On Thursday, Tennessee softball got its season started against BYU in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla. To open things up against BYU, it was sophomore Erin Nuwer in the circle as the team’s pitcher.
Nuwer couldn’t have gotten off to a better start to the year. She pitched all five innings of the run-rule 10-0 victory and did not allow a hit. Her final line sat at 5.0 innings pitched, no hits, no runs, five strikeouts and two walks.
“Erin Nuwer is somebody who none of us saw the real Erin Nuwer last year. Well, until the Florida game at the World Series, then we saw the real Erin Nuwer,” Tennessee softball head coach Karen Weekly said before the season. “But I believe in those guys a ton, and I think we have, in those three pitchers (Nuwer, Karlyn Pickens and Sage Mardjetko), who I think would be the ace on any team that they were a part of.”
dealin’ down in Florida ♠️ pic.twitter.com/XOnha1zMay
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) February 6, 2026
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Tennessee also has star pitcher Karlyn Pickens waiting to make her season debut. She wasn’t needed against BYU, but is in line to get action throughout the busy week of games against top competition. Sage Mardjetko is another notable name yet to pitch.
At the plate, it was freshman catcher Elsa Morrison making a big splash. She went 2-for-3 with five RBI, two runs, a walk, a double and a home run. Ella Dodge also left the yard with a two-run shot.
Next, the Lady Vols will play two games on Friday, Feb. 6. First, at 4 p.m. ET, Tennessee will square off with Liberty. Then, at 7 p.m. ET, it’ll meet Rutgers. On Saturday, UT plays Boston College and Oregon to round out the event.
