Watch: Tennessee Vols pitcher Ben Joyce shows off ridiculous unhittable pitch
Tennesese Vols right-handed pitcher Ben Joyce has been one of the biggest stories in college sports this spring thanks to his fastball that routinely hits 103 to 105 MPH on the radar gun. The Knoxville native started his career at Walters State Community College before transferring to Tennessee. Joyce sat out the 2021 season while recovering […]
Tennesese Vols right-handed pitcher Ben Joyce has been one of the biggest stories in college sports this spring thanks to his fastball that routinely hits 103 to 105 MPH on the radar gun.
The Knoxville native started his career at Walters State Community College before transferring to Tennessee. Joyce sat out the 2021 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
Vols head coach Tony Vitello has eased Joyce into action this season due to the pitcher's return from Tommy John surgery. The long-term hope for Joyce is to be a starting pitcher at the MLB level. But Vitello has been careful to not overuse Joyce, despite his impressive array of pitches.
One of those pitches is a two-seam fastball that, if executed perfectly, is unhittable.
Good luck if you're a hitter in that situation.
If Joyce throws that exact pitch with two strikes, he's getting a strikeout nearly every time — especially if he's facing a right-handed batter.
The fact that Joyce has a two-seam fastball — typically a pitch that's a bit slower than a four-seam fastball — that hits 100 MPH is almost unfair (two-seamers are basically a sinker that moves down and in from a right-handed pitcher to a right-handed batter).
That pitch looks like a strike until right when it gets to the plate, which is way too late to adjust if you're a hitter. And it's nearly impossible to guess that Joyce is going to throw a two-seamer in that situation that will land out of the strike zone thanks to his 103 to 105 MPH four-seamer. The two-seamer looks like the same pitch until it's too late.
Joyce has a chance to be a great MLB pitcher. He has all the pitches, he just needs to stay healthy — which is something that's always a concern with pitchers that throw with such a high velocity.
Featured image via Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
