Tennessee baseball ace Liam Doyle has been a big reason for the Vols' Friday night success in SEC play this season. He has been the Vols' No. 1 pitcher and has dominated throughout the year.
Doyle finished the year with a 2.73 ERA over 79 innings with 137 strikeouts, averaging 15.5 strikeouts per nine innings. That stat line is nothing less than dominant in college baseball's premier conference.
While he was successful on the mound for the Vols, he was robbed of a distinct honor of being named the 2025 Pitcher of the Year.
Instead, North Carolina pitcher Jake Knapp was named the pitcher of the year with a far less impressive stat line. He finished with a slightly better 2.14 ERA over 80 innings pitched with 74 strikeouts for an average of 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
The win-loss record could have also propelled Knapp over Doyle, but that statistic is not always a great representation of a pitcher's performance. Many variables outside a pitcher's control can determine whether he receives a win or loss.
For example, Paul Skenes just pitched a gem for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He pitched eight innings, allowing three hits and one run and recording nine strikeouts. He received the loss for that game.
Tennessee's ace Liam Doyle has proven to be the best pitcher in the SEC throughout the season and will have to play with a chip on his shoulder as the Vols get ready to begin postseason play to prove he deserves to be recognized as such.
The Vols will start the SEC Tournament on Wednesday. They will face the winner of No. 9 seed Alabama and No. 16 seed Missouri.