With the 2025 softball season wrapped up this past summer, it’s meant a quarter of a century has passed. Through that time, plenty of legendary pitchers, hitters and two-way players have left their marks on the team. In the case of Tennessee softball, it’s boasted some of the best to ever play the game.
To celebrate the previous 25 years of college softball, D1Softball put together its All-Quarter Century teams. This included three Lady Vols. Current UT pitcher Karlyn Pickens, former pitcher Monica Abbott and hitter Madison Shipman were named.
Pickens is entering his senior season and is already considered one of the best to ever play the game. This past year, she set the record for the fastest recorded pitch en route to being named to the All-SEC First-Team and earning SEC Pitcher of the Year.
Through three years, her career ERA sits at 1.48 in 502.1 innings pitched. This past season, she earned a 1.17 mark while throwing 226.2 innings. She’s made it to the Women’s College World Series twice in her three years.
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If Pickens isn’t the best pitcher in UT history, it’s undoubtedly Abbott. She played at Tennessee from 2004-07 while putting together an absurdly successful career. In 2007, she was named the SEC Female Athlete of the Year and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year. In that final season, she struck out an NCAA single-season record of 724 hitters while throwing 23 no-hitters and six perfect games.
Abbott’s jersey is now retired. She got close to leading Tennessee to its first national title, but her team came up short in the national championship series. She also holds the NCAA record in career wins at 189.
The lone hitter to make the list is Shipman. She played for the Lady Vols from 2011-14. The SEC Player of the Year and All-American hit at a .417 clip as a senior with 18 home runs.
In 2013, Shipman also helped push the Lady Vols to the championship series, but the team fell short again.
