Tennessee softball is headed to Oklahoma City.
The Lady Vols defeated Nebraska 1-0 in game three of the Knoxville Super Regional Sunday afternoon to advance to the Women’s College World Series for the second time in the last three years.
Tennessee dropped the first game of the series Friday night 5-2, falling behind early due in part to defensive mistakes before bouncing back and winning the final two games of the series to return to Oklahoma City. The Lady Vols beat Nebraska 3-1 in game two before winning another pitcher’s duel to clinch the series.
The super regional matchup pitted two of the nation’s best pitchers against one another in Nebraska’s Jordy Bahl and Tennessee’s Karilyn Pickens. Pickens was dominant in the final two games of the series, pitching all 14 innings in the two wins after pitching 3.2 innings on Friday night.
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The SEC Pitcher of the Year Pickens held Nebraska to two runs while striking out 11 in game two before striking out 10 in a two-hit shutout performance. Pickens threw a 79.4 mph fastball in Saturday’s game, marking the fastest pitch in NCAA softball history. The junior Tennessee ace already held the previous record with a 78.2 mph fastball earlier this season.
Second baseman Ellie Dodge proved instrumental for Tennessee at the plate, hitting a two-run home run in game two of the series before knocking a first inning solo home run in game three. The solo shot to right-center field proved to be all the offense Tennessee needed behind Pickens’ dominance.
It’s Tennessee softball’s ninth trip to the Women’s College World Series with all coming since 2005. It’s just the Lady Vols second trip to Oklahoma City since 2015 after making it seven times in the 11 years prior.
The Lady Vols head to Oklahoma City with a 45-15 (15-9 SEC) record. The strong showing in the nation’s best conference was good enough to earn the No. 7 seed nationally in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee swept through the Knoxville Regional a week ago with wins over Miami (Ohio) and Ohio State twice.
Tennessee will face No. 2 overall see Oklahoma in its first game at the Women’s College World Series next week. The Lady Vols defeated Oklahoma in two of three games in a regular season series in Norman but the Sooners have been the nation’s best program in recent years.
