FORT WORTH, Texas. – Darrien McDowell of the UWF Baseball Team was selected in round six, pick 180 overall, in the Major League Baseball Draft by the San Diego Padres on Monday afternoon.
 
McDowell becomes the highest drafted player in program history and just the 23^rd player to be selected in the MLB draft in Argonaut history.  Additionally, the native of Pensacola, Florida was the highest player drafted in Division II in 2024 and is one of 12 players in Gulf South Conference history to be taken in the first six rounds of the draft.
 
A product of Tate High School, McDowell is the first Argonaut to be drafted since Ledarious Clark was picked in the 12^thround of the 2015 draft by the Texas Rangers.
 
He was one of the top players in all of Division II during the 2024 campaign, as the first baseman was named as an NCBWA & D2CCA First Team All-American, the GSC Player of the Year along with being named as the D2CCA, ABCA and NCBWA South Region Player of the Year.  The first baseman was also named to the GSC All-Tournament Team.
 
During the 2024 season, McDowell led all of Division II in home runs (27), total bases (194) and slugging percentage (.902).  Also, he finished among the top 10 players in the country in batting average (.442), on-base percentage (.565), runs scored (77), hits (95) and walks (53).  His 95 hits broke a 13 year single-season program record held previously by Greg Pron (2011).
 
McDowell leaves as the school record holder in career home runs (41), batting average (.400), on-base percentage (.517) and slugging percentage (.769), leading the Argonauts to two GSC Conference Championships and two NCAA Division II regional appearances.
 
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