BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After spinning absolute gems to bookend week 3 of the 2021 campaign, No. RV/23/24 Tennessee ace Ashley Rogers was named the SEC Player of the Week, the conference announced late Monday afternoon.
Rogers, a junior, combined for 41 strikeouts in 19.0 innings of work to go undefeated in the circle (3-0), tossing three complete games and a pair of shutouts. Rogers gave up one run during the stretch.
The Athens, Tennessee, native fanned her way into rare company after tossing 18 strikeouts against Central Michigan to close UT’s five game week with a career-best performance. She became just the fourth Lady Vol ever to reach that benchmark joining Monica Abbott, Ellen Renfroe and Megan Rhodes. Rogers is now tied for eighth all-time in single-game strikeouts with legendary Abbott.
That performance followed a one-hit outing four days earlier where Rogers eclipsed her then personal-best 13 strikeouts, by retiring 17 batters from Illinois State in a complete game 3-0 win for the Lady Vols.
The notable honor is the first for Rogers, who did not play the entire 2020 season after being temporarily sidelined from an injury, since she was named SEC Freshman of the Week on April 2, 2019. It also marks the first time Tennessee picked up the award since March 26, 2019 when Matty Moss won.
The Lady Vols will play on the road for the first time this season as they head to College Station, Texas for the Reveille Classic (March 5-7) and face Campbell, Lamar and Texas A&M during their five-game lineup.
-UT Athletics
