In his first two seasons with the Cincinnati Bearcats, Jarod Yoakam pitched plenty but he didn’t pitch all that well. In 2015 as a freshman he posted a 5.27 ERA in 42 2⁄3 innings out of the bullpen. He improved slightly in 2016, finishing with a 5.16 ERA in 45 1⁄3 frames of work.
Then he stepped up and made some major strides in 2017 despite a slightly lighter workload. In 37 1⁄3 innings he managed to record a 3.62 ERA while setting a career-high in strikeouts (29) and a career-low in walks (20).