Karlyn Pickens made the trip from Weaverville, North Carolina, to attend Tennessee and Arkansas’s game, and they witnessed their daughter break a record.
On Thursday, May 29, 2025, right-handed pitcher Karlyn Pickens started for Tennessee against the Sooners in the Women’s College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
However, No.2 national seed Oklahoma (51-7) defeated No. 7 national seed Tennessee (45-16).
Pickens pitched seven innings and recorded eight strikeouts. She totaled 129 pitches, including 76 strikes, against 29 batters.
Karlyn allowed five hits (two home runs), four runs, and four walks. She forced Oklahoma into five flyouts and seven groundouts.
Thursday marked her 41st appearance and 31st start in 2025. She also made her 7th appearance during the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
She has recorded 57 strikeouts during NCAA Tournament play.
Against Nebraska on May 24, 2025, she set a record for the fastest pitch (79.4 mph) in NCAA softball history, breaking her record of 78.2 mph.
In three games against the Cornhuskers during the 2025 Knoxville Super Regional, she totaled 17.2 innings, 28 strikeouts, and 284 pitches (179 strikes) against 70 batters.
Softball Pitcher Karlyn Pickens’ Parents Always Encouraged Her Athleticism And Attended Her Games
Born January 9, 2004, Karlyn Pickens, 22, shares a close bond with her parents, Phillip and Rebecca Ward Pickens.
Karlyn’s parents allowed her to play softball at the age of six. During one of the interviews, Karlyn recalled that she played catch with her father, Phillip, as early as her youth league days.
Phillip, who still catches for her during workouts, would often tell Karlyn to throw what he called a “floater,” a pitch similar to a flip change that floated over the plate. Karlyn added,
“It was really funny,” “The other team couldn’t figure out what it was because everybody else was throwing fastballs.”
Karlyn Pickens
When Karlyn turned nine, her parents allowed her to take lessons from former University of South Carolina pitcher Stacey Johnson-Whitfield, who still serves as her pitching coach.
In 2021, Karlyn’s parents attended the event when she signed a contract with the Tennessee team. She took to her Instagram handle and shared glimpses with a caption,
Can’t wait for these next 4 years of being a Lady Vol!🍊 #signingday #gbo @vol_softball
Karlyn Pickens
Recently, in 2025, Pickens’ parents traveled from Weaverville, North Carolina, to watch Karlyn play for Tennessee against Arkansas.
Her parents witnessed their daughter break a record. Following the match, Pickens praised her parents for their support.
“They’ve pushed me and they’ve reminded me of that number, just to keep working toward that,” “So for that to happen and them to be here at the game to experience that, I’m just super grateful.”
Karlyn Pickens
Pitcher Karlyn Pickens Grew Up With Her Two Elder Brothers
Karlyn Pickens has two elder brothers, Kolton and Rayce Pickens.
Kolton, 34, born in 1992, attended Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College from 2012 to 2017.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he served as a dispatch supervisor at UPS from August 2014 to February 2016 and as front desk staff at Gold’s Gym from 2010 to 2016.
Since February 2017, Kolton has been serving as an aircraft mechanic at the US Army.
On the other hand, Rayce, 24, born in 2002, is a graduate of North Buncombe High School in Weaverville, North Carolina.
He was a dedicated two-sport athlete who competed in both varsity baseball and football.
As an outfielder on the baseball team, Rayce posted a perfect fielding percentage and contributed 2 RBIs during his senior season, ranking 17th in the Western Mountain 3A conference.
On the football field, he played quarterback and cornerback.
He recorded passing yards in multiple games and helped lead his team to several key victories, including wins over North Henderson and T.C. Roberson.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- As per the reports, Karlyn Pickens is dating basketball sensation Jack Browder. He is the Carson-Newman men’s basketball sophomore forward and has been excelling on the court.
- Karlyn was named Softball America Pitcher of the Year and a top-ten finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
- She became the 5th pitcher in SEC history to win the award in consecutive seasons and the seventh in conference history to win the award multiple times.
