University of Tennesse Junior Karlyn Pickens came in from the Volunteers bullpen to hurl 4 1/3 innings of hitless ball to pick up the win in the Volunteers’ 3-2 victory over Arkansas on Monday night, along the way making some history with her blazing fastball.
Pickens delivered a pitch at 78 mph in the sixth inning, the fastest-ever recorded in a college softball game! The Arkansas batter took it for a called strike right at the knees. The ball was on fire, it seemed, as it was smoked right by the batter. A thrown pitch of 78.2 mph from the softball rubber is equivalent to 105-110 piles per hour (mph) from a baseball mound.
Pickens is outstanding and I remember the first time I ever covered her pitching in the REgionals in her freshman year I knew she would be great! Pickens has been an extremely difficult at-bat for opposing hitters this year as she moved her record to 12-4 and a .88 Earned Run Average (ERA). She’s also now racked up 137 strikeouts over 95 innings.
The Vols are 28-6 on the season so far and are always consistently one of the most competitive teams in the NCAA every season. Pickens, the 6 foot 1 right-hander from Weaverville, North Carolina is just one of the reasons why.
