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Liam Doyle Named Golden Spikes Award Finalist After Record-Breaking Season for Tennessee

Vols ace Liam Doyle is a 2025 Golden Spikes finalist after posting 158 Ks, a 2.84 ERA, and breaking Tennessee’s single-season strikeout record.

Josh Greer

Tennessee's Liam Doyle (12) sends love to the Tennessee fans after Tennesee defeated Wake Forest at the NCAA college baseball Knoxville Regional final on June 2, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn.
Tennessee's Liam Doyle (12) sends love to the Tennessee fans after Tennesee defeated Wake Forest at the NCAA college baseball Knoxville Regional final on June 2, 2025, in Knoxville, Tenn. / Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Tennessee ace Liam Doyle has emerged as one of the most dominant pitchers in college baseball and is now a finalist for the 2025 Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. The junior left-hander has delivered an All-American caliber season, helping power the Vols to national prominence with his consistent brilliance on the mound.

Doyle boasts a 10–3 record with a 2.84 ERA over 18 appearances, but the strikeout numbers tell the real story. The New Hampshire native leads the nation in total strikeouts (158) and strikeouts per nine innings (15.46), setting a new Tennessee single-season record in the process. He has reached double-digit strikeouts in eight outings this year, including four during SEC play. His 10 wins are tied for the most in the SEC and rank ninth nationally.

April showcased Doyle at his most dominant. Over four starts, he went 3–0 with a 1.29 ERA and held opponents to a .087 batting average, striking out 37 batters in 28 innings. His SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week performance on April 11 at No. 6 Ole Miss included a career-best 8.1 innings and 14 strikeouts, matching a personal high he first set earlier in the season against Samford.

Doyle has earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors three times, the most by any UT pitcher in a single season. He also helped the Vols throw combined no-hitters in March and April and was recently named SEC Pitcher of the Year and a Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist.

The winner of the 2025 Golden Spikes Award will be announced live on ESPN on June 21, just prior to Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series Finals.

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Josh Greer
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