Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Honors Karlyn Pickens as Female Amateur Athlete of the Year

Image: Kyndall Williams/Tennessee Athletics

By Aidan Sidoti

NASHVILLE – Lady Vols ace Karlyn Pickens added another major accolade to her historic career Wednesday as the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame named her the Female Amateur Athlete of the Year. The honor comes just over a week after Pickens was selected No. 1 overall by the Carolina Blaze in the 2026 AUSL College Draft.

The 6-foot-1 senior has become one of the most decorated pitchers in Tennessee softball history. Pickens threw the fastest recorded pitch in the sport last season during Super Regionals against Nebraska, firing a 79.4 mile per hour fastball that set a world record and helped send the Lady Vols back to the Women’s College World Series. She was also named SEC Pitcher of the Year in both 2024 and 2025, cementing herself as one of the greatest SEC pitchers of all-time.

Pickens has obviously continued her dominant college career during her senior campaign. She holds a 13-7 record and 157 strikeouts while appearing in 28 games this season. Across her 138 career games entering NCAA Tournament play this weekend, Pickens has made 90 starts and compiled a 69-32 record with a 1.48 ERA, striking out an absurd 787 batters in 617.2 innings.

Pickens will return to the circle this weekend as Tennessee hosts its 21st consecutive Regional at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium. The Lady Vols open the Knoxville Regional on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET against Horizon League champion Northern Kentucky, with the winner advancing to face either Indiana or Virginia on Saturday.