When Karlyn Pickens was a young pitcher learning to perfect her craft, she got into the habit of comparing herself — and her velocity — to others who played her position.Her private pitching coach displayed a list of the record speeds achieved by other players she tutored. Pickens became obsessed with moving up the list. She laughs at the memory now, because the two-time All-American didn’t just climb toward the top — she set a new standard.And she’s still thinking about how she can get faster.Pickens, who holds the record for throwing the fastest softball pitch, will lead seventh-seeded Tennessee into the Super Regionals this weekend against 10th-seeded Georgia as the Lady Vols seek a second consecutive appearance in the Women’s College World Series. Her record-setting throw, which clocked in at 79.4 mph, is comparable to a baseball pitcher throwing about 110 mph from 60 feet, 6 inches away (the softball rubber is 43 feet away). Now, she’s chasing 80 mph, a once-unthinkable milestone in softball.
What it's like to hit against Karyln Pickens. 😳 pic.twitter.com/qstO7HjLh6
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) February 4, 2026Stakeholders around the sport say the question isn’t if Pickens will throw 80, but when. The excitement around hitting that particular number won’t solely be about celebrating Pickens, though — it’ll be about opening the door for the next generation.“You don’t always believe you can do something until you see somebody else do it,” Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said. “But then it’s like, ‘Well, why not me?’ I think back to the four-minute mile — that probably took as long as it did because everybody just thought, ‘That’s not possible.’ But now …”Pickens and Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady, both seniors, have been considered college softball’s best pitchers throughout their careers, though they’re decidedly different throwers.Canady, who stands 6 feet tall, regularly throws in the low- to mid-70s, cruising her rise ball past bewildered hitters. Canady said it would be “crazy” for anyone to hit 80 mph, though personally she’s not thinking about her velocity as much as “keeping hitters off balance — and it’s hard to time that up with throwing that fast.”At 6 feet 1, Pickens is just an inch taller than Canady, but her long limbs help build power from the circle. It helps to picture Pickens’ windup like stretching a rubber band to its max and releasing it — or, in Pickens’ case, letting go of the ball — to generate a remarkable amount of force.Mike Candrea, the two-time Team USA coach who won eight NCAA championships with Arizona, said if you were building a pitcher with only speed in mind, you’d design someone like Pickens, who has “long levers.”
