Karlyn Pickens has always turned heads with how hard she throws, but now she’s on the radar as the first college softball player to sign a name, image and likeness (NIL) deal with a professional league.

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League announced Wednesday that it has signed an NIL partnership with the University of Tennessee pitcher.

Pickens is one of college softball’s brightest stars, and the signing is a strategic move by the league to connect to that audience. Through social media posts and marketing opportunities, the partnership with Pickens will raise awareness of the AUSL as the premier place for athletes to continue their careers in the pro game.

Even after being ranked the best player in North Carolina out of high school and the No. 2 pitcher in the nation for the class of 2022 by Extra Inning Softball, Pickens dreams reached only to elite Division I softball.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t really see [pro] softball… I watched the Olympics, but outside of college, I didn’t really think there was an option to go pro,” she said. “It’s been just a few years, and now everyone’s dream is to go to AUSL and continue their softball career.”

Pickens has been an impact player at Tennessee since she arrived on campus. She was named the 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year and has owned the accolade for the following two seasons. In her sophomore and junior seasons, she was named to the NFCA All-American First Team.

But last year, Pickens launched into the sports stratosphere when she set the record for the fastest pitch in NCAA softball history at 79.4 mph.

Her senior season is even more highly anticipated after helping the Lady Vols reach the Women’s College World Series semifinals in 2025, and with the sports world wondering, can she break her record again?

A strong arm with an even stronger stature

From a young age, Pickens knew her “superpower” was how hard she throws, but the one you can’t see is in her mind; it’s her whole being.

“I’m an ultra-competitive person. I so wanted people to succeed around me as well as myself, and I think that’s what sets me apart,” she said.

It started with her two older brothers, Kolton and Rayce. When they were learning to ride bikes, Karlyn couldn’t stand it when her brother struggled.

“I would make him get on the bike, and I’d push him down the hill, and he’d fall,” she laughed. “I think that puts it in a picture.”

She warned not to underestimate the smiley attitude and carefree persona on the field, “I’m going to beat you.” 

While the competitive drive has always been there, letting it coexist with joy has been a process for Karlyn. Her accomplishments and broken records don’t come without being honest about her mental strength.

“My freshman-sophomore year was definitely a moment, some years of growth of having to be honest and say, my mental game is not where it needs to be.”

She learned to tap back into that 10-year-old girl–the one who played outside with her siblings and would do cartwheels on the field. You won’t see the 6-foot-1 pitcher doing any flips now, but what you will see is her jump in the circle, throw both arms back, and yell.

“Learning that that’s how I operate, that’s when I’m doing my best, and just every game taking that with me, win or lose,” Karlyn said.

That’s what she hopes young athletes see when they watch her. What can’t be ignored is the heat.

Former UT star Monica Abbott’s record for the fastest pitch stood for 13 years until Karlyn broke it on March 24, 2025, with a 78.2 mph fastball against Arkansas. Then she surpassed her own mark, hitting 79.4 mph with a fireball to Nebraska’s Jordy Bahl in the first inning of Game 2 in the Knoxville Super Regional.

Long-time travel ball coach Dana Fusetti has made bold predictions about her since they met when Karlyn was in elementary school. Fusetti knew she was watching the early years of what could be the hardest thrower in softball history.

“When Karlyn hangs out at a certain number for a while, there’s about to be another jump,” Fusetti told ESPN.com.

When asked whether she’s sitting at a higher speed now, Karlyn shared some insight into her preseason training.

“Well, I will say adrenaline has a lot to do with it,” Karlyn said. “So in practice, maybe not hitting those super high numbers, but I would say we’re at a steady incline to where we want to be.”

A player to admire

When Pickens met Fusetti that day, she was working with Stacey Whitfield-Johnson. She was the head coach of Furman’s softball program for the last five seasons, but at the time, she taught lessons and also helped run the Carolina Elite program with Fusetti.

Pickens grew up in Weaverville, North Carolina. As her speed and potential in the circle climbed, she joined the local travel ball organization to face tougher competition. She recalls most often traveling to South Carolina and beyond for tournaments.

“With my journey at Tennessee, a lot of the hometown girls where I’m from, when I go back home for camps, they keep multiplying,” Pickens said. “It’s really cool to see.”

Now, both states can share fandom for the Carolina Blaze, the AUSL team that will call Durham, North Carolina, home. The league announced the homes of all six teams last month, and the Blaze will play at Smith Family Softball Stadium at Duke University.

That would have been a little over three hours for Pickens as a kid. She was “obsessed” with Jennie Finch at that age – her tall frame, blonde hair, and outspoken faith. There’s a tub of bows tucked away somewhere at the Pickens’ house, many pink like Finch’s signature gear. But she never met her or got to watch Finch play in person.

In fact, Finch was the extent of young Pickens’ pro softball fandom.

“I never would’ve imagined that the pro softball league is what it is now, but it’s also come to my home state,” Pickens said.

In many ways, Pickens is to young athletes exactly what Finch was to her. But there’s the potential for that connection to be even stronger; the Carolina Blaze have the first overall pick in the 2026 AUSL College Draft.

It isn’t lost on Pickens how impactful having a pro team to root for would have been for her.

“I think [that] definitely would have grown my love for the game even more at a young age than it already did.”

For now, Pickens is focused on completing her legacy at Tennessee, still with collegiate goals to achieve and records to beat.

“I hope that when people see me and my journey here at Tennessee, they see not only the great wins and awesome memories that we’ve had as a team, but also the loyalty that I’ve had to the university. I love the Lady Vol fan base, Knoxville, my coaches… I’m going to keep pouring everything that I have into this university because they do the same for me.”

Pickens and the Lady Vols open up the 2026 season at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida, versus BYU on February 5.


Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on X @savannaecollins.