Karlyn Pickens named 2025 Vols Wire Female Athlete of the Year

Competition for University of Tennessee athletics concluded Tuesday for the 2025 calendar year. Tennessee softball pitcher Karlyn Pickens is named 2025 Female Athlete of the Year by Vols Wire.

As a junior in 2025, Pickens (25-11) appeared in 44 games, including 34 starts and 25 complete games. The 6-foot-1, right-handed pitcher totaled 306 strikeouts, three saves, seven shutouts and a 1.17 ERA in 226.2 innings.

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Pickens earned SEC Pitcher of the Year honors and was selected to the All-SEC First Team in 2025.

On March 24, she set a record for the fastest pitch in softball history with a 78.2 mph fastball. On May 24, Pickens surpassed her record with a 79.4 mph pitch.

She pitched her third career no-hitter on March 1 against UT Martin, recording 11 strikeouts.

Pickens set a career-high for strikeouts in a game (15) against Tulsa on Feb. 15 and batters faced (41) versus UCLA on June 1. In 2025, she led the SEC in ERA, games started, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, strikeouts and opponent batting average.

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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Karlyn Pickens earns 2025 Vols Wire Female Athlete of the Year honors