Tennessee Volunteers’s LHP, Liam Doyle is a nightmare for hitters. He’s on a tear through the first half of the season on record pace.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound left-hander has emerged as one of college baseball’s most dominant pitchers thanks to a fastball with elite ride and spin. Doyle averages 2,400 revolutions per minute (RPM) on his fastball, with peaks reaching 2,650 — well above the MLB average of 2,300 RPM.
His secret? Exceptional backspin and a deceptive three-quarters release point.
“It gets on hitters faster than it should,” Doyle told Knoxville News Sentinel. “If I throw a fastball at 95 miles per hour, it looks closer to 100 because I have so much ride and a high spin rate. It is hard for a hitter to time up coming from a funky lefty arm slot”.
Doyle’s fastball doesn’t just stay on plane — it gives hitters the illusion of rising. High fastballs cause batters to swing underneath, while low fastballs stay in the zone longer than expected. The result? Uncomfortable swings and plenty of strikeouts.
Doyle led Coastal Carolina with 11 strikeouts per nine innings as a freshman, increased that to 13.7 at Ole Miss, and now leads college baseball with an incredible 17.1 strikeouts per nine innings for Tennessee.
Doyle said. “You bring all of that and you put it in with the weight training and the right coaching staff and the right people to put you in a good situation to succeed, that is why I am here.”
And there’s no doubt Volunteer fans are glad he’s wearing orange and white — and not pitching against them.
Follow Our Social Media Pages:
• Follow Tennessee on SI on Twitter: @VolsOnSI
• Follow Tennessee on SI on Facebook: @VOLS on SI
Follow Our Staff:
Follow Our Website
Make sure to follow our website Tennessee on SI.
OTHER TENNESSEE NEWS
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
