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WATCH: Tennessee pitcher Ben Joyce hits 104 mph

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•04/08/22•

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(Bob Levey/Getty Images)

The Tennessee Volunteers have been tearing through college baseball so far this season, currently sitting No. 1 in the country. Up this weekend in Knoxville are the Missouri Tigers, with another important SEC series taking place. In the fifth inning, reliever Ben Joyce came in relief and was throwing some heat.

Rob Friedman, also known as Pitching Ninja, displayed some of the stuff Joyce threw on Friday night. A couple of the pitches went over 100 miles per hour. One even hit 104 mph on the radar, a truly shocking number. Friedman even gave Joyce the nickname “The Volunteer Fireman.”

You can watch the pitch here.

Joyce only pitched for one inning, allowing zero runs for the Volunteers. One Missouri player was able to draw a walk, while the other three fell to a strikeout. To be fair to the Tigers players, trying to hit against 100 mph+ pitches cannot be the easiest.

More on Ben Joyce

Joyce, however, underwent Tommy John surgery around the time he first came to Tennessee, so he spent the 2021 season rehabbing. Turns out, Joyce was well worth the wait for Tennessee, which now has the hardest-throwing pitcher in the nation coming out of its bullpen. But according to Joyce, it was worth the wait for him, too, as he finally gets to fulfill his dream of playing for his hometown Volunteers.

The pitcher has more to work with than a speedy fastball. He also boasts an impressive changeup and slider, which he’s used as off-speed pitches to fool opposing batters.

“There’s not going to be one day where it’s just ‘bam,’ he knows exactly where to spot it against righties and lefties, but he does throw strikes because he has tremendous stuff. It’s going to be fun to be a part of his career and him figuring that stuff out,” Tennessee manager Tony Vitello said of Joyce. “I don’t know that there’s more than those two guys off the top of my head, but it’s abnormal (that Joyce can throw 100-plus mph)… (Joyce) is an abnormal kid, has an abnormal work ethic and fortunately he’s been blessed with abnormal stuff, too.”

Simon Gibbs contributed to this report