DENVER, Colo. - Setting the Rockies' record for lowest single-season home ERA in 2018, University of Evansville Baseball alum Kyle Freeland was named opening day starter for the Colorado Rockies on Thursday afternoon against the Miami Marlins in Miami, Fla.

Freeland's opening day start comes after a 2018 season that saw the Denver native finish fourth in Cy Young Award voting and amass a 17-7 record with a 2.85 ERA. All this in just the second major league season of Freeland's career.

"It was a really good building block from me," said Freeland in a release on MLB.com. "The confidence coming off of a season like that is great. It's something that I can use going into this season, being able to relate back to that in the season when I'm not feeling so great the first stretch of starts."

After Freeland's stellar 2018 campaign, Rockies' manager Bud Black has taken notice of what the young Ace has accomplished early in his career. 

"We felt as though this was the way to go for Kyle," Black said to MLB.com. "It's a great feather in the cap for Kyle, Opening Day starter. That's a special day in baseball to pitch on Opening Day. We're all so very proud of Kyle, what he's accomplished the first couple years of his career."

Freeland will toe the mound as the Rockies' opening day starter when Colorado opens the 2019 season against the Miami Marlins at 3:10 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
 

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