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Tennessee

Liam Doyle explains why he kept game ball from win over Wake Forest

On3 imageby:Dan Morrison•06/03/25•

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Liam Doyle, Tennessee
Liam Doyle, Tennessee - © Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tennessee Volunteers wrapped up the Knoxville Regional with a win over Wake Forest on Monday. There, pitcher Liam Doyle earned the save, pitching the final 2.1 innings for the win. He also chose to take a souvenir home with him, pocketing the game ball.

After the game, Doyle shared why he snagged the ball. He also admitted he already knows it’s headed home to become a souvenir for his mom.

“Probably to my mom,” Liam Doyle said. “Just keep it for good memories, you know. First time making it to the Super Regional with the team.”

Liam Doyle is pitching for his third team in as many seasons. He previously played for Coastal Carolina in 2023 and Ole Miss in 2024, but transferred to Tennessee ahead of the 2025 season. It’s been a good move for both sides. In 18 games, he has 16 starts and has thrown 92 innings. During that time, he has a 2.84 ERA and 158 strikeouts.

“You know, me and Andrew [Fischer] took, I wouldn’t say a risk,” Doyle said. “But a smart decision entering the transfer portal this year and coming to a spot where we knew we wanted to win. That’s all it was about. We wanted to win. We wanted to come to a spot that has won in the past, and done gone great here.”

Liam Doyle has, for the most part, been a starting pitcher at Tennessee. That included in the Knoxville Regional, having pitched 6.2 innings as a starter just a couple days earlier. Still, it was important for him to be available in case the Volunteers called him, as they did to wrap up the win over Wake Forest.

“I wanted the ball. I knew I could win it for my team,” Doyle said. “And I put it all on the line out there tonight.”

The Volunteers went into Sunday in a good spot to win the Knoxville Regional. They’d gone 2-0 to that point with wins over Cincinnati and Miami (Ohio). However, on Sunday, they ran into some trouble with a loss against Wake Forest. That forced the game on Monday, which saw the Volunteers survive and advance.

Now, Tennessee is headed to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Super Regional. That begins on Friday, June 6th. There, the Volunteers will likely, once again, lean on Liam Doyle to try and make it to Omaha.