Spigner a true relief pitcher for Lady Vols

Tennessee freshman Jessica Spigner didn't plan on pitching in college.

But when Ralph Weekly pointed to the Lady Vols' third baseman with UT trailing No. 8 Georgia 2-0 on Saturday, she readily accepted.

"How much time do you need to warm up?'' said Weekly, UT's co-head coach.

"Just give me the ball,'' Spigner replied, taking the hill before a record crowd approaching 2,000 in Athens, Ga.

There's a good chance Spigner will get the ball again this weekend when the 15th-ranked Lady Vols play host to No. 3 Alabama on Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (1 p.m. doubleheader).

Spigner's performance against Georgia, the SEC's top-hitting team, was that impressive.

There was one out with runners on first and second for Spigner to contend with when she took the ball from Weekly in the first inning.

It was Spigner's second college appearance; her first, March 8, she tossed one-third of an inning of mop-up duty.

"I couldn't be nervous,'' said Spigner, who pitched Valencia (Calif.) High to a state title last season and earned EA Sports National Player of the Year honors. "I told my infield in the circle, 'These runs don't score, you got me?'

"I think they were shocked by my attitude.''

Perhaps even more shocking, the runners didn't score.

Spigner, who has hit a UT freshman-record 14 homers, allowed one run during her 32<0x2044>3 innings in the 6-2 loss.

"I knew I might be going back to her the next day,'' Weekly said.

Freshman pitcher Cat Hosfield, a hard-luck 1-0 loser in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, gave up two homers in the first two innings Sunday.

Danielle Pieroni didn't fare much better, giving up an RBI single in the second and walking the leadoff batter in the third of the 3-3 game.

Weekly turned to Spigner again, and this time she didn't allow any runs, giving up one hit over the next five innings of a 6-3 Lady Vols win.

"I like to be in control of things that are controllable,'' said Spigner, California's Gatorade Player of the Year award winner last season with a state-high 29 wins. "Pitching, you control the attitude of the game and the vibe of your team.''

The vibes weren't good when Spigner took the ball in Athens; the Lady Vols were in the midst of their first four-game SEC losing streak since Monica Abbott's freshman year in 2005.

"There was pressure on her,'' Weekly said. "I had told the team before the game it was a must-win situation.

"But the kid (Spigner) is amazing; she's got command of her pitches, and she's not afraid of anything.''

Spigner's only fear, it seems, is of losing.

The Lady Vols are 37-13-1, 12-10-1 in the SEC. But Spigner expects more. She reached her breaking point after UT dropped two in a weekend series at Ole Miss two weekends ago.

"It was a long bus ride; on the way back I decided I wanted to pitch,'' Spigner said. "Our team is tired of losing . . . losing breaks our hearts. We know we're talented enough to beat anyone.''

Spigner was pushed into pitching in high school after Valencia, ranked No. 1 in the nation her junior year, graduated its ace.

"I had to re-learn to pitch; it was like a crash-course,'' said Spigner, who hadn't thrown much since youth ranks. "What I learned was to keep the ball moving and keep it low. Pitching made me smarter about the whole game, in general, and it helped me as a hitter.''

Spigner is disappointed with her recent plate appearances at UT. She's batting .340 but hasn't hit a home run in 14 games - her longest drought of the year.

"Being more consistent and getting a hard hit every game is my goal,'' she said. "As a pitcher, you see the ump's strike zone, so that gives you an upper hand as a hitter.''

Weekly is just happy to have another arm to throw heading into the weekend series with 'Bama and the SEC tournament (May 7-9) at Lee Stadium.

"Jessica's not a flash in the pan,'' he said. "She'll eventually get beat, but she's already a great player and she's gonna be a great pitcher.''

Just give her the ball.