Ole Miss transfer pitcher Liam Doyle became Tennessee baseball’s fifth transfer portal pick up of the offseason on Tuesday night when he committed to Tony Vitello and his staff over Florida.
It was a two-team race for the left-handed pitcher with Doyle choosing the Vols after taking visits to both Florida and Tennessee in the last week. Tennessee’s coaching staff and ability to compete for a National Championship are why Doyle decided to spend his junior season in Knoxville.
“The coaching staff working there I think is truly unmatched in the country,” Doyle told RTI on Wednesday morning. “It seems like the players … really just bond well with the coaching staff. I think that’s what I’m really looking for in my last year. It’s just going to make me better and make me want to go play for my coach and that’s going to help me succeed. I think this is a place where we can back-to-back and win another National Championship.”
Doyle was Ole Miss’ Saturday starter a season ago where he posted a 3-4 record, 5.73 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in 55 innings pitched. The left-handed pitcher turned in 45 of his 55 innings pitched in 10 SEC starts. Perhaps his best start of the season came against Tennessee, when he allowed just four hits and three earned runs while striking out 10 batters in six innings pitched.
Tennessee baseball loses all three of its weekend starters from last season’s National Championship team as well as two of its top bullpen arms. Adding a talented pitcher with SEC starting experience is a big win for the Vols as they look to figure out their weekend rotation.
“I’m coming in to be a starter,” Doyle said. “Obviously I have to earn that role and work my way to it through the fall and early in the season next year but I didn’t transfer not to be a starter. It’s my draft year. Need to work hard and earn that spot for sure.”
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A Derry, New Hampshire native, Doyle has a four-pitch mix that includes a fastball, cutter, changeup and a splitter. His fastball sits 92-94 MPH and can touch 97 MPH. It was his best pitch in his sophomore season where he struck out 84 batters.
“My best things are I strike a lot of people out and I don’t walk a lot of people,” Doyle said. “I try to limit baserunners the best I can. Attack hitters, keep them on their toes always so they don’t have enough time to think.”
Doyle is looking to improve his mental approach with pitching coach Frank Anderson in his junior season while also tinkering with the grip on his off-speed pitches. The left-handed pitcher’s cutter was his best off-speed pitch against right-handed hitters last season while his slider was his best against left-handed bats.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound pitcher committed to Tennessee just shortly after Ole Miss third baseman Andrew Fischer committed to the Vols. Doyle and Fischer were roommates last season at Ole Miss before entering the transfer portal and visiting Tennessee together early this week.
The duo had similar priorities when entering the transfer portal and what Tennessee provided allowed the two friends to play together for what will likely be their final collegiate season.
“We built a great friendship together. We’re both northeast guys playing in the SEC so we always thought that was pretty cool,” Doyle said. “We knew we wanted to go somewhere and play together and build a team that could really compete for a National Championship and a team that other teams would be scared of … Everything worked out perfect here and this seemed to be the best fit for both of us.”
