Is Tennessee the Most Complete College Baseball Team Ever?
[Note: All data is accurate as of 4/19/22, and team rankings are taken from 4/18/22]
For anyone who was hoping for parity and competitiveness this college baseball season, look away. Tennessee has scorched out the gate to a 33-3 record, six more wins than D1 Baseball’s 2nd highest ranked team, Oregon State. Not only have they won, but they have done so convincingly, winning by an average of 7.31 runs per game. Even with all this success, most college baseball fans can only name one player on this team (if that). While some may see this as a bad thing, this is actually a testament to just how balanced their team is.
When you think of this team, the first player that comes to anyone’s mind is Ben Joyce. His 104.1 mph fastball has brought him national news coverage and is faster than any pitch thrown in the MLB last year (103.4 mph). However, it is his filthy slider that’s his secret weapon, as it releases very similarly to his fastball without sacrificing any horizontal or vertical break. Take a look at this video:
Ben Joyce, Slider and 101mph Fastball, Overlay (synched at release).
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 12, 2022
Why you might swing at a slider halfway in the oppose batter's box. pic.twitter.com/0rulZ61R8j
With these two pitches in his arsenal, it should come as no surprise to anyone that he is tearing up the rest of college baseball. He is rocking an ERA of 1.23, a K/BB ratio of 5.6 (28 K’s to 5 BB), a K/9 ratio of 17.18, and a WHIP of .818, all elite values. For comparison, here are the stats of arguably the greatest velocity pitcher of all time, Aroldis Chapman, in his age-22 campaign (Ben Joyce is only 21 currently, but Chapman did not play at that age):
- ERA: 3.57
- K/BB: 2.40
- K/9: 11.76
- WHIP: 1.35
Not only does Joyce have more control than Chapman did, but he throws faster than him as well, making him a nightmare for any batter who stands in his way.
While Ben Joyce certainly leads the way, the rest of Tennessee’s pitching staff isn’t anything to slouch at either. The team is first in the nation in ERA, walk percentage allowed, and WHIP. More on the last stat, eight of the team’s pitchers have a WHIP below 1, which is considered exceptional. This includes three of Tennessee’s starters, even though it is much harder for a starting pitcher to have a low WHIP. For comparison, Robbie Ray in his AL Cy Young winning campaign last year had a WHIP of 1.045. Going even further, six of those eight pitchers have a WHIP lower than the National League’s Reliever of the Year last year, Josh Hader (0.835).
Let’s not forget about the batting either. This team is top 5 in numerous batting statistics, including SLG (1st), OBP (3rd), BB (5th), and HR/game (2nd). Expanding on the last point, every player with at least 20 AB on the roster has at least two HR, showing the balance of scoring this team has. Prefer hits over HR’s? Tennessee’s good at that too, as ten of their players have a batting average of .300 or above (out of players with at least 10 AB’s). This is higher than every other team in the top 10 and is even higher than the team with the highest overall batting average, UNLV. No matter how you measure it, there are no weaknesses in the lineup in terms of hitting.
While Ben Joyce certainly is a bona fide stud, Tennessee’s success has come more from their overall team play than anything else. This is what makes them such an elite team and unlike anything we’ve ever seen in college baseball before. Barring a sudden string of injuries or change in play, I don’t think any team has a chance of stopping this steamroller of a team from earning the title they deserve.
