OXFORD — Last season, Ole Miss baseball's Swayze Field were the friendly confines for Liam Doyle. On Friday night, April 11, it was the polar opposite.
He was excellent even as Ole Miss fans turned on him. No. 4 Tennessee beat No. 7 Ole Miss 3-2, and Doyle, the Volunteers' star pitcher who transferred from Ole Miss (26-8, 8-5 SEC) in the offseason, led the way. He threw 111 pitches, 73 of which were strikes, in 8⅓ innings.
Ole Miss fans jeered all eight times Doyle took the mound for Tennessee (30-4, 10-3). Taunts and insults were interspersed with timeouts and throws over to check runners at first base. It made for a lively game.
"(The atmosphere) was awesome," Ole Miss catcher Austin Fawley said. "I think it was exactly what we needed."
The Rebels' offense has been great this season and was coming off a historic 29-run win against Alcorn State. But Doyle held them to just three hits, two walks and two earned runs. Both runs came from Fawley's homer in the fifth inning.
"This wasn't a different night for (Doyle)," Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. "You look at his numbers. He's been terrific. Explosive fastball. He threw mostly fastballs . . . picked up a cutter, I guess. A slider. A split. But he's good."
Doyle relied on his fastball, which hovered in the 94-98 mph range. It has been his signature pitch in a terrific season. He is 6-1 with a 2.47 ERA and 95 strikeouts in nine games. Still, Fawley said facing Doyle wasn't anything too out of the ordinary.
"I didn't think it was anything super special," Fawley said. "It's a fastball. Little bit of ride."
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tennessee pitcher Liam Doyle wins in return to Ole Miss baseball field
