Ashley Rogers named Pitcher of the Year

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Graduate pitcher Ashley Rogers was voted by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as its Pitcher of the Year, following a stellar fifth season on Rocky Top. Beginning in 2019, Rogers is the first Lady Vol to win NFCA Pitcher of the Year and is the second player from the Southeastern Conference to take home the honor.

A right-hander from Athens, Tennessee, she returned to Rocky Top this season to use her extra year of eligibility and helped lead UT to one of its best seasons in program history.

The Lady Vols won 51 games, brought home two SEC titles and reached the national semifinals at the WCWS for the first time since 2013. The trip to the WCWS was its first since 2015 and its eighth in program history.

Through it all, Rogers went 20-1 in the circle for the Lady Vols – reaching the 20-win mark for the third time in her career. She finished the 2023 campaign with a 0.92 ERA – joining Monica Abbott and Buffy Walker as the only players in program history to finish a season with a sub-1 earned run average.