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Tennessee Pitcher Goes Viral for Being a Total ‘Madman’ in NCAA Tournament Win

Liam Doyle does not lack energy.

Tim Capurso

Doyle, one of the best pitchers in the nation, has a temperament that matches his fiery fastball.
Doyle, one of the best pitchers in the nation, has a temperament that matches his fiery fastball. / Screengrab Twitter @PitchingNinja

There was a madman on the mound in Knoxville, Tenn., on Monday night.

Said madman, Tennessee Volunteers starting pitcher pitcher Liam Doyle, entered the game in the top of the seventh inning and pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to earn the save and help the Volunteers advance to the Super Regional of the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight time with the 11-5 victory over Wake Forest. Oh, and Doyle, who had tossed 6 2/3 innings on Friday, went viral for his extremely expressive temperament on the mound, leading the ESPN broadcast to dub him a lunatic, but in the best way.

Doyle, facing Wake Forest infielder Luke Costello in the top of the eighth inning with two outs and the count 1-2, was dealt a bit of a curveball when Demon Deacons associate head coach Bill Cilento called for time to slow things down a bit. Doyle, a fast worker, laughed off the move as he stalked off the mound.

An impatient Doyle wasn't here for chit-chat either, as he waved off his infielders when they seemingly began to approach for a conversation on the mound. When Costello dug back into the box, Doyle pumped a 99-MPH fastball right down Broadway for strike three.

A fired-up Doyle immediately hopped off the mound and, with a pep in his step, made it from mound to dugout in record time as he loudly celebrated his strikeout. Doyle's five punchouts gave him 158 for the season, breaking Luke Hochevar's single-season program record of 154, set back in 2005.

Tennessee will take on Arkansas this weekend in the Super Regional.

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Tim Capurso
TIM CAPURSO

Tim Capurso is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Prior to joining SI in November 2023, he wrote for RotoBaller and ClutchPoints, where he was the lead editor for MLB, college football and NFL coverage. A lifelong Yankees and Giants fan, Capurso grew up just outside New York City and now lives near Philadelphia. When he's not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising and spending time with his family, including his three-legged cat Willow, who, unfortunately, is an Eagles fan.

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