Seven players from North Carolina qualify for Women’s College World Series

When the NCAA Division I softball tournament began two weeks ago, 54 players from the state of North Carolina took the field — the sixth most nationally.

Seven players from four schools are now Oklahoma City-bound for the Women’s College World Series.

The tournament begins on Thursday, May 29, with the National Championship series set for June 4-6.

Here are the players with North Carolina high school ties.

Tennessee (3)

The Volunteers lead the list and have one of the tournament’s top stars in North Buncombe alum Karlyn Pickens.

Pickens, who broke her NCAA record for fastest recorded pitch (79.4 MPH) last week in the Super Regional, was a four-year star in Weaverville. She struck out over 700 career batters, tossed a dozen no-hitters, and finished off six career perfect games.

At the plate in high school, Pickens was a .500 career hitter with 23 home runs and 66 runs batted in. She led the Blackhawks to a state runner-up finish in 2022 and was named All-State by HighSchoolOT twice. She also played girls basketball and volleyball at North Buncombe.

Now a junior at Tennessee, she enters the WCWS second in the country in ERA and sixth in strikeouts with 270.

Last year’s NCHSAA Female Athlete of the Year, Emma Clarke, has started 30 games and appeared in 40 as a true freshman. Clarke was a standout three-sport star at West Rowan and led the Falcons to consecutive NCHSAA 3A girls basketball titles (winning game MVP in 2024).

As a shortstop for West Rowan, Clarke was a three-time HighSchoolOT All-State selection and a .538 lifetime hitter. She homered 43 times and drove in 154 runs. She has left the yard twice for the Volunteers this spring, and of her 11 RBI, two came on a double in the NCAA Regional round against Miami (OH).

Speaking of multi-sport standouts, Robbinsville’s Zoie Shuler was an 11-time NCHSAA track and field state champion. Now a true freshman at Tennessee, she has appeared in 35 games and scored 14 runs.

Shuler was also a three-time HighSchoolOT All-State softball selection. She posted a career batting average of .568, hit 31 home runs, drove in 123 runs, and scored 197 times for the Black Knights.

Oklahoma (2)

Kierston Deal was one of the nation’s top-ranked recruits when she graduated from East Forsyth in 2022. Now she is in pursuit of her third straight national championship.

After Karlyn Pickens won the NC Gatorade Player of the Year in 2021, Deal received the 2022 honor. During her senior season, Deal posted a record of 23-3 with a 0.79 ERA and 305 strikeouts in 150.1 innings pitched. She walked just 34 batters. Deal batted .533 with five home runs and 28 RBI.

The lefty helped lead the Eagles to the NCHSAA 4A state championship series in both 2021 and 2022.

Now a junior for the Sooners, Deal has a career ERA of 2.44 and has pitched to a 10-2 record in 16 starts this season. In last Saturday’s Super Regional-clinching victory over Alabama, Deal went four innings and earned the win with four strikeouts.

Deal’s fellow starter, Isabella Smith, has one of the most unique journeys to the WCWS. The fifth-year senior did not play high school softball as her alma mater, St. David’s School in Raleigh, did not field a program. She originally signed with James Madison before transferring to Campbell, where she became one of the most decorated pitchers to pass through Buies Creek.

Smith was a two-time Conference Pitcher of the Year (Big South/CAA) for the Fighting Camels, and rode the success into the SEC, becoming the first player in program history to spin a perfect game while making her Oklahoma debut.

Florida (1)

Layla Lamar was a three-time HighSchoolOT All-State softball selection from Panther Creek. She hit .602 for her career (.680 as a sophomore) with 29 home runs and 104 RBIs.

As a senior in 2024, she pulled off one of softball’s rarest feats— a home run cycle in a win over Middle Creek.

Now a true freshman with the Gators, Lamar has started three times and plated four runs in 17 at-bats. She last appeared in game one of the Super Regional, drawing a walk in a 6-1 win over Georgia.

Ole Miss (1)

One of the NCHSAA’s all-time leaders in career batting average, Jaden Pone, will appear in the WCWS as a senior for the Rebels.

Pone was a three-sport athlete at Gray’s Creek and earned HighSchoolOT All-State merits.

She hit .670 in 65 career games as a shortstop in high school. That included a .717 batting average in her sophomore year. Pone drove in 124 career runs and left the yard 18 times.

Initially a Longwood commit, Pone posted a .412 career average with the Lancers and earned Big South Player of the Year honors. The last two seasons have been spent in Oxford, where she has started 116 of 118 games and hit. 354. She has flashed the leather to the tune of a 1.000 field percentage this season.