SEC Tournament Picks: Texas vs Tennessee
Kyson Witherspoon was never a doubt on Wednesday. His encore against UGA delivers us a +120 smash. Things are getting dicey in these conference tournaments right now. Some of the teams that are advancing have burned their best arms just to get here, which is creating mismatches on the slate.
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Tennessee Volunteers vs Texas Longhorns: Key Matchup Analysis
Tennessee (-188) vs. Texas (+145) | Total: 11
One of the teams that did not burn their best arm on Wednesday would be the Tennessee Volunteers. Opting to go with Saturday guy, Marcus Phillips, ended up working out for them as they outslugged Alabama. In addition to moving on to this matchup, they saved SEC Pitcher of the Year, Liam Doyle. The two orange "T's" will meet up for the first time this year, so expect some fireworks. The baseball Gods knew they had deprived us of this sweet matchup during the regular season, so we're getting some justice in Hoover.
Liam Doyle's Performance Boosts Tennessee's Chances
Doyle's third-year leap out of legit nowhere has catapulted him from likely outside the first round in 2025 to mortal lock for a top 10 pick with a good chance of going top five. Everything is predicated of his lefty heater that flirts with triple-digits. The secondary stuff, in my opinion, is okay right now for college hitters, but it's not MLB ready by a long shot.
Doyle's 2.72 ERA and NCAA-leading 137 K's (to 25 BB) in 79.1 IP make it easy to see why he won SEC Pitcher of the Year. Fresh off getting bombed at Arkansas (11 hits, 6 ER in 4.2 IP), the kid is hungry for a strong rebound. Seeing a Longhorns lineup that got their commander-in-chief back in Max Belyeu will be a tougher task than usual, but it's worth noting that this Texas offense is much worse against LHP than RHP.
Plus their offense has been bad in the SEC this year, hitting just .242 with a team .345 OBP. Because Belyeu just returned, it's hard to quantify that with numbers at the moment. It's a lineup that will swing and miss a ton, which is the Liam Doyle specialty. Not to mention, they saved their closer and best bullpen arm, Nate Snead, for today as well.
Texas has yet to announce a starter for the game, but it will most likely be Ruger Riojas or Luke Harrison. If it's Riojas, Tennessee may put up another dozen runs. He's got a 5.25 ERA this year, and completely unraveled since being called into the Friday role from the Sunday spot after ace Jared Spencer went down. Giving up 18 ER in his last three starts (7.1 IP), Riojas has lost his luster. This hungry Vols lineup should jump all over him.
If it's Harrison, this may be more of a chess match. Harrison is now the team's best starter (2.98 ERA). Regardless, I think something may have clicked for the Vols, and that should worry everybody else.
Tennessee knows a win here may just give them enough juice to lock up a top 16 regional host spot. There's a lot on the line for them. Way more than Texas, who is secured with a top eight national seed. The Vols have the better pitcher and need this one. Give me the defending National Champs.
Pick: Vols ML -188 (DK)
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