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With the season on the line, Tennessee turned to Liam Doyle on the mound

On3 imageby:Eric Cain•06/02/25•

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Tennessee pitcher Liam Doyle. Credit: UT Athletics
Tennessee pitcher Liam Doyle. Credit: UT Athletics

Liam Doyle began lightly tossing down in the Tennessee bullpen with the Vols leading Wake Forest 8-5 in the sixth inning of the Knoxville Regional Final.

With the lead once being at six runs in the fourth, Tony Vitello and Frank Anderson didn’t want to leave anything to chance with this high-powered Demon Deacon offense. So, with two outs in the top of the seventh inning, the southpaw was called on to protect the three-run lead and carry them on to supers.

Mission accomplished as Tennessee went on to win by six runs at 11-5, advancing to super regional play for the fifth-straight season and seventh time in program history.

“Arm felt good enough yesterday,” the pitcher said postgame. “Arm felt great today and just going out there and giving my team a chance to win. Coach had the trust in me to go out there and close the game for us tonight.”

The hurler stranded a man at second base to end the seventh, pumping 99 miles per hour past Kade Lewis. He ended up retiring all seven batters he faced in the ballgame while also passing Luke Hochevar as the single-season program record holder with his 155th strikeout in the eighth inning.

Remember, the ace took the ball in the regional-opener against Miami (OH) on Friday and threw 104 pitches across 6.2 innings with 11 strikeouts.

“Me and Andrew [Fischer] took, wouldn’t say a risk, but a smart decision entering the transfer portal this year to come to a spot where we knew we wanted to win,” Doyle said. “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 great here. So, [I] wanted the ball. I knew I could win for my team and put it all on the line out there.”

This wasn’t the first time Doyle has been used twice in a weekend this season. The lefty threw 23 pitches in the first inning against Auburn on May 3 before the game was suspended due to rain. He came back on Sunday to finish the second game of the series, throwing 34 pitches to combine for a total of 57 over a three-day stretch.

“I was very prepared for the moment. I feel like I’ve gone through in the SEC, being in it for two years – checking a lot of information last year, my first year,” the pitcher said. “Had some ups and downs and knew after all the build up after this year, I’d be ready for what was my task.”

Following Sunday’s Game 6 loss to Wake Forest, Vitello made it clear Doyle was wanting the ball at some point on Monday. The Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year earned that right and the Vols trusted him with the season on the line.

“I respect him more than I can describe with words,” first baseman Andrew Fischer said. “Like I said, he works really hard and obviously you guys can see the results out there on the field. He’s the best pitcher in the country. There’s no one else I’d rather have the ball.”

Tennessee advances on to super regional play, taking on Arkansas in Fayetteville next weekend.  

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