news-engine

Ella McDowell of Arkansas in an interview session during the Women’s College World Series media day in Oklahoma City. | DOUG HOKE/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Like many out athletes, one day during her childhood, University of Arkansas softball phenom Ella McDowell had a coming out conversation with her mother. What makes her unique is that she had it at 4 years old. When McDowell —one of the out LGBTQ college athletes profiled in Outsports’ Campus Courage series —was enrolled in Pre-K in the Houston suburbs, she realized she had developed a crush on her best friend, who happened to be a girl. So she told her mom. “I remember she was just like, ‘OK! Great, I love it. That’s awesome,’” McDowell told Oursports. “And then when I really came to terms with who I was, she was super supportive — both of my parents [were], my mom and my dad. My mom was over the moon and couldn’t be more proud of me.” ‘I think [college softball] was really beneficial to developing me into who I am,’ says Sarah Axelson, an executive with the Women’s Sports Foundation. Our weekly newsletter is packed with everything from locker room chatter to pressing LGBTQ sports issues. McDowell’s coming to terms and official coming out happened at age 13, telling her parents and her peers that she liked girls and was dating a girl. “Everyone in my life was like, ‘Oh, we know! We’ve known for the longest time. We’re so supportive of you.’ It was super easy for me,” she said. She had also gotten into sports at a young age and initially pursued baseball. Then after turning 8, McDowell switched to softball and never looked back. “What clicked for me in softball was being around all the girls and making so many friends. And seeing people who were like me and who I could relate to,” she said. Arkansas Razorbacks infield Ella McDowell (6) reacts to a home run hit by infielder Tianna Bell (not pictured) during an NCAA Softball Fayetteville Super Regional game. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images Although she always showed potential, McDowell felt that the freedom with which she played after coming out took her game into the stratosphere. “I couldn’t express myself because a big part of myself I felt like I was hiding. But once I finally realized I have this great support system around me, I knew that they would love me no matter what,” she said. “I was able to really up my game and play to my fullest potential and show my personality more on the field.” McDowell became a vocal leader. During travel ball, she would celebrate her team’s feats with little dances, partly due to the influence of another important piece of LGBTQ pop culture. “‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ changed my life!” she said. “Seeing the queens be so courageous inspired me that I could be myself. I don’t have to be so masculine or so feminine, I just have to be Ella.” McDowell plays with flair in every game for the Razorbacks. Photo by Noah Southard/University of Arkansas Athletics Department Her time at Foster High School lent credence to the notion that she had upped her game. Earning first team all-district and all-Greater Houston honors every season of her high school career, McDowell put up video-game statistics in the batter’s box and graduated as the No. 1-ranked infielder in the class of 2024 by Extra Inning Softball. She committed to Arkansas during her junior year and was overjoyed to find a welcoming and LGBTQ-supportive environment at the university. Her first two years with Razorbacks softball have been nothing short of sensational. At bat, McDowell has obliterated opposing pitchers to the tune of a .961 and 1.007 OPS in her freshman and sophomore seasons. “Being named an All-American as a freshman was a huge deal for me. I was super proud of myself. This year, doing the same thing but being named first team was a dream of mine,” she said. What’s more, after just missing the NCAA Women’s College’s World Series in her freshman year, McDowell caught the final out to send Arkansas to their first berth at Oklahoma City this past season. She still recalls the sensation of watching the final pop up descend into her glove. “It was quiet, quiet, quiet…caught it, and Bogle Park erupted! I immediately broke into tears. I was so happy, so proud of my team,” she said. “It was a once in a lifetime moment. It was amazing!” McDowell celebrates after another clutch hit for Arkansas. Photo courtesy of Ella McDowell Away from the diamond, McDowell is part of the university’s Lesbian Student Alliance and that has helped her connect to Fayetteville’s LGBTQ community both on and off campus. She’s majoring in Sports Management and her grades earned her a placement on the dean’s list this past semester. Being an elite student athlete also brings a lot of pressure, which McDowell processes with journaling, therapy and frequent nature hikes. Her personality and love for LGBTQ culture also continues to shine through every time she takes the field. McDowell uses Madonna’s “Vogue” as her walk-up music and when challenged on the lyrics, she can crush its iconic “Greta Garbo and Monroe, Dietrich and DiMaggio” bridge like it’s a changeup down the middle. Next year, she and her Razorbacks teammates are hoping to strike a pose after winning the final game in Oklahoma City. Subscribe to the Outsportsnewsletter to keep up with your favorite out athletes, inspiring LGBTQ sports stories, and more. Jake Eldridge published an emotional coming out video to his YouTube that detailed how hiding his true self on the gridiron eventually led his hospitalization. Now, he's never been happier. The author went from the joy of competition back to the tiring debate over trans athletes that misses the chance to have a real discussion on inclusion. Lisa Klaveness has been an outspoken critic of under-fire FIFA President Gianni Infantino, whose predecessor says the out lesbian executive should now replace him.