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Liam Doyle was named a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award on Wednesday. He was put up for college baseball’s Heisman Trophy 24 hours later.
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association announced on Thursday that Doyle has been selected as 1 of 4 finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy. The Tennessee ace is the only pitcher to be named a finalist for the award, which is given annually to college baseball‘s most outstanding player.
Doyle is joined by Wehiwa Aloy (Arkansas), Roch Cholowsky (UCLA), and Alex Lodise (Florida State) — all shortstops — as finalists for the award. The trophy will be presented to this year’s winner during a press conference at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, June 13 at 11 a.m. ET.
The left-handed junior from Derry, New Hampshire, is looking to become just the second player in Tennessee history to win the award. He’s only the fourth Vol to be named a finalist, and he’s the first since Chris Burke in 2001 to be a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award in the same season.
Doyle boasts a 10-3 record for the season, with a 2.84 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 18 appearances. He leads the NCAA with 158 strikeouts and ranks in the top 12 nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (seventh), wins (ninth), and WHIP (12th).
On Monday night against Wake Forest, Doyle broke Luke Hochevar’s single-season strikeout record of 154 by punching out 5 of the 7 batters he faced.
Tennessee (46-17) will face Arkansas in the Fayetteville Super Regional, beginning on June 7. The Vols are seeking a third consecutive trip to the College World Series.
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Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
