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Tennessee's Gottshall, Pickens duo as good as it gets

by:Tara Henry•04/22/24
gotshjall
Courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

You’d be hard-pressed to find another pitching duo in the country as effective as Payton Gottshall and Karlyn Pickens. Yes, there are plenty of others with a solid one-two punch, but let’s focus on why these two have been so impressive this year.

Consistency over time, grit, throwing through the zone and darn good pitch calling are all important pieces to the puzzle. Let’s take a look at Gotshall’s nearly perfect game in the opener versus LSU.

Video courtesy of our friends at Synergy Sports. 

We’ve omitted the strikeouts to emphasize two things: Tennessee’s defense and Gottshall’s ability to produce weak contact. Potentially, more of a pitch-to-contact pitcher albeit she boasts 131 punchouts on the year. She is successful because of her ability to spin the ball through the zone, making it very hard for opposing hitters to square the ball up.  She’s also tough under pressure and someone head coach Karen Weekly trusts.

“Payton has the ability to kick it into another gear and you know when the lights come on when it’s game time you’re going to see more out of Payton,” Weekly added, “When the moment gets bigger and there’s more pressure, you’re going to see her go to another level. That’s rare in an athlete. She inspires everybody on the team the way she plays so loose and free. I trust her 100% in any situation.”

Here is a look at Gottshall’s pitches in and out of the zone. With a total of 1,588 it’s clear to understand she rarely misses over the heart of the plate.

Weekly knows the formula to make it back to Oklahoma City: pitching, good defense, and timely hitting.

“I feel like we have two awesome pitchers who’ve won a lot of games for us who relish the big moment.”

Now, let’s take a look at the Lady Vols’ flamethrower, Karlyn Pickens. Although Pickens walked four batters in the finale, the sophomore right-hander has significantly improved limiting damage this season. Pickens favors her arm side to both right-handed and left-handed hitters, but the use of the off-speed in any count makes her even more effective. ESPN analyst Amanda Scarborough breaks down how well Pickens tunnels her riseball, fastball, and changeup.

In watching Pickens in person, it’s more than evident she is hitting her spots and rising to the occasion with runners in scoring position. Take a look at the chart below. Pickens is keeping the ball in the infield nearly 75% of the time with RISP.

The Lady Vols’ pitching coach, Megan Rhodes Smith, is also a significant contributor to UT’s pitching success. She continues to develop pitchers year in and year out to be ready for postseason play. Tennessee currently sits in pole position in the SEC due in part to a pair of exceptional pitchers who continue to improve as the season progresses.

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