Jarrett Kinder is Emerging as a Freshman Arm to Watch at Eastern Illinois
In the 2026 season, Jarrett Kinder carved out real value as a freshman right-hander for Eastern Illinois, earning OVC All-Freshman Team honors after posting a 3.00 ERA across 24.0 innings with 16 strikeouts in 12 appearances[1][2]. He also showed poise in swingman-style work, including 3.1 scoreless innings with three strikeouts against Arkansas State and four scoreless innings to earn the win versus Memphis, which hints at a competitive, calm-under-fire profile[6][9]. The big takeaway: he already looks like a useful fit for a staff that needs versatile, strike-throwing relievers with upside, not just raw stuff[2][11].
