One of the greatest players to ever put on a Tennessee softball uniform has seen her college career come to a close. Karlyn Pickens, a four-year star pitcher for the Lady Vols, played her final game on Monday in UT’s WCWS loss to Texas.
While Pickens fell just short of making an appearance in the national championship series, her accomplishments stack up with essentially any other star in the sport. After the loss, Pickens reflected on her career.
“My four years here have been nothing but just amazing,” Pickens said. “I’ve enjoyed my experience so much. I’ve been a part of four amazing groups of girls, and I think that’s kind of the hardest part of walking away from it is just the bonds we have with this team and teams of the past and stuff like that. I’m thankful to have been able to be a part of this program, to be able to put on this uniform and fight for the Lady Vols and my team.”
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Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly also touched on what Pickens meant to the program. Knowing that so many players dart in the face of adversity or for bigger paychecks, Pickens played her entire four-year career with the Lady Vols.
That’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed to Weekly, who credited her parents. The result is a legend on UT’s campus.
“She is everything you would want in a young woman, in a human being, and I have to give so much credit to her parents and how they’ve raised her so incredibly loyal,” Weekly said. “In this day and age when people jump ship and do it for the dollars, Karlyn had those opportunities, and Karlyn said, no, I’m a Lady Vol through and through. That meant so much to me and to everybody in our university.
“Karlyn will have a legacy forever at Tennessee, forever. Her name is synonymous with some of the greats who have come through Tennessee. All you have to say is Karlyn. Everybody knows what you’re talking about. Just like you say Peyton or Chamique or whatever, Candace, everybody knows who you’re talking about. The fact that Tennessee means so much to Karlyn and the Lady Vols softball program means so much to her is what really makes my heart happy.”
Pickens’ resume is absolutely stacked as she finishes her college tenure. Along with being the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s AUSL draft, here’s what she leaves campus with:
- 3x First Team All-American (2024, 2025, 2026)
- 2x SEC Pitcher of the Year (2024, 2025)
- 3x All-SEC First Team (2024, 2025, 2026)
- 1x All-SEC Second Team (2023)
- 1x SEC Freshman of the Year (2023)
- 3x WCWS Participant (2023, 2025, 2026)
- 4x NCAA Tournament Super Regional Participant (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
- 2x SEC Regular Season Champion (2023, 2024)
- 1x SEC Tournament Champion (2023)
One Response
Coach weekly u are absolutely right about players jumping ship for the dollars it’s sad that players are doing that karlyn is a special person to not do that it shows she stayed Tennessee for love of the game and the university I wish all athletes would be like her and her mindset.Great player and I wish her all the luck in the world with her softball career.Go get em karlyn.