Talk about giving it your all for your team. As soon as it was confirmed that Tennessee baseball would be taking on Wake Forest in a win-or-go-home showdown on Monday night, plenty of eyes turned to ace hurler Liam Doyle.
He made it more than clear that despite being on short rest and recently tossing more than 100 pitches in an outing, he was going to be ready to rock if Tony Vitello called his number. That's exactly what happened vs. the Demon Deacons, with Doyle coming on late.
Doyle ended up tossing 2.1 innings, shutting things down for the Vols. He struck out five guys and didn't give up a single hit. He helped close the lights out on Wake Forest's season. Shortly after this one went final, Doyle opened up on how he was feeling, providing an answer Vols fans everywhere will love.
Liam Doyle continues to give his all for the Tennessee baseball team
You've got to love this kid. Soon enough, the 2025 MLB Draft will get here and Doyle is expected to hear his name called early on in the first round. The lefty pitching on Monday had to concern some scouts, as he took the bump on only three days rest.
He was brilliant in the win last week over Miami (Ohio). Plain and simple, Doyle said that he felt strong enough to take the hill again and that he wanted to give his team a chance to win. This is as selfless as can be.
In today's college sports landscape, we see kids skip out on games because they want to protect themselves from an injury. Doyle would have had every right to sit Monday out and just wait until the showdown with Arkansas, assuming the Vols moved on.
Instead, he said the heck with everything and he silenced all seven batters he faced in this do-or-die contest. He put the team first above everything. Doyle transferred in last offseason and he's going to be one and done with the Vols. His stay in Knoxville is going to be short, but he has won over so many fans because of his love for the game and program.