University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey Gamza/Pitt Athletics
Freure Signs Deal with Houston Astros
6/19/2018 2:06:00 PM | Baseball
Sophomore Pitcher Was Drafted in 6th Round by World Series Champions
PITTSBURGH – After being selected in the sixth round of the 2018 MLB First Year Player Draft, sophomore RJ Freure has signed a deal with the Houston Astros.
Freure was the highest pick of Pitt's five selections and was the highest drafted Pitt player since Charles Leblanc was taken in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He was selected with the 192nd pick by the Houston Astros.
"I would like to thank my teammates and coaches for everything they have done for me over the years at Pitt," Freure said. "For constantly pushing me to be better, not just on the field, but off the field as well. I can't express how honoured I am to have such great teammates surrounding me, and I will always remember them. Once a Panther, always a Panther. Hail to Pitt!"
In 2018, Freure made a team-high 27 appearances, which checks in at second all-time for appearances in a single season, battling to a 4-1 record with a 4.30 ERA. He held opponents to a miniscule .227 average, striking out 95 over 58.2 innings of work. He earned his first win of the season in a stellar performance against Oakland on Feb. 18, as he threw 5.0 innings of relief without allowing a run, letting up just two hits as he whiffed nine.
A career-high 11 strikeouts against Georgia Tech earned Freure his third win of the season as he held the Yellow Jackets off the board in 5.2 innings of work as Pitt walked off its ACC foe.
The Ontario Blue Jays product burst onto the scene as a freshman, quickly establishing himself as one of the Panthers' most reliable relievers. In 2017, he threw 38.0 innings in 21 appearances, striking out 46 and competing to a record of 4-1. His first collegiate win came in his first appearance as he tossed 1.0 inning of clean baseball, whiffing a Delaware batter. He threw 4.0 frames of scoreless work March 19, 2016 against Notre Dame to earn his first ACC victory as the Panthers captured the walk off win behind his six strikeouts.
Freure was a force out of the Panther bullpen in two seasons, racking up 48 appearances, which ranks 20th all-time in program history for appearances in a career. The Canadian tossed 96.2 innings in that span, whiffing an impressive 141 batters.
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Freure was the highest pick of Pitt's five selections and was the highest drafted Pitt player since Charles Leblanc was taken in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft. He was selected with the 192nd pick by the Houston Astros.
"I would like to thank my teammates and coaches for everything they have done for me over the years at Pitt," Freure said. "For constantly pushing me to be better, not just on the field, but off the field as well. I can't express how honoured I am to have such great teammates surrounding me, and I will always remember them. Once a Panther, always a Panther. Hail to Pitt!"
In 2018, Freure made a team-high 27 appearances, which checks in at second all-time for appearances in a single season, battling to a 4-1 record with a 4.30 ERA. He held opponents to a miniscule .227 average, striking out 95 over 58.2 innings of work. He earned his first win of the season in a stellar performance against Oakland on Feb. 18, as he threw 5.0 innings of relief without allowing a run, letting up just two hits as he whiffed nine.
A career-high 11 strikeouts against Georgia Tech earned Freure his third win of the season as he held the Yellow Jackets off the board in 5.2 innings of work as Pitt walked off its ACC foe.
The Ontario Blue Jays product burst onto the scene as a freshman, quickly establishing himself as one of the Panthers' most reliable relievers. In 2017, he threw 38.0 innings in 21 appearances, striking out 46 and competing to a record of 4-1. His first collegiate win came in his first appearance as he tossed 1.0 inning of clean baseball, whiffing a Delaware batter. He threw 4.0 frames of scoreless work March 19, 2016 against Notre Dame to earn his first ACC victory as the Panthers captured the walk off win behind his six strikeouts.
Freure was a force out of the Panther bullpen in two seasons, racking up 48 appearances, which ranks 20th all-time in program history for appearances in a career. The Canadian tossed 96.2 innings in that span, whiffing an impressive 141 batters.
#H2P | Twitter | Instagram
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