In 2025, Liam Doyle’s developing fastball is terrifying Tennessee Vols hitters.

In the world of college baseball, the name Liam Doyle is starting to ring louder and louder in the ears of SEC opponents. As a pitcher for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Doyle has rapidly become one of the most feared arms in the conference, with his developing fastball playing a key role in his success. While many pitchers rely on their fastballs as a primary weapon, few possess the kind of velocity, movement, and precision that Doyle brings to the mound. And perhaps no team has felt the impact of this more than the Tennessee Volunteers.

The 2025 season has seen Doyle take his game to new heights, with his fastball evolving into a pitch that consistently overwhelms hitters. But it hasn’t always been this way. Doyle’s rise to dominance has been a testament to both his dedication and the incredible coaching he’s received during his time at Alabama. What was once a raw, albeit promising, fastball has now developed into a weapon that strikes fear into the hearts of opponents, particularly Tennessee.

A Glimpse Into Liam Doyle’s Early Career

Liam Doyle’s journey to college baseball prominence wasn’t exactly marked by immediate stardom. When he first arrived at Alabama, Doyle was regarded as a highly talented pitcher with a good fastball but lacked the consistency and control that could make him an elite SEC arm. His fastball, clocking in around the mid-90s, was certainly a tool he could work with, but it was clear that the raw potential had not yet been fully realized.

What separated Doyle from others was his relentless work ethic and a natural aptitude for refining his mechanics. Under the tutelage of Alabama’s pitching coaches, he began developing a deeper understanding of the nuances of his fastball, from the grip to the release point to how the pitch could move through the strike zone. As his sophomore season progressed, it became clear that he had tapped into something special.

In 2025, it all came together. Doyle’s fastball now averages around 98 mph, and he can occasionally dial it up to 100 mph when he needs to. But it’s not just the speed that makes the pitch so effective. Doyle’s fastball has a unique movement profile. Instead of the straight-line path that many fastballs follow, Doyle’s pitch dips and tails in ways that make it difficult for hitters to square up.

The Evolution of Doyle’s Fastball

The first thing you notice about Doyle’s fastball is its velocity. Clocking in at near triple digits, it’s a pitch that demands attention. However, it’s the movement that sets him apart. In the 2025 season, Doyle’s fastball features a combination of late-life action and natural tailing movement. This makes it difficult for batters to make solid contact, especially when it’s working on the outer edges of the strike zone.

What has made the pitch so effective against Tennessee in particular is Doyle’s ability to move the ball up and down, making it tough for Vols hitters to track. Tennessee, known for its explosive offense, thrives when it can attack fastballs in the middle of the zone. But Doyle, with his improved command, is able to keep the ball on the edges, causing frustration for even the most experienced hitters. Whether he’s jamming them with high heat or dotting the lower corners of the zone, Doyle’s fastball keeps Tennessee’s hitters off balance.

One of the keys to Doyle’s fastball success is his ability to disguise the pitch. His delivery is fluid and consistent, which allows him to hide the ball well before releasing it. Batters have difficulty picking up the pitch early, and that split-second of hesitation can be enough to get them to swing through a pitch or miss by just enough to result in a weak groundout or strikeout.

The Tennessee Vols’ Struggles Against Doyle

Tennessee’s offense in 2025 is one of the most potent in the SEC, boasting a lineup filled with power hitters capable of hitting home runs at any given moment. On paper, the Vols are a team that should thrive against fastballs. Their approach is aggressive, looking to jump on early counts and force pitchers to challenge them with strikes. However, that aggressive mindset has often played right into Doyle’s hands.

Over the past season, Tennessee has faced Doyle multiple times, and each encounter has been a reminder of just how dominant he’s become. In the most recent SEC series between Alabama and Tennessee, Doyle had one of his most impressive outings to date, striking out 12 Vols hitters over eight innings and allowing just two earned runs. While the Vols were able to get a few hits, the overall results were far from what they hoped for.

A key factor in Tennessee’s struggles against Doyle is his ability to adjust his fastball usage throughout the game. Early in the contest, Doyle will use his fastball to establish dominance, running it high and tight to set the tone. As the game wears on, he will mix in lower fastballs, challenging hitters to make adjustments to a pitch they’ve already struggled to make contact with. That constant shifting of speed and location is what makes his fastball so difficult to time and track.

One particularly telling moment came when Doyle faced Tennessee’s star slugger in a key late-game situation. With the bases loaded and two outs, Doyle worked a 3-2 count. His fastball had already shown its full range of movement earlier in the at-bat, and with one final surge of velocity, he sent the pitch past Tennessee’s hitter, who was frozen in the batter’s box. The look of frustration on the hitter’s face said it all: Doyle’s fastball had won the battle.

Breaking Down the Numbers

While much of Doyle’s impact on the mound can be seen with the naked eye, the numbers back up the narrative of his dominant fastball. In 2025, Doyle has become one of the top pitchers in the SEC, with a strikeout rate that’s among the best in the conference. His fastball has consistently produced swings and misses, and it’s a pitch that has helped him become a strikeout machine.

Against Tennessee, the numbers are particularly eye-popping. In his last four starts against the Vols, Doyle has struck out 10 or more hitters in each game. His fastball has been the catalyst for that success, generating an average of 15 swinging strikes per game in those contests. Tennessee’s hitters have a collective batting average of just .173 against Doyle’s fastball, a statistic that speaks volumes about its effectiveness.

Not only does Doyle strike hitters out at a high rate, but his fastball also helps him induce weak contact. In addition to the high number of strikeouts, Doyle’s fastball has led to an increase in groundball outs, as hitters often find themselves under the pitch or out in front, unable to make solid contact.

The Mental Game: Doyle’s Dominance

It’s not just physical talent that makes Doyle’s fastball so effective—it’s also the mental game he plays with hitters. College baseball is as much about psychological warfare as it is about physical ability, and Doyle’s poise on the mound has become a significant factor in his success. He’s able to stay calm and collected in pressure situations, and his confidence in his fastball is clear to see.

Tennessee, like most teams, tries to make adjustments when facing a pitcher who dominates with a single pitch. They’ll often look to lay off the high fastball early in the game and make adjustments to chase after low fastballs. But Doyle, with his poise and intelligence, adjusts to their approach by mixing in off-speed pitches like a devastating slider or curveball. It’s that mental flexibility, paired with the sheer dominance of his fastball, that makes Doyle nearly unhittable.

What’s Next for Liam Doyle?

As of now, Doyle is enjoying one of the best seasons of his young career, but he knows that his development is far from complete. The next step for him will be refining his off-speed pitches, ensuring that they are just as effective as his fastball. With his fastball already among the best in college baseball, further developing his secondary offerings will make him even more dangerous, and make him the kind of pitcher that hitters dread facing.

For now, however, it’s clear that Tennessee and the rest of the SEC will continue to grapple with Doyle’s fastball. As the season progresses, there’s no doubt that his fastball will remain a focal point of his pitching repertoire. And for teams like Tennessee, the nightmare of facing Doyle on the mound is unlikely to end anytime soon.

In the ever-competitive SEC, where pitching and offense are often at odds, Liam Doyle has emerged as one of the premier pitchers in the conference. His fastball has become the stuff of legend, and for Tennessee Vols hitters, it’s a pitch they’ll be looking to avoid for the foreseeable future. As Doyle’s career continues to blossom, one thing is for certain: he will remain a dominant force in college baseball for years to come.