Karlyn Pickens was selected No. 1 overall by the Carolina Blaze in the 2026 AUSL Draft on May 4, making her the second No. 1 overall draft pick in Tennessee softball history.
The two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year received one of 17 AUSL golden tickets handed out this spring, and Pickens, who’s from Weaverville, North Carolina, will head back to her home state to begin her pro career.
Pickens joins Lindsay Schutzler as the only No. 1 picks in program history. Schutzler was drafted No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bandits in the 2007 National Pro Fastpitch Draft.
Pickens is one of the greatest pitchers to suit up for the Lady Vols. She holds the record for the two fastest softball pitches ever thrown, first breaking the 77 mph record held by Tennessee legend Monica Abbott in with a 78.2 mph pitch against Arkansas on March 24, 2025.
Then Pickens broke her own record with a 79.4 mph pitch during the NCAA super regionals against Nebraska on May 24. The 79.4 mph pitch is equivalent to a 111.7 mph pitch in MLB, according to the AUSL.
The 6-foot-1 flamethrower is a two-time first-team All-American with 784 career strikeouts and four no-hitters. Pickens has been an All-SEC selection every year of her career, including two first team nods the last two seasons. Her senior season was hampered by an arm strain in March, but she still has a 1.44 ERA with a 13-7 record with two shutouts and five saves in 112 innings pitched.
Pickens has thrown 154 strikeouts, only allowed 49 hits, 49 walks and has held opposing hitters to a .126 batting average. She leads the nation in hits allowed per seven innings (3.06), ranks No. 8 in ERA, No. 6 in saves and No. 11 in strikeouts per seven innings (9.6).
As a junior, Pickens had a 1.17 ERA, 306 strikeouts in 226⅔ innings and seven shutouts as she led Tennessee to the Women’s College World Series semifinals. The Lady Vols also made an appearance in the WCWS semifinals in 2023 when Pickens was the SEC Freshman of the Year.
Pickens was the first athlete to be signed to an NIL partnership with AUSL in February.
The Blaze play in Durham, North Carolina, at Smith Family Stadium, which is the home of Duke softball. Dana Sorensen is the Carolina Blaze general manager and Kara Dill is the head coach.
Former Lady Vols Aubrey Leach and Payton Gottshall both play in the AUSL. Leach has played for Athletes Unlimited since 2020, and Gottshall was drafted in 2024. Leach plays for the Carolina Blaze and Gottshall plays for the Portland Cascade.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
