All-America honors from Perfect Game, Second Team All-America honors from D1Baseball and Third Team All-America honors from the NCBWA.. Landed on the ABCA/Rawlings All-Region First Team... Named a First Team All-ACC selection... Became the first Demon Deacon to be named a finalist for the Collegiate Pitcher of the Year Award... Finished the season with a 11-3 record in 99.1 innings... Became just the fifth pitcher in program history and the first since 2002 to reach 11 victories in a season... Struck out a career-high 105 batters, the 10th most in program history... Entered the NCAA Tournament as one of four pitchers in the nation with 11 wins, which was also an ACC best... Ended the regular season as the only pitcher in the ACC to rank in the top three in wins, strikeouts, ERA and innings pitched... Also ranked in the top 10 in WHIP (fourth), walks allowed per nine innings (seventh) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (seventh) heading into the NCAA Tournament... Registered the lowest ERA (2.60) and the most innings (65.2) in addition to the second-most victories (six) in conference play,... Went at least six innings in 11 of his 16 starts... Allowed three earned runs or less in 15 of his 16 starts... Walked two batters or less in 13 appearances...Fanned double-digit batters in three games, matching his career-high of 11 strikeouts against NJIT (Feb. 25), Clemson (April 15) and Louisville (May 6)... Started the season a perfect 5-0, highlighted by conference wins in the series openers against nationally-ranked Florida State (March 11) and nationally-ranked Georgia Tech (March 18)... Threw the first complete game by a Demon Deacon since 2017 on just 87 pitches, striking out six batters while allowing just five hits and no walks against NC State (May 19)... Earned ACC Pitcher of the Week and Perfect Game Pitcher of the Week honors for complete-game gem... Reached 150 career strikeouts with his first punchout of his start against Louisville (May 7)... Tossed a then-career high eight scoreless innings against Clemson (April 15)... Also blanked Lafayette (Feb. 18) and Boston College (April 1), allowing no earned runs.. Walked no batters against Duke (April 8), Notre Dame (April 22), Longwood (April 30) and NC State (May 19)... Conceded a season-low three hits against Lafayette (Feb. 18), UMass Lowell (March 4) and Clemson (April 15)... Retired the first 10 batters he faced against Duke (April 8)... Kept UMass Lowell hitless until the top of the sixth (March 4)... Earned second win of the season against NJIT (Feb. 25), retiring nine-straight batters over the second, third, fourth and fifth innings.
2021 (Freshman)
Appeared in 14 games in first collegiate season, making 12 starts in the weekend rotation... Posted a record of 4-2, tying for a team high in wins... Registered 78 strikeouts, the third most in program history by a freshman... Tallied a strikeout-walk ratio of 3.55, the second highest by a freshman Deac... Finished regular season tied for the ninth-most punch outs in the conference... Made collegiate debut against Northeastern (Feb. 20), striking out the side in one relief inning... Tallied a career-best 10 K's in first career start against Coastal Carolina (Feb. 23) as the Deacs combined for 20 strikeouts, the most by a Wake Forest pitching staff since at least 1999... Registered victories in starts against Louisville (April 4), NC State (May 1), Belmont (May 9) and Pitt (May 21)... Tossed a career-long seven scoreless innings in Sunday win at Louisville (April 4), allowing just three hits and walking just two batters while striking out seven... Did not walk a single batter in doubleheader victory versus Belmont (May 9)... Fanned nine batters in first game of a conference doubleheader at Clemson (April 25).
Summer Ball
Registered a 2-0 record in four starts for the Strasburg Express in the Valley Baseball League... Fanned 27 batters while only allowing five earned runs in 19.0 innings... On July 15, Lowder joined Crawford Wade and another Express teammate to combine for a no-hitter... In that performance, Lowder started and tossed 10 K's in six innings... The Express took home the VBL championship with an undefeated playoff run.
Background
Ranked as the No. 491 recruit in the nation by Perfect Game, as well as the No. 12 prospect in North Carolina ... Twice named the Pitcher of the Year in both his conference and county ... Two-time all-state honoree ... In a shortened senior season, went 2-0 with 27 strikeouts and one walk, not allowing an earned run in 13.2 innings ... As a junior, tossed a pair of no-hitters en route to a 9-0 record and 0.61 ERA, totaling 115 strikeouts with just seven walks in 68.1 innings ... In his sophomore season, finished 9-2 with a 1.03 ERA, 96 strikeouts and seven walks in 61 innings ... Played club baseball for the South Charlotte Panthers ... Selected Wake Forest over UNCW, App State and Campbell.
Personal
Born on March 8, 2002 ... Son of Anthony and Annette Lowder ... Cousin, Joseph, plays baseball for App State ... In high school, was a member of National Honor Society, Beta Club, president of North Stanly chapter of National Art Honor Society, and a member of the Jr Dream team for the Dream on 3 Foundation.
Wake Forest Football 2025 Week Two Trailer
Friday, September 05
Football Media Availability (9/3/25)
Wednesday, September 03
Football Media Availability (9/2/25)
Tuesday, September 02
Coach Jake Dickert Weekly Press Conference (Sept. 1, 2025)
Monday, September 01
