There was some recent Vol-on-Vol crime between two former Tennessee stars in the minor leagues
Two ex-Vols are surging in the minor leagues, and one got the upper hand on Thursday.
It really shouldn’t be a surprise to see former Tennessee Vols stars come face to face at the plate in the minor leagues nowadays. After all, Tennessee has seen their ranks enter the professional level at an unprecedented rate thanks to the turnaround job that Tony Vitello pulled off over the last decade in Knoxville.
But it’s still pretty interesting to see two former players from the same program square off, and that’s what happened on Thursday at Double-A Frisco. 2024 College World Series star Dylan Dreiling, with the Frisco RoughRiders of the Texas Rangers’ organization, stepped into the box against Vols 2025 ace Liam Doyle of the Springfield Cardinals.
And on the first pitch of the at bat in the bottom of the first inning, Dreiling sent a curveball the opposite way and over the wall for a solo home run.
Dylan Dreiling hit a home run off Liam Doyle in Double-A minor league play on Thursday
Dreiling has had a strong start to the 2026 season for Frisco. He’s up to eight home runs and is hitting .306 with 32 RBIs and an impressive .891 OPS in 160 at bats through Thursday. One has to wonder when, not if, he will get the call up to triple-A Round Rock in the Texas Rangers organization.
Despite the home run, Doyle settled in and delivered a solid performance for Springfield on Thursday. He allowed two earned runs over five innings and struck out six. He picked up the win in Springfield’s 6-4 triumph, his first victory of the season. For the year, he has a 5.54 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 39.1 innings.
Both players acquitted themselves nicely on Thursday, and both are showing that they’re clearly going to be a part of their franchise’s plans in the near future.