OXFORD ― Two of the primary sources for any 2025 Ole Miss baseball optimism have opted for the transfer portal.
Liam Doyle, the Rebels’ Saturday starter in 2024, will enter the portal, according to multiple reports.
Doyle transferred from Coastal Carolina last offseason and pitched to a 5.73 ERA. The southpaw struck out 84 batters in 55 innings of work.
It leaves the Rebels, which had one of the SEC’s worst pitching staffs in 2024, without one of their key weapons moving forward. Compounded with the departure of Andrew Fischer, arguably Ole Miss’ best position player a year ago, Doyle’s decision punctuates a troubling two days for the Rebels.
Walker Jones, who helps run Ole Miss' NIL collective, took to social media shortly after news broke of Doyle's departure.
"Tampering is a real problem," he wrote.
The Rebels could retain both of the other members of their starting rotation, Riley Maddox (5.48 ERA) and Mason Nichols (4.15 ERA), but they are eligible for the MLB draft later this month.
Ole Miss recently hired pitching coach Joel Mangrum following a discussion between athletic director Keith Carter and coach Mike Bianco, who was retained after a second consecutive losing season.
It wasn't all bad news for the Rebels on the transfer front Monday. Illinois State shortstop Luke Cheng is committed to Ole Miss, according to multiple reports. He owns a career .271 batting average in four seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference.
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David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Liam Doyle enters transfer portal as Ole Miss baseball suffers another key loss | Reports
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