Riley Eikhoff
Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
5´10´´
185 pounds
Age: 25
2026 South Side Sox Top 100 ranking 92
2026 High Level Winston-Salem (A+)
Age relative to high level +0.8 years
SSS rank among all right-handed starters in the system
Overall 2026 season stats (Low-A/High-A) 4-5 ⚾️ 16 games (14 starts) ⚾️ 83 2/3 IP ⚾️ 3.76 ERA ⚾️ 1.157 WHIP ⚾️ 81 K ⚾️ 17 BB ⚾️ 1.2 WAR
The White Sox selected righthander Riley Eikhoff out of Coastal Carolina in the ninth round of the 2025 MLB Draft. On paper, it looked
like they’d landed a sleeper. And his first professional season, in 2026, gave that idea a little more life — even though an injury cut the introduction short.
Eikhoff was a vital member of the Chanticleers rotation in his last year of eligibility, one that saw the program put together one of the most remarkable runs in recent Division I memory. Coastal Carolina won 26 straight games on its way to the College World Series finals, and Eikhoff took the ball twice in Omaha. He helped the Chanticleers beat Arizona and Louisville, putting them two wins away from a national championship. LSU swept the best-of-three final, but if the series had reached a decisive third game, Eikhoff would have been the scheduled starter. That’s an obvious testament to how much trust the Coastal staff placed in him.
What Eikhoff lacks in eye-popping raw stuff, he consistently makes up for in discipline and command. Under first-year Coastal pitching coach Matt Williams, Eikhoff reshaped his arsenal and took a significant step forward. Williams swapped Eikhoff’s four-seamer for a sinker that better matched his lower arm slot. The new sinker sat at 90-92 mph and touched 94. The change unlocked an improved version of the righthander, helping him produce a career-best 3.10 ERA and just 11 walks across 90 innings in 2025.
His slider, a low-80s sweeper with late horizontal action, seems to be his best pitch, and his mid-80s changeup allows him to keep both lefties and righties off-balance. The package doesn’t scream future frontline starter, but there’s something to be said for a pitcher who knows what he has and how to use it.
Eikhoff got his first chance to put that mix to work against professional hitters with Kannapolis in 2026. In 13 appearances (11 starts), he went 4-5 with a 3.84 ERA over 65 2/3 innings. It was enough to earn him a June 17 promotion to Winston-Salem, where he wasted no time making himself comfortable.
In his High-A debut, Eikhoff gave the Dash seven innings of two-run baseball, allowing five hits and striking out seven without issuing a walk. Of his 91 pitches, 68 went for strikes. That’s a pretty good way to introduce yourself to a new coaching staff.
Unfortunately, the Dash didn’t get to see much more. Eikhoff made just three total starts, pitching to a 3.50 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 18 innings before injury landed him on the 7-day IL on July 3 and being transferred to the 60-day IL on July 31, taking him out of action for the rest of the year. Just as he was getting a chance to show what he could do at the next level, his season came to a halt. We’re uncertain of the nature of Eikhoff’s injury, a stint on the 60-day IL is never a good thing.
Still, there was plenty to like about the work he did get in. Eikhoff entered pro ball with questions about whether his size and less-than-elite velocity would eventually push him to the bullpen. That could still be where he lands, but he gave the White Sox a reason to keep handing him the ball as a starter.
He’s a compact righthander with mound savvy, ground-ball potential and a clear aptitude for adjusting his game as the competition rises. Getting healthy and picking up where he left off will be the next order of business, with more advanced hitters providing the next test of how far his command can carry him.
For now, Eikhoff remains a veteran competitor with a sturdy statistical résumé and the kind of reliability that coaches love. It’s precisely the sort of under-the-radar arm that sometimes becomes more than expected. Providing his arm injury in July wasn’t devastating, Eikhoff will likely open 2027 back with the Dash, with a chance at Birmingham sooner rather than later.
Full 2027 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox Prospects Storystream
