The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fireball closer leads top-seeded Vols
Tommy John surgery to fix a ligament inside the elbow has become almost a routine procedure for pitchers.
Tennessee right-hander Ben Joyce fared so well he did much more than just get back on the mound.
His fastball got faster. Joyce regularly throws pitches around 103-104 mph this season, and he threw what’s believed to be the fastest pitch in college baseball history May 1 in a win over Auburn. Only Aroldis Chapman of the New York Yankees has been clocked throwing harder fastballs.
“The rehab process and just really trying to get as strong as I could I think really kind of to that extra couple miles per hour after the surgery,” Joyce said. “So I think I’ve probably gained 5 miles per hour since Tommy John surgery.”
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Joyce is a reliever for the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 overall seed after the Vols became the Southeastern Conference Tournament regular-season and Tournament champs for the first time since 1995. Tennessee (53-7) opened tournament play Friday night, hosting Alabama State.
Joyce’s velocity has fans checking the scoreboard for the speed of each pitch. Everywhere Joyce goes, children constantly ask for photos and autographs.
He’s also surprised his own coaches.
Tennessee pitching coach Frank Anderson calls Joyce’s fastball “uncharted territory.”
“I’ve been doing this a long time, and we get excited watching him,” Anderson said. “And it’s fun. There’s a buzz when he comes in the game and in the energy in the stadium because of what
he’s done as far as you know the velocity.”
Pitching at Tennessee had been the Knoxville native’s dream since he started attending Volunteers baseball camps as a child. He had a growth spurt of 8 inches before his senior year in high school where he hit 100 mph only once.
Joyce didn’t pitch as a freshman at Walters State Community College in Morristown. As a sophomore, he started five games going 3-1 with a 4.79 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 20⅔ innings. He transferred to Tennessee and needed Tommy John surgery in October 2020. With Joyce coming off surgery, Tennessee has used the right-hander out of the bullpen, except for one start. He grabbed attention early this season by hitting triple digits regularly, and he has thrown 379 pitches measured more than 100 mph with 111 of those topping 103 mph.
Joyce hit 104 mph with seven pitches in three relief appearances at the SEC Tournament.
The game he clocked 105.5 mph, Joyce actually threw three pitches over 105 mph against Auburn before topping out, according to Tennessee’s Yakkertech tracking system. Baseball America counted only three pitches of 103 or faster in Major League Baseball over the past two seasons combined.