Ashley Rogers was back in a big way for Tennessee’s softball team on Sunday.
The former Meigs County High standout pitched for the first time since 2019, earning a victory and save in the Lady Vols’ doubleheader sweep of Eastern Kentucky. She pitched all five innings of the 10-0 run-shortened victory in the first game. Rogers had 13 strikeouts, matching her career high.
She pitched the final two innings of the second game to save a 3-2 victory, recording five more strikeouts in the process.
Rogers started out last season sidelined reportedly by a stress fracture in her back. She was set to pitch Tennessee’s SEC opener at Texas A&M on March 12 but the COVID-19 pandemic intervened. Before Sunday, she hadn’t pitched in 631 days.
Lady Vols co-head coach Karen Weekly said Rogers “looked as good as she ever has in a Tennessee uniform” on Sunday.
Two points: Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes made two worthwhile points on Monday regarding the Vols and their inconsistencies.
One point was there are other good SEC teams. To some, the observation might sound like an excuse but it’s not.
“We’re talented, but there’s a lot of teams in the league that have talent too,” he said. “When talented teams play, sometimes it gets down to who’s making shots more or who’s playing better that day. … We haven’t played to the ability that I think we can, and for that to happen, we need our guys who have been through it longer to be more consistent.”
Speaking of that, the other point involved redshirt senior John Fulkerson, who has scored eight points in the last three games.
“I think he’s had a year where he’s been game-planned for and teams have come after him really hard,” Barnes said. “They’re trying to be more physical with him.”
Another opponent: The Lady Vols have battled the pandemic throughout the season. Now Mother Nature is getting in on the act.
Icy weather stranded the team briefly after their Sunday morning shooting practice at Texas A&M. Now they are in frigid Houston – never thought I’d be pairing those two words – awaiting word on Tuesday’s game at Mississippi State. The game was shoehorned into UT’s schedule because the original Feb. 4 date was postponed by the pandemic.
“It is a mess,” Lady Vols coach Kellie Harper said after Sunday’s 80-70 loss to the Aggies. “I am not sure what the outcome of this trip will be.”
More deep thoughts: Like the Vols, the Lady Vols need their best players to be productive against tougher opponents.
Against A&M, Davis returned to score 25 points. But only two other players scored in double figures. Fellow starter Jordan Horston shot 1-for-10 from the floor.
Texas A&M, meanwhile, had five double-figure scorers. Destiny Pitts came off the bench to score a team-high 18.
Former starter Marta Suarez, who’s now dealing with foot pain, was a trooper in coming off the bench for the Lady Vols and playing 16 minutes. The freshman scored six points.
“You want to play so bad, you’re willing to step out there and play through a little pain,” Harper said. “It’s not always easy. I’m really proud of her and have a lot of respect for her.”
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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.