Lamar sports information

BEAUMONT — Former Lamar standout Cutter McDowell has signed a contract to play professional baseball with the Florence Freedom Tuesday afternoon. McDowell becomes the fifth Cardinal from the Class of 2017 to further his career at the next level joining MLB draft selections Carson Lance (Detroit Tigers), Bryndan Arredondo (Baltimore Orioles), Jimmy Johnson (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Reid Russell (Houston Astros).

The Florence Freedom is a professional baseball team located in Florence, Kentucky. They are a member of the West Division of the Independent Frontier League, a league they have won three times during their history. The Freedom posted a 61-35 (.635) record in 2017 to win their division by nine games, finishing second overall.

“I couldn’t be happier for Cutter,” said LU head coach Will Davis. “His hamstring injury came at such a bad time for him last year that he was not ready to play when the draft rolled around, and consequently went undrafted. He was our best player last year and certainly deserved to be drafted. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if he pulled a Kevin Millar and made it to the big leagues from independent ball.”

McDowell overcame injuries to garner second-team All-Southland honors as a senior. He led the Cardinals in seven statistical categories, and finished the year ranked among the school’s all-time top five in doubles in a single-season. McDowell also finished the regular season as the league’s leader in on-base percentage and was second in the Southland in batting average.

Overall, McDowell posted 21 multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games, which was second and sixth on the team, respectively.

Dating back to the 2016 season, McDowell rattled off a 26-game stretch where he reached base — a streak that came to an end at No. 21 Texas in late February. On March 14, he put up five RBIs in a single game against Prairie View A&M, and was 3-for-4 in that game with two runs scored. Against No. 8 LSU later in the season, he went 3-for-5 with two solo home runs – his third and fourth of the season.

McDowell hit .305 during his junior season, which was the fifth-best mark on the team in 2016. He also recorded five home runs while driving in 28 that year. The Pearland native wrapped up his Cardinals’ career by hitting .333 with 10 home runs and 70 RBIs.