Karyln Pickens avoids major injury following exit vs. Belmont
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Good news for Tennessee softball, as it appears Lady Vols ace Karlyn Pickens has avoided a major injury. According to Tennessee reporter Sam Rothman, Pickens suffered an arm strain against Belmont and is listed as day-to-day moving forward.
Pickens had to leave early against the Bruins on Tuesday night after striking out 2 of her 3 first batters faced. She attempted to give it another go but was unsuccessful.
Tennessee went on to win that game against Belmont, 1-0. With that, the Volunteers are still perfect on the season, sitting at 20-0 through the first month of the year.
And you have to give Belmont a tip of the cap for keeping it as close as it was, because Tennessee softball has been annihilating opponents all season. The Lady Vols already boast wins over No. 11 Nebraska, No. 5 Oregon, No. 21 Liberty, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Florida State and No. 23 FAU. We kid you not, the Lady Vols won those games mentioned by a combined score of 39-3. Only Liberty, Nebraska and Florida State managed to get a run on the Lady Vols.
Only 1 opponent, App State, has scored 2 runs on the Lady Vols so far in 2026.
Pickens is responsible for much of that dominance. She leads the Lady Vols in inning pitched and has struck out 68 batters while allowing 16 hits and only 4 earned runs. Her .060 ERA remains one of the best in NCAA Softball.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
