One of the most impressive records in baseball was extremely close to being broken on Sunday.
Tennessee Volunteers pitcher Ben Joyce caught the attention of the baseball community when he threw a 105.5 mph fastball against the Auburn Tigers.
The pitch was the second-fastest fastball in baseball history, trailing Aroldis Chapman’s 105.8 mph toss in 2010 as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.
Joyce is a redshirt junior reliever that has exceeded 100 mph consistently for the No. 1 ranked Volunteers. In four innings of work against the Tigers on Sunday, he threw 28 pitches at 103 mph or higher, 15 at 104 mph or higher, and three at 105 mph.
The 21-year-old flamethrower will have plenty of time to break the record as he continues to develop into this 6-foot-5 frame.
It’s safe to say that Joyce will be an enticing prospect for the 2022 MLB Draft.
