Top 10 NCAA softball players entering the 2025 season
4. Karlyn Pickens, P, Tennessee
Not many players performed better in the circle throughout 2024 than Pickens who was a consensus first-team All-American, a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year top 10 finalist and the SEC Pitcher of the Year. Pickens and Payton Gottshall formed a strong duo in Knoxville last year, and Pickens will lead a younger staff this time around featuring transfer Sage Mardjetko, and perhaps touted freshmen Peyton Tanner and Erin Nuwer. Last season, Pickens went 22-7 with a 1.12 ERA that ranked third in the nation. The 6-foot-1 junior also had 225 strikeouts and a 0.79 WHIP while allowing opponents to hit just .156. Back-to-back SEC regular-season champion Tennessee will face a stiffer test in 2025 with Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference, but Pickens should keep the Vols in the championship hunt.
