Not much Nico news … pay cut and yes to UCLA … sure hope you aren’t too disappointed.

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Liam Shannon Doyle, 6-2 and 220, looks like the next Tennessee athletic millionaire. The big lefthander with the live fastball projects as a high first-round choice in the July 13 major league baseball draft.

He leads the NCAA in strikeouts – 104 in 58 innings. His record is 7-1. His earned run average is 2.48. Opponents are batting .154.

Scouts say his fastball is exceptional, that it looks faster than it is.

Stats say it is nearly unhittable, high velocity, baffling movement.

Liam says it spins a lot. That is code for technical details, elite ride, horizontal break, vertical drop, 2,400 revolutions per minute, peaking above 2,600, better than the big league average.

Doyle repeats what he has been told.

“If I throw a fastball at 95 miles per hour, it looks closer to 100 … It is hard for a hitter to time it up coming from a funky lefty arm slot.”

It seems to get on batters faster than expected. Old umpiring eyes see late swings and think the pitch must be very deceiving. You really should check it out for yourself. He pitches Friday nights against Southeastern Conference foes.

Liam Doyle is an intriguing example of what the absolutely awful transfer portal does for players and to teams.

Liam grew up in the Boston area. He attended Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire. He was supposedly the 40th best prep lefthander in the country. I later learned he was also on the academic honor roll.

He signed with Coastal Carolina, pitched in 23 games as a freshman, started seven, won three, lost one and had more strikeouts than innings. He was not all-anything but potential showed. That was 2023.

From a distance, he heard the “SEC, SEC, SEC” chant. Tennessee showed some interest but Liam transferred to Ole Miss. He thought that was his level.

He was up and down as a Rebel sophomore, 3-4 with a 5.73 ERA. He struck out 84 in 55 innings. He appeared in 15 games. He had a strong outing at Tennessee, 10 strikeouts to only one walk. A week later he pitched well against South Carolina. That was good but not all-star good.

I told you three paragraphs ago that Liam Doyle is smart. He had no problems in Oxford. He learned to like the food and enjoyed team friendships but couldn’t help but notice that Tennessee won the 2024 College World Series, that coach Tony Vitello is famous, that the Vols hit a lot of home runs and that the pitching staff was successful beneficiary.

Doyle was told he sure would look good in orange, that he would fit right in. He transferred to Tennessee. His Ole Miss roommate, Andrew Fischer, came with him.

I don’t think this was a Nico get-rich-quick NIL deal. Of course there was money, but I think it was mostly a logical move up. Call it career advancement. He certainly got that.

Liam makes it sound simple: you bring what you’ve got, “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.”

Doyle said he was always pretty confident about the move.

“I’m so glad to be here. It’s a truly special place.”

He said seeing the Vol offense do what it does “brings down the blood pressure and lets me do what I do.”

Personal improvement is a bonus. Doyle’s fastball went up to 94-97 MPH, touching 98. Backspin creates the illusion of rising. Uncomfortable swings lead to strikeouts.

He is generous in crediting others. He says pitching coach Frank Anderson adjusted his grip. Anderson helped him improve off-speed pitches.

Doyle says thank you to Josh Reynolds, director of pitching performance, and Kirby Connell, quality control analyst. Video coordinator Sean McCann and director of analytics Zach Stovall helped him throw everything from the same release point.

There is surplus joy to share.

Ten days ago, Tennessee at Mississippi, Doyle was back in Oxford, different colors, eight and a third innings, 14 strikeouts. Fans booed and looked for opportunities to boo him some more. The student section shouted expletives. Doyle enjoyed the hostile environment.

“That was unreal, man. Special place to me. I know not too many people like me there. Just to go back and be able to dominate … it doesn’t get much better than that.”

Tennessee won, 3-2.

Against Kentucky three days ago, Doyle pitched seven innings and notched nine strikeouts. He allowed four hits, two earned runs and one walk. Tennessee won, 8-2.

Tennessee lost on Saturday and Easter Sunday. Tennessee record is 33-7 and 12-6 against SEC foes. Liam Doyle’s next outing, Friday against LSU in Baton Rouge, might be worth a look or a listen.

Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com