The Tennessee Volunteers are officially the last undefeated team remaining in college baseball off the back of dominant performances from all corners of the team. The defending national champions saw plenty of roster turnover following their win in Omaha last year, allowing them to reload quickly and comfortably find themselves as a favorite to win the national title once again.
The most important change that head coach Tony Vitello and the Vols have seen this season is to their pitching staff. Pitching for the Vols wasn’t bad by any means during their 2024 season. However, Vitello often had to get creative with his pitching rotation and take a more unconventional approach that rarely saw consistent weekend starters. This strategy of shuffling a multitude of different arms proved fruitful for the Vols in Omaha. However, this revamped group has allowed Vitello to mix in a more traditional approach to choosing pitchers while still retaining that creativity in the lineup in the back half of games.
The biggest addition to this pitching staff has been lefty Liam Doyle, who transferred from Ole Miss in the offseason alongside infielder Andrew Fischer. Doyle has immediately established himself as the solidified Friday starter, seeing starts in the opening game of each of Tennessee’s four series this season.
Doyle and his blazing arm have faced 63 batters this season, with only six of them making contact and only allowing a single run in the process. Of those 63 at-bats, Doyle has sent an NCAA-leading 47 hitters straight back to the dugout with a strikeout. The next closest pitcher sits five behind him at 43. Doyle has shown himself to not only be one of the best arms in Tennessee but in the world of college baseball as a whole, and Vitello is certainly happy to have an easy name to slot in every Friday.
“Liam’s got a good fun balance that works for him. But that word fun, he makes it fun to be around him,” Vitello said following the Vol’s win over Oklahoma State. “And then, of course when he’s competing, he’s as good as it gets as far as sitting in the dugout and having that guy throwing the ball for you.”
Doyle’s near-unstoppable arm most recently helped lead the Vols to their ninth no-hitter in program history. Doyle effortlessly defended the mound for 5 2/3 innings, adding 13 strikeouts in the process, just one shy of his career high in a game. Doyle started the game with a walk before forcing the next 17 hitters back to the benches.
“I feel like I’m getting better every week. Just taking it step by step and make sure I’m at my best at the end of the season,” Doyle said after his Friday performance. “I’m feeling pretty good. I always have confidence in myself, and I’m excited to get SEC play going.”
Doyle and Tennessee begin SEC play on Friday against Florida, who is aiming to take down a second undefeated team this week following their 7-2 victory over Florida State on Tuesday.
