Karlyn Pickens embraces new leadership role for Tennessee

Karlyn Pickens has been built for this moment. She learned from Ashley Rogers during her first year in Knoxville and became SEC Freshman of the Year. As a sophomore, she paired up with fifth-year senior Payton Gottshall to make one of the best pitching duos in the country. She led the Lady Vols to a second straight SEC regular-season championship. Tennessee was the only team in the nation with two pitchers whose ERA ranked in the top 10.

Now, Pickens stands as the lone leader of the circle. The Lady Vols have freshmen Erin Numer, Peyton Tanner, sophomore transfer Sage Mardjetko and junior Charli Orsini on their staff. Pickens, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, finished the 2024 season with a 22-7 record and an ERA of 1.12, is more than ready to become the bullpen leader. She has compiled everything she has learned from her predecessors to be a great example like she once had. 

“I have had a lot of great mentors while pitching at Tennessee. Ashley Rogers alongside Payton Gottshall and all of our other past seniors,” Pickens said. “Having them on our team has helped prepare me to step into this role. I am very confident that the girls we have on our team this year will do what they need to do. I’m going to do my job, and we will have a very successful year.” 

As Pickens ascends into the spotlight, head coach Karen Weekly couldn’t be more comfortable with this transition. She believes the natural ability to lead has always been within Pickens. Now it’s finally on display at the perfect moment. Weekly realizes everyone else will follow Pickens’ suit as one of her staff’s most competitive and team-oriented players.

“Karlyn has always had good leadership qualities; we just didn’t ask that of her early in her career, and we wanted her to find her way as a pitcher and not put any extra burdens on her, but I think it’s something she has been ready for,” Weekly said. “She has a high level of competitiveness, and everyone respects her because they see her working hard and because she is serious about being the absolute best she can be and wanting our team to be the same.” 

Pickens finds her leadership style to be focused on a more personal level with each individual on the pitching staff. In this new chapter for Tennessee, she doesn’t have to worry about their performance. It’s the mental difficulties that come with the transition to college softball that she spews advice about the most. 

“There is some pressure when it comes to showing them the way mentally,” Pickens said. “That was one of my struggles coming into college, knowing I was going against some of the top players in the country. I am trying to connect to everybody and do what each person needs from me, find how I can be helpful, how I can contribute to their game, and just lead by example and show the importance of always having a competitor mindset with everything that we do,” Pickens said. 

Nuwer, who is just days away from beginning her first collegiate season, has adapted to the environment comfortably due to the help and courage of Pickens.

“Karlyn cares about each and every single one of her teammates, and with me being a freshman pitcher, she truly has helped me so much,” she said. “She helps me whenever I need it and is always there to answer my questions. Karlyn is the first to cheer someone on or hype up her teammates when they do even the tiniest thing, and I truly look up to her.” 

Pickens strives to lead this new group and trusts what the rest of the roster will bring to the table. She is on her own mission to reach even larger heights as a pitcher herself. Known for her velocity with a wicked fastball that is consistently over 70 MPH. Pickens is after the fastest recorded pitch in softball history, which Tennessee alum Monica Abbott currently holds at 77 MPH. 

“I am close to beating or tying the record of fastest pitch. So that’s definitely on the radar, but I just want to keep it rolling,” Pickens said. “I have done a lot of successful and great things so far. (I) want to keep my consistency going. I want to make sure that I keep improving something each year, elevating my game with a new pitch and getting better at hitting locations.”

Tennessee had a less-than-ideal end to its 2024 season. The Lady Vols failed to reach Oklahoma City and make it to the Women’s College World Series for the second consecutive season. However, with a lot of new talent surrounding her, Pickens is hopeful for the upcoming season. 

“(The end of the season) was a dagger in the heart,” Pickens said. “I think everybody, including myself on that team, had high expectations for that season. But that motivates us even more for this upcoming season. We have a lot of freshmen who are going to play very serious roles on our team. We have talked about the expectations and what that looks like. The standards are up, and we have some goals to reach this year, and everybody is on board with that.”