Tennessee baseball outfielder Dylan Dreiling won College World Series MVP after an iconic six-game stretch in Omaha. The sophomore left-fielder hit .542 in the tournament with three home runs – all coming in the CWS Finals – and recorded 11 RBI while working four walks.
Dreiling posted a staggering .586 on-base percentage while slugging .958. Dreiling was the hero in many games for the Vols in their 5-1 run in Omaha, recording a walk-off base-hit in game one of the College World Series over Florida State before providing Tennessee with a pair of crucial homers in each of their CWS Finals wins over Texas A&M.
All three of Dreiling’s home runs in the CWS final series were two-run homers in the seventh inning. Like he has all season, Dreiling delivered when it mattered most in late-game situations.
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The Hays, Kansas, native’s home run in game two of the CWS Finals gave Tennessee a 2-1 lead in the seventh, putting them on the board after Tennessee’s offense had struggled significantly. Had Dreiling not gotten Tennessee on the board with his long ball, the Aggies may have taken game two and swept the CWS Finals.
In the National Championship game Monday night, Dreiling added two runs to Tennessee’s 3-1 lead to give the Vols a four-run cushion, which was massive for Tennessee’s semi-shallow bullpen that was remaining for the game.
Dreiling has been Tennessee’s most underrated player all season long. The draft-eligible sophomore has delivered in seemingly every clutch moment for Tennessee and wound up finishing tied for second on the team with 23 home runs. Dreiling also finished the season with the team-lead in RBI (75) and on-base percentage (.459).
The 5-foot-11, 200-pound lefty played the best baseball of his UT career in the College World Series and especially in the final series. After serving as a part-time player in his freshman season a year ago, Dreiling was among Tennessee’s most important players this season and certainly its most important in Omaha.
Dreiling will go down as an Omaha legend after cementing his legacy in the 2024 College World Series by winning MVP on the first ever Tennessee National Championship team.
