The pitching machines inside Mississippi State’s softball fieldhouse have been cranked up to the maximum velocity over the past few days.
That’s because the No. 17 Bulldogs are heading out on the road to face the fastest pitcher in college softball, Karlyn Pickens, and her No. 7 Tennessee team this weekend. Pickens set the record for the fastest pitch in softball history — college and professional — with a fastball clocked at 78 miles per hour earlier this year against Arkansas. The previous record was held by former Volunteers great Monica Abbott.
Pickens is the reigning Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year for the two-time defending SEC regular-season champions. She has been even better this year, with a 1.03 ERA in 102 innings with 143 strikeouts.
Not only will MSU (30-8, 6-3 SEC) be preparing for the speed with the pitching machines, but head coach Samantha Ricketts said graduate assistant Matalasi Faapito and coordinator of player development Alyssa Loza, both former Bulldogs pitchers, would be throwing batting practice from about 10 feet away.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get them prepared so that when they get in the box, they feel like they’ve seen the velocity,” Ricketts said. “It’s always different in games, but we want to do everything in our power to make sure we’re prepared for the (velocity).”
Tennessee (30-7, 5-4) has been to the Women’s College World Series eight times, most recently in 2023. This year’s Volunteers team opened SEC play with a series win at Georgia before losing two of three at home to Arkansas. Last weekend, Tennessee made a statement to the college softball world by taking two out of three at Oklahoma, the four-time defending national champions.
Pickens earned the win on both Friday and Sunday in Norman. Sophia Nugent’s extra-innings home run gave the Volunteers the win in the series opener, and Ella Dodge hit a go-ahead three-run blast in the fourth inning of Sunday’s rubber game.
“It’s going to be tough there. (Pickens) is really good,” MSU star center fielder Sierra Sacco said. “Just going up there and not letting her beat you before you’re in the box is very key.”
Freshman Erin Newer and sophomore Sage Mardjetko are also solid pitchers for Tennessee and help ease the workload for Pickens. Offensively, the Volunteers have six starters hitting above .300, though Taylor Pannell stands out with a .429/.534/.876 triple slash, 12 homers and 46 RBI.
The Bulldogs dropped two out of three at home against Tennessee last season, though they did jump all over Pickens in a 9-1, run-rule victory in the first game of that series. Sacco was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Nadia Barbary hit an RBI double in the first inning and Kylee Edwards drove in three runs in that game.
“They’re one of the perennial powers in this league, and it’s always fun to compete against them,” Rickett said. “We’re excited for it. Love playing in Knoxville, their crowds are always great as well. Just the competitiveness and being able to go toe-to-toe in a top-20 matchup is going to be a lot of fun.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
