All-American pitcher Ashley Rogers will return for one more season with the Tennessee softball program, taking advantage of her COVID-19 exempt fifth year of eligibility for the 2023 season.

A right-hander from Athens, Tennessee, Rogers has produced staggering career numbers in her three full seasons with the Lady Vols. Her name appears all throughout the Tennessee softball record book, ranking third in UT history with a 1.68 career earned run average, fifth with 19 career shutouts and 633 career strikeouts and seventh with 59 career victories. Her 8.95 strikeouts per seven innings and .157 opponent batting average sit second on the Lady Vol career charts, trailing only the legendary Monica Abbott.

Rogers made 25 appearances with 15 starts during the 2022 campaign, leading the Lady Vol staff with a 2.01 ERA, four shutouts and three saves this past spring. She limited opposing batters to a .156 average and posted a team-best 0.82 WHIP in 104.1 innings pitched. Rogers tossed the 15th perfect game in Tennessee softball history against East Carolina on April 23 and a pitched a 13-inning shutout in UT’s win over Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament on May 12, which went down as the longest individual outing in UT history.

Equally dedicated to her studies, Rogers graduated summa cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology in December 2021 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in biomechanics. She is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, two-time Easton/NFCA Scholar Athlete and three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

With Rogers returning, Tennessee’s 2023 pitching staff will be comprised of three returners and three newcomers. Canadian National Team member Nicola Simpson and rising junior Ryleigh White are back for the Big Orange, while Tennessee adds senior transfer Payton Gottshall and welcomes a pair of true freshmen in Charli Orsini and Karlyn Pickens.