A crisp fall afternoon on the North Stanly baseball field brought together young baseball players and their families to meet a former North Stanly pitcher who had an outstanding journey through minor league baseball last season. Rhett Lowder, who last pitched at Joe D. Kelly Stadium in 2020, made a special return on Saturday for a USA Baseball Homegrown camp. (Photo by CHARLES CURCIO/staff)

Rhett Lowder's Homecoming to North Stanly's Baseball Field

Lowder's Journey Through Baseball

After three remarkable seasons as a starting pitcher at Wake Forest, Lowder was selected seventh in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. His last pitch at North Stanly was in 2020, but now he was back to share his experiences with the next generation. Last season, he started in Class A minor league baseball and was promoted three times, ultimately reaching the Cincinnati 25-man roster in late August. During his time with the Reds, he pitched in six games, achieving a 2-2 win-loss record and a remarkable 1.17 earned-run average with 22 strikeouts. He only gave up four earned runs in six starts for the team. It was a significant achievement for him to make this leap from the minor leagues to the majors.Lowder expressed his delight at being on the North field again. He mentioned that he had been back a few times previously and it was great to see the young kids having fun and the coaches and some of the players. He said, "It’s pretty cool to see all the young kids come out and have fun, and see the coaches and some of the players now. It’s been a great day."

The USA Baseball Homegrown Program

Around 135 kids between the ages of 6 and 12 attended the camp and learned various hitting, throwing, and fielding skills from volunteer coaches and other staff. The camp was divided into two sessions, one for ages 6-9 and the other for the older participants. Senior director Brad Young explained that the USA Baseball Homegrown program provides families with elementary-aged youth from across the United States with the unique opportunity to learn from current and former USA Baseball national team athletes, as well as current and former Major League Baseball players. It creates a fun and interactive community-based setting where these hometown heroes can share their experiences. Young added that they have held events for other notable athletes like MLB All-Stars Michael Cuddyer and Adley Rutschman, Olympian Tim Federowicz, Max Clark, Anna Kimbrell, and Aidan and Jackson Miller.This camp was one of only a few baseball camps this season, and Lowder considered it a great honor. He said, "When (USA Baseball) reached out to me, they thought it would be a perfect fit, coming from a smaller town but with a big community. I think we had a great showing today. I think everybody had a lot of fun."

Lowder's First Season with the Reds

Regarding his first season with the Reds, Lowder emphasized the huge jump from Class A ball to the majors. He stated, "I got off on the right foot, stayed healthy, made some jumps and got to where the ultimate goal was, and I was there, staying healthy." He is now reporting for the team's 2025 spring training camp in Arizona in the first week of February, looking forward to continuing his baseball journey.Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for over 16 years and has written many news and feature stories. He has won awards such as the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also received an award from Boone Newspapers and four North Carolina Press Association awards.