Tennessee baseball: Ben Joyce debut confirms Vols’ pitching will be even better in 2022

They lost Chad Dallas and Sean Hunley to the professional ranks and Will Heflin to graduation. However, Tennessee baseball is still off to an amazing start on the mound this year. On the heels of its 16-1 win against the UNC Asheville Bulldogs, Tony Vitello’s team has given up four runs through its 4-0 start.

More importantly, though, has been the emergence of one key pitcher. Ben Joyce, in his first game for UT after missing all of last year due to back from Tommy John surgery, pitched for just over one inning Wednesday. He allowed no runs and one hit, but that’s not the story.

Clocking in a 101-103 MPH fastball was the story. Joyce clocked one in at 103.5. You can question his success against lesser competition, but you can’t question that speed. It’s unique at the college level and is just what Tennessee baseball needs to have even better pitching this year.

A transfer out of out of Walter State Community College in Morristown, Tenn., who hails from Farragut High School in Knoxville, there was tons of anticipation behind Joyce finally seeing action. When he did, the redshirt junior local product didn’t disappoint.

Joyce can help offset the loss of Hunley, and more importantly, when Missouri Tigers transfer Seth Halvorsen returns in mid-April, Vitello will actually be able to go deeper into his bullpen. He has every other key pitcher in the pen back from last year.

Then there are the starters. Sure, Dallas is gone, but top 20 prospect Chase Burns and Georgia Southern Eagles transfer Chase Dollander came in with tons of hype as additions to the rotation, and both have lived up to it so far. Both allowed no runs in their first five innings pitched. Dollander allowed three in his sixth inning but should’ve been pulled before hand.

Simply put, they’ll both be fine. Add in the fact that returning started Blade Tidwell should be healthy soon enough, and this staff is deeper than it was last year. Power is the topic for all the pitchers. Joyce, however, takes it up a notch.

In last year’s College World Series games, the pen lost one and gave up five of six runs in the other. It wasn’t the reason Tennessee baseball lost to both the Virginia Cavaliers and the Texas Longhorns, but it didn’t do anything to help the situation.

With power like Joyce, it should be much better this year. Add in the other pitchers, and the Vols should be roughly similar to where they were a year ago when it comes to starters and significantly deeper when it comes to guys for the later innings.

Now, there are still obvious questions about Tennessee baseball’s position players, as they continue to replace 48 percent of their at-bats from last year. However, 49 runs through four games suggests so far that they’ll be just fine in that category going forward.