Fastest softball pitches in history – from Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens to Monica Abbott
Tennessee Lady Vols have thrown the four fastest pitches in softball history, led by current ace Karlyn Pickens.
The previous record held by former UT star Monica Abbott stood for 13 years. Then Pickens tied or broke the mark three times during the 2025 season. And it could fall again as Pickens, the two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year, leads the Lady Vols into the Women's College World Series.
Advertisement
No. 7 seed Tennessee (45-15) faces No. 2 seed Oklahoma (50-7) to open the WCWS on May 29 (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in Oklahoma City. And Pickens has a lively and loose arm to take another run at the record.
Here are the fastest softball pitches ever recorded:
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
Get the latest news and insight on SEC football by subscribing to the SEC Unfiltered newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Fastest softball pitches in history, Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens to Monica Abbott
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Zach Root, Gabe Gaeckle shackle Tennessee on two hits, Arkansas tops defending champs 4-3
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Zach Root and Gabe Gaeckle combined on a two-hitter, Ryder Helfrick hit the go-ahead home run, and Arkansas defeated defending national champion Tennessee 4-3 on Saturday in the opening game of the best-of-three Fayetteville Super Regional. Helfrick's two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Arkansas a 3-2 lead and Charles Davalan drove in a run with a single that made it 4-2 in the sixth. Advertisement Root (8-5) started and went seven innings, allowing one hit and one earned run. Gaeckle threw two innings in relief, allowing the other hit and one run for his second save. Dean Curley's two-run home run in the fifth inning gave the Volunteers a 2-1 lead. It was their only hit until Andrew Fischer's solo home run in the ninth. The Razorbacks' Cam Kozeal scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Tennessee starter Marcus Phillips (4-5) allowed four runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. Tennessee (46-18) is making its fifth straight super regional appearance. Arkansas (47-13) is making its third appearance since 2021. The Razorbacks will lock up their 11th College World Series berth if they win Game 2 on Sunday. ___ AP college sports:
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Arkansas baseball defeats Tennessee to open Fayetteville Super Regional
Arkansas baseball defeats Tennessee to open Fayetteville Super Regional No. 3 national seed Arkansas (47-13) defeated No. 14 national seed Tennessee (47-17), 4-3, in game No. 1 of the Fayetteville Super Regional in the 2025 NCAA Tournament at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Razorbacks lead the best-of-three series, 1-0. Game No. 2 is slated for Sunday at 1 p.m. EDT and ESPN will televise the contest. Arkansas led, 1-0, after Cam Kozeal scored on a wild pitch. The Vols led, 2-1, in the fifth inning after Dean Curley hit a two-run home run, his 14th of the season. Arkansas regained a lead in its half of the fifth inning on a two-run home run by Ryder Helfrick, making the score, 3-2. The Razorbacks scored one run in the sixth inning to extend its advantage, 4-2. Marcus Phillips (4-5) started for the Vols. He pitched 5.1 innings, allowing four runs, eight hits and two walks. Phillips recorded five strikeouts, while totaling 94 pitches (58 strikes). The Vols managed two hits Saturday and pulled to within, 4-3, with a solo home run by Andrew Fischer. Dylan Loy faced one batter for Tennessee and allowed one hit. Brayden Krenzel, Brandon Arvidson and Tanner Franklin also appeared in relief for the Vols. Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Wedding Guests During 'Enchanted' Weekend in Tennessee
Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Wedding Guests During 'Enchanted' Weekend in Tennessee originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Someday, fans of the power couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, the big story about the big wedding will be about ... Their wedding. But for now? The Kansas City Chiefs star Kelce and his pop icon girlfriend Swift were in attendance over the weekend at the wedding of Kelce's cousin Tanner Corum, who tied the knot with fiancee Samantha Peck. 'Enchanted,'' indeed. Numerous TikTok posts showed the pop star and the football star enjoying themselves, dancing and celebrating at the "barn-style ceremony in Knoxville, Tennessee. This comes on the heels of the couple getting ready to end their week of relaxation as Chiefs minicamp is about to begin. The pair was spotted in Palm Beach, Florida, recently, as they enjoyed a casual date night before the NFL's offseason work properly begins for Travis. But we didn't know anything about what happened once the pair were inside the Buccan now. A woman named Pamela Goodman, a Swift superfan, who sat near the couple, spoke exclusively to Page Six, detailing what she saw from Travis and Swift on their date night. 'They were a giggly couple on a date. They were just adorable!' she said. Of course, as word spread that the couple was out, fans gathered outside to see them leave the restaurant, but it was nothing like the couple had previously experienced. With Swift not touring in 2025, and Kelce aiming for this to be his final NFL season, it feels like it is going to be a big year for the couple who clearly have some relationship plans coming down the pipeline. Well, that's the thought of many anyway. But for now? Travis and Taylor are all about somebody else's wedding. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
