EVANSVILLE, Ind. – As a rookie in 2017, former University of Evansville star Kyle Freeland made his presence known, winning 11 games while finishing the season with a 4.10 ERA.  In 2018, the southpaw looks for more.
 
Saturday marks the 1-year anniversary of Freeland's debut with the Colorado Rockies.  Taking the hill in the home opener, the Denver native gave up just one run on four hits while going six innings.  It was the start of a nice streak that saw him give up one run or fewer in five of his first six starts.
 
Freeland hit a slight bump in the road in June, giving up 14 runs over the course of three games, but he rebounded on July 9 with the best start of his career.  Facing the Chicago White Sox at Coors Field, Freeland had a no-hitter going into the ninth inning.  His bid ended when outfielder Melky Cabrera hit a single, but the Denver faithful appreciated the effort.
 
Over the final month of the season, the Rockies limited Freeland's innings as he came out of the bullpen over that span.  He finished his rookie campaign with an 11-11 record, a 4.10 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 156 innings of work.
 
He earned a spot in the Rockies rotation in 2018 after completing Spring Training with a 4.82 ERA.  One of the most impressive stats was his strikeout-to-walk ratio, which was 15-to-4 over 18 2/3 innings. 
 
On April 3, Freeland made his season debut in San Diego, giving up four runs in a loss to the Padres.  He struck out six and walked two.  His next start is slated for Sunday against the Atlanta Braves in Denver.
 
The numbers are definitely swinging in Freeland's favor and he is hoping to bring the same luck from the 2014 Purple Aces MVC Championship season to the mound with the Rockies.
 

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