A Tennessee softball player made history on Monday night when she threw the fastest pitch ever recorded.
Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens set the record for the fastest pitch ever thrown in an NCAA softball game when she hit 78 mph in the sixth inning of the Lady Vols’ 3-2 win over Arkansas. The fastest pitch Pickens had previously thrown was 77 mph, which tied the previous record held by former Tennessee pitcher Monica Abbott.
The pitch on Monday night clocked in at exactly 78.2 mph.
KARLYN HITS 78MPH🔥🔥🔥🔥 setting the record for the fastest pitch ever thrown in softball history!!!@NCAA @espn @SEC @monicaabbott pic.twitter.com/srlrVfK4Hi
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) March 25, 2025
Pickens called the pitch a “surreal moment.”
“There was a lot of emotions. At first I just was super excited to celebrate that with my team. It’s way cooler finding out that way than finding out at home after the game,” Pickens said, via Cora Hall of the Knoxville News Sentinel. “And then it was kind of emotional. All the work that we’ve put in as a pitching staff, everyone that’s helped coach me – it was a really surreal moment. It was really special.”
Pickens, the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year, is having another great season. She has a 0.86 ERA with 131 strikeouts through 89 1/3 innings. With zip like that on her pitch, the success is hardly a surprise.
