Tennessee ace Liam Doyle is having an All-American caliber junior season for the Vols and has arguably been the most dominant starting pitcher in the country this year. For the season, Doyle boasts a 9-3 record and a 2.72 ERA in 15 appearances while leading the country in strikeouts (137) and strikeouts per nine innings (15.54). He has reached double-digit strikeouts seven times this season, including four such games in SEC play. Doyle’s nine victories are tied for first in the SEC and 12th nationally.
The junior left-hander was nearly unhittable in the month of April, posting a 3-0 record with a 1.29 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 28 innings pitched over four starts while holding opposing hitters to a .087 average. Doyle put on a dazzling performance in UT’s Friday night road victory at No. 6 Ole Miss on April 11 to win SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors for the second week in a row. He has earned the honor three times this season, marking the first time a UT pitcher has done so. Despite pitching in a hostile environment, Doyle set the tone for the Vols’ winning weekend in Oxford, tossing a career-high 8.1 innings while allowing just two runs on three hits to earn the win over his former team. He finished with an SEC career-best 14 strikeouts on the night, which also tied a career-high mark that he set earlier this season against Samford.
Prior to his most recent pitcher of the week honor, Doyle was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on March 10 and April 7, after helping the Vols throw combined no-hitters both times.