Former Northwestern standout and Lehigh third baseman and batting leader Rafe Perich was drafted 225th overall in the seventh round of the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft by the defending World Series Champion Texas Rangers on Monday afternoon.

Perich became the 19th all-time Lehigh player to be selected in the MLB Draft, marking the fourth draft in the last six years featuring at least one Mountain Hawk.

A career .337 hitter for the Mountain Hawks, Perich enjoyed a spectacular junior season in Bethlehem. The New Tripoli native batted a team-high .382 with a team-leading 58 hits in 42 games.

He added 41 RBIs, 11 doubles, six home runs, 32 runs scored and even recorded a save on the mound. In addition, Perich’s 1.064 OPS, .572 slugging percentage and .492 on-base percentage all ranked within the top five in the Patriot League.

In the field playing both third and second base, Perich recorded a .969 fielding percentage with 23 putouts and 70 assists on 96 chances with only three errors.

Rafe’s dad, Josh, was taken in the 11th round by the New York Mets out of high school in 1998.