Who is Karlyn Pickens? All you need to know about Tennessee softball star who now holds fastest pitching record

Karlyn Pickens might not be a household name, however, the Tennessee softball star officially etched her in name in the history books. The Junior pitcher put on a show during her team's series finale victory against Arkansas. While the victory itself is something to celebrate, it was Pickens' performance that stole the show.

In the 6th inning of the Tennessee Lady Vols' victory, Karlyn Pickens made history. Pickens etched her name in the history books by throwing the fastest pitcher ever recorded in softball, hitting a whopping 78.2 MPH on the radar gun. Although the pitch did not induce a swing from the batter, it was straight down the middle of the zone, recording a strike in the process.

The native of Weaverville, North Carolina has been incredible for Tennesse this season, already throwing an impressive three no-hitters this season. Two of those no-hitters were actually perfect games, cementing herself as one of the best in the game.

Pickens has always been a incredible athelte, which makes her success not overly surprising. During her time at North Buncombe High School in Weaverville, Pickens lettered in softball, basketball and volleyball during her time at the school. At 6-foot-1, Karlyn Pickens has been able to use her frame to help her continue to achieve greatness on the field.

In an interview with the social media series Car Wash Convos, Pickens shared some insight into her admiration of former Vol pitcher Monica Abbott (whose record she just broke). After explaining that a hotdog is closer to a taco than a sandwich, Pickens dove into her pre-game routines and susperstitions.

"Pregame for sure. I have to put on my uniform the same. So you go, left sock, right sock, shirt, pants," Karlyn explained before explaining her pre-game hype up music. "All country. Big country girl. Alan Jackson, George Strait, all the oldies," she continued.

Karlyn Pickens is not the only Tennessee pitcher to set velocity records

This is not the first time that Tennessee has set a record for the hard pitch thrown in their respective sport. Back in 2022, Los Angeles Angels reliever Ben Joyce set the record for the fastest pitch in college baseball history, hitting a whopping 105.5 MPH. The pitch that Joyce threw was only 0.3 MPH behind that of Boston Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman, who set the record at 105.8 MPH.

It's also important to not forget to mention Karlyn's idol Monica Abbott, who continually lit up the radar gun during her time at Tennessee. Between Karlyn Pickens, Monica Abbott, and Ben Joyce, the Tennessee Vols and Lady Vols have produced some bona fide flamethrowers.