Liam Doyle is the SEC Pitcher of the Year.
The Tennessee junior left-hander was tabbed the league's best pitcher and an All-SEC First Team selection on Monday after headlining the Vols' pitching staff in his first season with the program and leading the nation in strikeouts with 137.
TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM
Doyle, who began his career at Coastal Carolina and then Ole Miss before transferring to Tennessee last offseason and taking the reins as its Friday starter, ranks second in the SEC with a 2.72 ERA. He is tied for the most wins among league pitchers with nine.
One of the most impactful transfers in college baseball, Doyle combined to pitch 79.1 innings and totaled double-digit strikeouts in seven of his 15 starts during the Vols' 2025 regular season. His 5.45 hits allowed per nine innings ranked second among league pitchers, and eighth nationally.
Opponents hit just .171 off of Doyle, the second-lowest average in the SEC.
Doyle is just the third Tennessee pitcher to win Pitcher of the Year and the second under Tony Vitello, joining former pitcher Chase Dollander in 2022. Luke Hochevar won the award in 2005.
Doyle, one of 25 finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, currently ranks third in program history in single-season strikeouts, and needs 18 to pass Hochervar for the school record set during the Vols' run to the College World Series in 2005.
Doyle will get his chance to get there as No. 21 Tennessee (41-15) prepares for the postseason.
The Vols are the 8-seed in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama this week and will played the winner 9-seed Alabama and 16-seed Missouri on Wednesday (10:30 a.m. ET, SEC Network) at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
Vols land three on All-SEC First Team
Doyle wasn't the only Tennessee player recognized by the SEC.
Infielders Andrew Fischer and Gavin Kilen joined him on the All-SEC First Team after bolstering the Vols' lineup in their first seasons as transfers.
Fischer, who previously played at Ole Miss, accounted for a league-best 22 home runs in the regular season to go along with 61 hits, 14 doubles and 55 RBI.
Fischer carries a .337 batting average and .779 slugging percentage heading into the postseason.
Kilen, a Louisville transfer who proved to be one of the most consistent infielders in the SEC at second base, homered 14 times and totaled 37 RBIs.
Despite missing several weeks with a hamstring injury, Kilen finished the regular season with a .355 average and .692 slugging percentage.
Hunter Ensley makes All-SEC Defensive Team
The lasting image of Tennessee's national title run a year ago was outfielder Hunter Ensley barreling into the center field wall at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha with ball in glove.
That continued to be the them for Ensley in 2025 as he continued to anchor the Vols' outfield with gutsy catches and it is way he landed on the All-SEC Defensive Team.
Ensley, who also made the All-SEC Second Team, is Tennessee's lone senior and hit for .350 in the regular season. He combined for 72 hits, 10 home runs, 16 doubles and 60 RBI in 206 at-bats in addition to what he provided defensively.
Ensley has a career batting average of .305 and has 29 homers over the last four seasons.
– TALK ABOUT IT IN THE ROCKY TOP FORUM.
– ENJOY VOLREPORT WITH A PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION.
– SUBSCRIBE TO THE VOLREPORT YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
– FOLLOW VOLREPORT ON TWITTER: @TennesseeRivals, @ByNoahTaylor, @RyanTSylvia, @Dale_Dowden, @ShayneP_Media.
