Liam Doyle named Finalist for Dick Howser Trophy

One day after being recognized as one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, Tennessee ace Liam Doyle has been named a finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy.

The award is given to the top player in college baseball based on two rounds of voting by members of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association since 1987. Doyle is one of four finalists for the award, joining shortstops Wehiwa Aloy (Arkansas), Roch Cholowsky (UCLA) and Aledx Lodise (Florida State).

Tennessee’s Trey Lipscomb was a finalist for the award in 2022, as was Chris Burke in 2001. Major League Baseball Hall of famer Todd Helton won the award in 1995. Doyle becomes the first Tennessee player to be named a finalist for both the Dick Howser Award and the Golden Spikes Award in the same season since Burke did so back in 2001.

The southpaw leads the nation with 158 strikeouts ahead of super regional play and tied for the most wins (9) in the Southeastern Conference regular season. The hurler was second in the league with a 2.72 ERA and second in batting average against (.171) during the regular season. Through two more appearances on the SEC Tournament and Knoxville Regional, Doyle’s ERA sits at 2.84 with an opponent batting average of .178 through 92 innings on the season.

In total, Doyle has 16 starts over 18 appearances in 2025. He allowed 32 runs (29 earned) on 58 hits and walked just 30 batters. He yielded 19 extra base hits altogether, with 10 doubles, one triple and nine home runs. Doyle racked up double-digit strikeouts in eight of his starts in the regular season and added five on Monday while picking up his first save of the year as Tennessee locked up its regional win.  

The semifinalists for the award – 67 of them – were announced on May 15. The Dick Howser Trophy, presented by The Game Headwear, is given in memory of the former Florida State University All-America shortstop and major league player and manager who died of brain cancer in 1987. The trophy is regarded as baseball’s most prestigious award. Criteria for consideration of the trophy include performance on the field, leadership, moral character and courage – all qualities that were exemplified by Dick Howser’s life.

The 2025 news conference with the winner will be held at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, the home of the College World Series, for the 13th year. The winner also will be unveiled on MLB Network in a special national presentation at 9:30 a.m. (CDT) prior to the Friday, June 13, news conference in Omaha at 10 a.m. (CDT) in the Schwab Field Media Room before the first game of the 78th NCAA College World Series.

Doyle is in his first season at Tennessee, coming over via the transfer portal from Ole Miss in 2024 and Coastal Carolina in 2023. He is projected as an early first round pick in this summer’s MLB Draft and is one of the top prospects from the SEC.

The southpaw was also named the SEC Pitcher of the Year in 2025 and a semifinalist for the National Pitcher of the Year.

Tennessee begins play for its fifth-straight super regional appearance (and seventh in program history) this Saturday at Arkansas with a 5 p.m. ET first pitch.