In this space three weeks ago, Tennessee softball adding transfer Ivy Davis from Arizona was hailed as good news for a program that needed some.
Without injured starting pitcher Ashley Rogers, the Lady Vols were 14-9 when the season was stopped by the coronavirus pandemic. The record was underwhelming by their standards. SEC play likely would have done more damage.
After the season ended, senior outfielder Jenna Holcomb and sophomore utility player Kaili Phillips, who’s from Ooltewah, transferred to San Diego State and Chattanooga respectively.
Phillips was an SEC all-freshman team honoree in 2019.
Under the circumstances, Davis’ transfer seemed like welcome relief. She’ had played in 87 games during her three seasons with the Wildcats and had 61 starts at seven different positions. Before this season was canceled, she had a .305 batting average with three homers, 13 RBI and a .508 slugging percentage.
Turned out to be a momentary reprieve, however.
Since then, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported that pitching coach Marty McDaniel had resigned after 16 seasons. He was a key coaching figure during the Lady Vols’ golden years. He coached Monica Abbott, a four-time All-American who was named USA Softball’s collegiate player of the year in 2007.
Abbott finished her UT career as the NCAA Division I all-time leader in wins, shutouts, games played and strikeouts. She topped 500 strikeouts in each of her four seasons.
That was then. As for now, Tennessee’s pitching pales by comparison. Rogers’ injury left the crucial work this season in inexperienced hands. Freshman Callie Turner started a team-high 16 games and was 8-7 with a 2.67 earned run average.
Rogers’ absence also underscored the void left by pitchers Gabby Sprang and Caylan Arnold. Sprang, who struggled mightily with consistency while at Tennessee, transferred to Oklahoma State in 2018. Arnold left the following year for Florida State.
So maybe the news UT was craving comes in the person of McDaniel’s replacement. Megan Rhodes Smith, another former Lady Vols pitcher, is returning as assistant coach for pitching.
Smith pitched at Tennessee from 2005-08. During her first three seasons, the Lady Vols went to the Women’s College World Series. She ranks third in program history in career ERA (1.77), fourth in career strikeouts (726) and tied for fifth in career victories (67).
“She is a passionate and innovative teacher,” Lady Vols co-head coach Karen Weekly said in a university release last week. “She knows what it’s like to step into the circle and face the toughest SEC and postseason competition.”
Smith was head coach at Belmont last season. Before that she was the associate head coach at Lipscomb for six years and worked with pitchers and catchers. Under her tutelage, four pitchers achieved Atlantic Sun all-conference honors.
“From the challenges, successes, the lessons learned and the amazing people who became part of my life, my time at Tennessee has continued to shape me far past my graduation date,” Smith said.
Upon returning, Smith’s immediate challenge shouldn’t be news to her. UT’s pitching isn’t in the same shape as she left it.
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri, who covered University of Tennessee athletics from 1988-2019. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com.