KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A career pitching night by junior ace Ashley Rogers lifted No. RV/23/24 Tennessee past a determined Illinois State team, 3-0, on Wednesday night at Sherri Parker Lee.

Rogers fanned 17 batters, which ties for the second-best performance in the nation this season, as she worked her way through a no-hitter through 5.0 innings. The hallmark was one strikeout shy of tying for the eighth-best single-game performance in program history – achieved on six occasions and only by Monica Abbott.

“Ashley was the story tonight,” said co-head coach Karen Weekly of the Athens, Tenn., native. “It’s good to come off a weekend like we had with so many games for her to get some rest and come out incredibly strong like she did today.”

Rogers, who sat out all of the 2020 season due to a temporary injury, leads the Lady Vols pitching corps with a 0.50 ERA and 4-1 record. The righthander has recorded 52 strikeouts, which is the second most in the country at the moment.

While UT relied on Rogers’ stuff, the Redbirds ace Morgan Day was impressive in her own right making it difficult for the Lady Vols to get on base. She retired five batters at the plate in 5.0 innings and gave up just two walks.

“That’s a really good team with Day on the mound,” said Weekly. “We knew tonight was going to be a pitcher’s duel. We have faced some really good pitchers. It doesn’t matter what the name is on your chest.”

After two scoreless innings, the Lady Vols brought in the first run on an RBI single from senior shortstop Ivy Davis (2-for-2), who has reached base each of the nine games this season, to get Kaitlin Parsons (1-for-3) across the plate.

Sophomore Kiki Milloy (1-for-3) led off the third with a no-doubter to double the score quickly and give UT some insurance and then Davis came home off the bat of junior catcher Ally Shipman (1-for-3) in the bottom of the fifth to round out scoring.

“I was pretty pleased with what we did at the plate,” Weekly added. “We knew tonight was going to tough.”

The Lady Vols tallied eight hits, but left seven runners on base.

Up Next:  UT opens its slate of the Tennessee Invitational tomorrow evening at 5 p.m. ET, facing UT-Martin. The Lady Vols will also see Northern Kentucky (12:30 p.m.) and Central Michigan (3 p.m.) on Saturday, before concluding the four-day tournament against the Chippewas at noon.

All contests that include Tennessee will be broadcast on the SECN+, except for Wednesday’s solo matchup with Illinois State. Thursday’s outing will be called by Michael Wottreng (PxP). Saturday’s games will be covered by Madison Shipman (Analysis) and Will Boling (PxP) and Sunday’s contest will pair up Shipman and Wottreng.

Box Score (PDF) | Season Cumes (PDF)

-UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Ten different players recorded a hit and Tennessee’s pitching staff struck out 16 batters in a dominating 21-1 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Tuesday’s home opener at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.

The 16th-ranked Vols (4-0) scored runs in six different innings, including an 11-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth to win their third straight home opener.

Max Ferguson hit his first home run of the year and led the team with four RBI while Jordan Beck had another solid game, going 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and three RBI to pace the offensive onslaught. Pete Derkay added a home run for the Vols, as well.

Seven players made their Tennessee debuts in the win, including redshirt junior pitcher Jason Rackers, who got the starting nod and pitched two solid innings for the Vols after returning from Tommy John surgery.

Senior left hander Will Heflin got the win for UT, striking out eight consecutive batters at one point in his relief appearance. The Morristown native pitched 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk. The foursome of Will Mabrey, Connor Housley, Zander Sechrist and Kirby Connell combined to pitch the final 3.2 innings and allowed just one hit.

Another player that shined in his collegiate debut was freshman outfielder Kyle Booker. The Mississippi native got the start in center field and finished with a run and three RBI while also making a couple nice defensive plays.

A solo home run by Humberto Maldonado in the second inning accounted for the only run for the Golden Lions (0-1).

Tennessee and UAPB face off again tomorrow with first pitch slated for 4:30 p.m. The game can be seen on WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app.

NOTABLE

Tennessee Debuts: Seven players made their Tennessee debuts on Tuesday. Kyle Booker, Jason Rackers, Connor Housley, Ethan Payne, Cortland Lawson, Zander Sechrist and Brock Lucas all made appearances for the Big Orange.

UT also had a handful of players record their first career hits in Booker, Lawson, Payne and Logan Steenstra.

TAKE A SEAT: Tennessee’s pitchers combined for 16 strikeouts and walked just one batter on the day. Senior lefty Will Heflin, making his first appearance since 2019 after undergoing knee surgery prior to the 2020 season, struck out eight batters in 3.1 innings of work. Connor Housley was also impressive, striking out the side in his one inning of work.

BIG EIGHTH INNING: The Vols exploded for 11 runs in the eighth inning, cranking out nine hits in the frame. Six different players recorded a base hit in the inning and six of the nine total hits went for extra bases.

Box Score (PDF) I Download Postgame Video: Tony Vitello, Jordan Beck, Jason Rackers |

-UT Athletics