Several becoming stars at the next level
 It has been an impressive summer for several University of Evansville baseball alums who are enjoying success at the professional level.
In his sophomore season for with his hometown squad – the Colorado Rockies – Kyle Freeland has pitched at an elite level. With a July 12 start against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the books, Freeland stands with an 8-6 record with a 3.11 ERA. He has posted 92 strikeouts while walking just 38 batters.
He has been a steady arm in the Rockies’ rotation, accumulating 12 quality starts in his last 15 games. A quality start in Major League Baseball is defined as a game where the starting pitcher goes at least six innings and allows three earned runs or fewer.
Freeland has done that and much more for Colorado. The southpaw has made 19 starts and has given up more than three earned runs on just two occasions. He has been on a nice roll over the last month, giving up just eight earned runs in 37.1 innings of work.
An even more important statistic in MLB is wins above replacement (WAR). In short, WAR is a baseball stat that summarizes a player’s total contribution to their team in just that one stat. As of July 13, Freeland is tied for 13th in all of the MLB in the statistic and tied for 6th among pitchers.
His work has helped the Rockies to a 48-45 mark as the team is just 4 games out of the second wildcard spot in the National League.
Freeland is not the only UE baseball alum to be in the majors this year. Kevin Kaczmarski, the leading hitter in the NCAA in 2015 (batted .465), was called to the majors by the New York Mets on June 22. Kaczmarski graduated from Evansville in 2015 and was drafted by the Mets in the 9th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
Kaczmarski made his first Major League start against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 9. In four games with the Mets, he drew a walk in six plate appearances. The native of Cary, Ill. earned his call-up with an impressive showing with the Mets AAA squad – the Las Vegas 51s. He batted .363 with 29 hits in 80 at-bats to go along with 8 RBI and 7 walks.
That came on the heels of his 2017 effort that saw him bat .274 in 128 games with the AA Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Kaczmarski was sent back to the AAA squad on July 11.
Kyle Lloyd, who made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres in 2017, has been with the El Paso Chihuahuas in 2018. The Chihuahuas are the AAA affiliate of the Padres. Lloyd has won three of his seven appearances while striking out 29 batters in 30 innings of work. He has not pitched since being placed on the disabled list on May 8.
Former UE shortstop Eric Stamets has also been at the AAA level this season, playing in 42 games for the Columbus Clippers. The Clippers are in the Cleveland Indians system. Stamets checks in with a .196 average while scoring 11 runs and posting 8 RBI. He has been on the disabled list since June 26. Just before his stint on the DL, Stamets had a 2-4 effort with an RBI, walk and run scored on June 23 versus the Gwinnett Stripers.
Evansville also has a pair of 2017 graduates making their way up the ladder. Pitcher Connor Strain, who was taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 9th round of last year’s draft, has been lights out this year. He started the year with the Great Lakes Loons, who are the Dodgers Class A squad. He appeared in 16 games while notching a 1.40 ERA in 25.2 innings of action. Opponents hit just .217 against him.
On July 9, he was rewarded for his efforts and earned a promotion to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, who are at the Class A-Advanced level. Strain made his debut with the Quakes on July 10, throwing two scoreless innings while striking out two batters.
Trey Hair was a 34th-round pick in 2017 by the Tampa Bay Rays. He started this season playing for the Rays’ Class A Short Season squad – the Hudson Valley Renegades. After betting .471 in four games, he earned a quick promotion to the Class A Full Season team – the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
Playing in nearby Bowling Green, Ky., Hair has seen his success translate to the next level, batting .317 in 16 games and 63 at-bats with the Hot Rods.
