Why this Tennessee softball pitching staff could be the key to the Lady Vols' return to greatness

Ashley Rogers only needed one more out.

There was a runner on third off a walk and No. 7 Tennessee softball was scoreless in the third inning with Ole Miss on Friday. But Rogers wasn't fazed. She struck out the next batter swinging to keep the game scoreless.

In the bottom of that inning, senior Kiki Milloy crushed her 11th home run of the season over the centerfield wall at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. It was a grand slam for Milloy, and it gave the Lady Vols a 4-0 lead.

Rogers ended the game with her ninth strikeout and notched her second individual no-hitter of her career. With two solo more homers from Milloy and junior Zaida Puni, Tennessee won 6-0 over Ole Miss (13-9, 0-1 SEC) to kick off SEC play.

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"I just wanted to go out there and just focus on one pitch at a time, not make the game too big, especially this being the first (SEC) game, it's really easy to get amped up," Rogers said. "I just wanted to go out there and just be myself, do my thing."

A healthy Rogers leads the best pitching staff in the country at Tennessee (18-1, 1-0). After 19 games, the staff of six leads the nation with a .55 ERA – they've only allowed eight extra-base hits this season. The group has totaled 148 strikeouts over 115 innings pitched.

Tennessee returns junior Ryleigh White and sophomore Nicola Simpson, but the newcomers have earned their way into the starting rotation with Rogers. Senior transfer Payton Gottshall and freshman Karlyn Pickens have elevated the staff early in the season.

Tennessee's depth and talent this season may finally be enough to get it over the hump and back to the NCAA super regionals for the first time since 2019 – and beyond.

"It's huge," UT coach Karen Weekly said of the pitching depth. "This game's called fastpitch for a reason. If you've got a lot of pitching, that makes a world of difference."

Adding a veteran in Payton Gottshall

Gottshall came to Tennessee to play with Rogers.

She was one of the best pitchers in the transfer portal this offseason. Gottshall was coming off winning 2022 MAC Pitcher of the Year at Bowling Green, and she was looking for a deeper pitching staff to join.

"Coming from Bowling Green, I didn't really have much help," Gottshall said. "Knowing that I was coming in my fourth year, I wanted to make sure that I had other people with me that I knew could really hold it down. That was a big part of it."

Her and Rogers have similar pitching styles: they both have elite spin and can attack batters to minimize pitch counts.

Weekly said the competition has been great for the pitching staff, but there's no selfishness, either. The depth has also been a relief for Rogers, who has struggled with injuries throughout her Tennessee career.

"A deep pitching staff is allowing us to take innings off (Rogers), which really helps her, and all of them, mentally as much as it does physically," Weekly said. "Just not feeling like the pressure is on you every day. So I think we're seeing that in how she's throwing, and I thought she was really sharp tonight."

The first since Monica Abbott

Pickens is only a freshman, but she's one of few pitchers in the nation who can throw 74 mph, move the ball and change speeds, Weekly said.

Pickens was the No. 5 prospect in the 2022 class, and she's already put her name in the record books. She threw her first career perfect game against Appalachian State on March 5 – she's the first Tennessee freshman to do so since the legendary Monica Abbott.

"It was a cool moment," Pickens said. "To be honest, I try not to look at the big-picture things, I just take one pitch at a time. It was more just about the team getting the win, is what I care about."

The game before that, she pitched a shutout against No. 4 Clemson. Pickens only allowed four hits and struck out eight, and Weekly said it gave her the confidence to pitch against anyone.

"Dominant, just absolutely dominant," Rogers said of Pickens. "We've learned from each other and we push each other to be better, and it's just been so awesome to see all of her hard work pay off, even this early. I know she's got amazing things ahead of her, she hasn't even begun to reach her full potential."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: How Tennessee elevated softball pitching staff led by Ashley Rogers