Lady Vol Throws Fastest Pitch In Softball History
By Cody McClure
A Tennessee Softball pitcher has yet again accomplished an impressive feat.
Karlyn Pickens, a junior, has set the record for the fastest pitch in college softball history.
She had previously unofficially tied the record for fastest pitch in history. She threw that one 77 miles per hour.
This most recent pitch came in at 78.2 miles per hour, according to NCAA Softball.
It occurred in a conference game against Arkansas in which UT led 3-2 in the top of the sixth inning.
Tennessee also went on to win the game 3-2 but lost the series against the Razorbacks.
Pickens is a 6-foot-1 player out of Weaverville, N.C. who earned consensus first team All-American honors last year.
She was also a 2024 Top 10 Finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year after throwing two perfect games last season.
Pickens will be expected to contend for national player of the year again in 2025.
Her mark as a pitcher this season is 11-4.
The previous record for the fastest softball pitch by a woman was held by another Tennessee Lady Vol — Monica Abbott who threw 77 miles per hour back in 2012.
That comes from the Guinness Book of World Records.