University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vol Softball Position Preview: Pitchers
January 29, 2021 | Softball
Over the next couple of weeks, the Lady Vols will introduce some of its newest members and share expectations for the upcoming 2021 season, while breaking the team down by each position group.
Pitchers
To start, one of Tennessee's deepest groups of 2021 will be seen in the circle. Its roster includes five pitchers that have a range of experience and specialties. The Lady Vols' ace junior Ashley Rogers (Athens, Tenn.) returns to the circle for the first time since 2019 after being temporarily sidelined during the shortened 2020 season due to an injury. Rogers was scheduled to return to action during UT's SEC opener at Texas A&M, but due to the coronavirus pandemic the team never made the trip as the season was halted on March 12, 2020 and ultimately cancelled.
Eager to build on an impressive freshman campaign that earned her NFCA All-Region and All-SEC first team honors after finishing with a 1.94 ERA, Rogers will lead the pitching corps.
"Ashley has a relentless dedication to excellence that is present in everything she does," said co-head coach Karen Weekly. "She's waited a long time to be back in the circle and having her healthy makes the start of the year even more exciting. Her combination of movement, speed, and location is high level."
The silver lining to Rogers' absence in 2020 was that it gave now sophomore Callie Turner (Land O'Lakes, Fla.), who filled in as the team's ace, significant experience in the circle against some of the nation's top teams. The Lady Vols faced six Power-5 teams in the first two weekends of competition, including No. 5 Arizona, No. 6 Texas and No. 22 Arizona State. Turner finished with an 8-7 win-loss record and a 2.67 ERA and ranked seventh in SEC after retiring 72 batters.
"Callie has an infectious love for the game and her excitement for the little moments rubs off on her teammates," Weekly said. "She's put in an incredible amount of focus and work this off season, and I can't wait to see it pay off for her."
Redshirt junior Samantha Bender (Chambersburg, Pa.), who transferred from Iona last season, also gives the Lady Vols another hurler with some valuable experience. She finished 2020 with a 5-1 record and 2.77 ERA in 43.0 innings of work.
"Sam has seen a few setbacks physically, but she has rebounded well and looked great the last few weeks," said Weekly. Her speed and movement are assets as are her high standards."
Giving the Lady Vols a youthful jolt is freshman Bailey McCachren (Cummings, Ga.) who ranked 14th on Extra Innings Softball's list of elite pitchers. McCachren is expected to come in as relief quite a bit this year for the Orange and White.
"Bailey immediately made an impact for us this fall with her composure and maturity," Weekly said. "She takes everything in stride and learns quickly. We expect her to be solid from the start."
Sophomore Anna Hazlewood (Martin, Tenn.) rounds out the dynamic group. At 5-11, Hazlewood provides a different look from the mound. Hazlewood picked up a win in a nine-inning 10-9 battle with Toledo last season that contributed to a Tennessee Invitational win.
"Anna offers a change of pace with her difference in speed and ability to move the ball," Weekly noted.
Notably, Tennessee's pitching collective is being captained by LVFL Megan Rhodes-Smith (2005-08), who returns to Knoxville as the new pitching coach. During her playing days on Rocky Top, Rhodes-Smith was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2005 and was a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Top 10 Finalist in 2008. She was previously the head coach at Belmont before returning to her alma mater. Rhodes-Smith ranks third in program history with a 1.77 career ERA in 135 appearances.
Stay tuned for more position previews. Up next - catchers.
To start, one of Tennessee's deepest groups of 2021 will be seen in the circle. Its roster includes five pitchers that have a range of experience and specialties. The Lady Vols' ace junior Ashley Rogers (Athens, Tenn.) returns to the circle for the first time since 2019 after being temporarily sidelined during the shortened 2020 season due to an injury. Rogers was scheduled to return to action during UT's SEC opener at Texas A&M, but due to the coronavirus pandemic the team never made the trip as the season was halted on March 12, 2020 and ultimately cancelled.
Eager to build on an impressive freshman campaign that earned her NFCA All-Region and All-SEC first team honors after finishing with a 1.94 ERA, Rogers will lead the pitching corps.
"Ashley has a relentless dedication to excellence that is present in everything she does," said co-head coach Karen Weekly. "She's waited a long time to be back in the circle and having her healthy makes the start of the year even more exciting. Her combination of movement, speed, and location is high level."
The silver lining to Rogers' absence in 2020 was that it gave now sophomore Callie Turner (Land O'Lakes, Fla.), who filled in as the team's ace, significant experience in the circle against some of the nation's top teams. The Lady Vols faced six Power-5 teams in the first two weekends of competition, including No. 5 Arizona, No. 6 Texas and No. 22 Arizona State. Turner finished with an 8-7 win-loss record and a 2.67 ERA and ranked seventh in SEC after retiring 72 batters.
"Callie has an infectious love for the game and her excitement for the little moments rubs off on her teammates," Weekly said. "She's put in an incredible amount of focus and work this off season, and I can't wait to see it pay off for her."
Redshirt junior Samantha Bender (Chambersburg, Pa.), who transferred from Iona last season, also gives the Lady Vols another hurler with some valuable experience. She finished 2020 with a 5-1 record and 2.77 ERA in 43.0 innings of work.
"Sam has seen a few setbacks physically, but she has rebounded well and looked great the last few weeks," said Weekly. Her speed and movement are assets as are her high standards."
Giving the Lady Vols a youthful jolt is freshman Bailey McCachren (Cummings, Ga.) who ranked 14th on Extra Innings Softball's list of elite pitchers. McCachren is expected to come in as relief quite a bit this year for the Orange and White.
"Bailey immediately made an impact for us this fall with her composure and maturity," Weekly said. "She takes everything in stride and learns quickly. We expect her to be solid from the start."
Sophomore Anna Hazlewood (Martin, Tenn.) rounds out the dynamic group. At 5-11, Hazlewood provides a different look from the mound. Hazlewood picked up a win in a nine-inning 10-9 battle with Toledo last season that contributed to a Tennessee Invitational win.
"Anna offers a change of pace with her difference in speed and ability to move the ball," Weekly noted.
Notably, Tennessee's pitching collective is being captained by LVFL Megan Rhodes-Smith (2005-08), who returns to Knoxville as the new pitching coach. During her playing days on Rocky Top, Rhodes-Smith was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in 2005 and was a Lowe's Senior CLASS Award Top 10 Finalist in 2008. She was previously the head coach at Belmont before returning to her alma mater. Rhodes-Smith ranks third in program history with a 1.77 career ERA in 135 appearances.
Stay tuned for more position previews. Up next - catchers.
Players Mentioned
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