Central STL News

If you followed college baseball in 2025, you likely noticed Tennessee's Liam Doyle. Known for his competitive spirit and impressive fastball, Doyle became a standout player, achieving a program-record 164 strikeouts. He started the season as MLB Pipeline’s No. 75 Draft prospect but quickly rose through the ranks, becoming MLB’s No. 8 Draft prospect.

Doyle's journey to the top of the draft boards was not straightforward. After playing at Pinkerton Academy in New Hampshire, he attended Coastal Carolina, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. His performance improved each year, culminating in leading Division I baseball with a 15.4 K/9 strikeout rate this spring.

“Learning really how to pitch and how to compete, when you need to show emotion and [when you need to] control your emotions and stuff like that,” said Doyle about his growth during college. “I’ve just grown as a man in that way.”

At Pinkerton Academy, Doyle led his team to an NHIAA Division I title with his unique delivery and fastball reaching the low 90s. Now standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 220 pounds, he has enhanced his fastball velocity to reach up to 99 mph.

“Watching him develop over the four years from I think like a 140-pound freshman to a 190-pound senior... it was just a tremendous treat as a high school coach to watch him develop,” said Steve Campo, Doyle's high school coach.

Doyle is not solely reliant on his fastball; he also has effective slider, cutter, and splitter pitches. With eight double-digit strikeout games in 2025, he has lowered his ERA from last year's 5.73 with Ole Miss to this year's 3.20.

“I’m going to throw my fastball -- my goal is to win or lose with my best stuff in the zone,” Doyle stated about his pitching strategy.

Off the field, Doyle enjoys golfing and spending time with his Golden Labrador. “He has that switch,” Campo said of Doyle’s personality off the mound.

“I’m just a normal guy,” Doyle added about himself outside of baseball life.