Ben Joyce, former Tennessee baseball pitcher, called up by Los Angeles Angels
Ben Joyce is headed to the major leagues less than a year after his Tennessee baseball career concluded.
Joyce was called up by the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday. Joyce was the Angels' third-round pick last season after his breakout year with Tennessee during which he garnered national attention for his fastball, which hit 105.5 mph.
The Farragut High School product has a 3.45 ERA with 44 strikeouts against 17 walks in 28⅔ innings pitched in two seasons with the Rocket City Trash Pandas of the Southern League. He has given up 16 runs on 18 hits in 27 appearances during his minor league career.
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Ben Joyce is the first Vol from 2022 to reach the major leagues
He is the first player from last season's historic Vols team to reach the major leagues. UT had a program-record 10 players drafted in the 2022 MLB Draft. He is the first Vol to reach the major leagues since Garrett Crochet, who skipped the minor leagues in 2020 and debuted with the Chicago White Sox in the same year he was drafted.
Joyce is rated as the No. 9 prospect in the Angels' system by MLB.com. He is the second 2022 MLB Draft pick to make his MLB debut for the Angels this season, joining shortstop and first-round pick Zach Neto. Neto played in the Knoxville Regional last season with Campbell.
Joyce was called up after Angels pitcher Matt Moore was placed on the 15-day injured list due to an oblique strain. The Angels host the Miami Marlins on Sunday before a series with the White Sox.
The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Joyce had a 2.23 ERA in 32⅓ innings across 27 appearances at Tennessee, including a start against Georgia on May 14. He struck out 53.
How Ben Joyce got national acclaim for his fastball
Joyce's 105.5 mph fastball, which he threw against Auburn on May 1, is believed to be the hardest-thrown pitch in college baseball history. It would have registered as the second-fastest pitch in Major League Baseball history, according to UT. Aroldis Chapman threw 105.8 mph pitch for the Cincinnati Reds against the San Diego Padres on Sept. 24, 2010.
Joyce hit 100 mph in his UT debut against Georgia Southern on Feb. 20. He threw 103.5 mph days later against UNC Asheville, the start of his national acclaim.
Joyce's velocity reached its peak against Auburn, in which he threw 28 of 33 fastballs faster than 103 mph. He threw 15 of at least 104 mph and three of 105 mph or more in four scoreless innings of one-hit baseball.
Joyce signed with Tennessee out of Walters State and joined the Vols in 2020. He had Tommy John surgery in fall 2020 and missed the 2021 season. His twin brother, Zach Joyce, also signed with the Vols out of Walters State. Zach Joyce rejoined Tennessee for the 2023 season after stepping away from baseball in fall 2020 amid mental health battles and after having Tommy John surgery.
Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Ben Joyce, former Tennessee baseball pitcher, called up by Los Angeles Angels
