Tennessee
What to know about Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens vs Oklahoma in Women’s College World Series
Tennessee softball is heading back to Oklahoma City after beating Nebraska in the NCAA super regional.
The No. 7 seed Lady Vols (45-15) are making their ninth appearance in the Women’s College World Series, and their second in the last three years. Tennessee and star pitcher Karlyn Pickens will face No. 2 seed Oklahoma (50-7) to open the WCWS on May 29 (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Tennessee’s last trip to Oklahoma City was in 2023 when it made a run to the semifinals before being eliminated.
Buy tickets for Tennessee softball vs. Oklahoma in WCWS
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup with the Sooners.
Tennessee, Karlyn Pickens beat Oklahoma in road series
Tennessee started the road series at Oklahoma with a 5-2 win in extra innings thanks to catcher Sophia Nugent, who started her career as a Sooner. Nugent hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, giving the Lady Vols a 4-2 lead before Laura Mealer scored on a wild pitch.
Tennessee then lost 4-1 in Game 2, only logging four hits – and Taylor Pannell had three of them and scored the lone run with a solo home run. But the Lady Vols won the rubber match 5-3, scoring all five runs in the fourth inning. Mealer hit a two-RBI double before Ella Dodge blasted a three-run homer to win the game.
Karlyn Pickens had 12 strikeouts, 10 hits allowed, three walks, one hit by pitch and four earned runs in 12⅔ innings over the series. Sage Mardjetko had four strikeouts, six hits allowed, eight walks and five earned runs in 5⅓ innings. Erin Nuwer pitched three innings with two strikeouts, one hit allowed, one walk and one hit by pitch.
Oklahoma softball offense has firepower
The Sooners once again have one of the strongest offenses in the country. They rank No. 2 in home runs per game (2.02) with 115 on the season. Oklahoma is No. 5 in scoring with an average of 7.75 runs per game and 442 total.
Ella Parker leads OU’s offense with a .416 batting average, and Kasidi Pickering is right behind her at .413. Four more batters are hitting above .300, and Gabbie Garcia leads the team with 20 home runs. Pickering has hit 18 homers, and six Sooners total have hit at least 11 this season.
They also don’t strike out often. The Sooners have only struck out 207 times, which is only 3.63 times per game.
Karlyn Pickens vs Sam Landry pitchers’ duel is brewing
Senior right-hander Sam Landry (23-4) became the Sooners’ ace after transferring from Louisiana. She leads the OU staff with a 1.92 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 167⅔ innings pitched.
Tennessee had eight hits against Landry in Game 1, but then it was held to four hits in the next two games.
Pickens (24-9), the back-to-back SEC Pitcher of the Year, leads Tennessee’s staff with a 1.00 ERA. She has thrown 280 strikeouts in 204 innings, and opponents have hit .168 against her. In two straight elimination games against Nebraska, Pickens threw 21 strikeouts in 14 innings with only seven hits allowed, two walks and two earned runs.
Karlyn Pickens throws fastest softball pitch ever recorded – again
Pickens already broke Monica Abbott’s record for fastest softball pitch ever recorded in March when she threw 78.2 mph against Arkansas. But she topped her own record in Game 3 against Nebraska.
In the first at-bat of the game, Pickens threw 79.4 mph. It was Nebraska pitcher Jordy Bahl’s first at-bat of the game, and she fouled off the record-breaking pitch.
Pickens had already hit 77 mph twice this season before breaking the record Abbott originally set the record during a National Pro Fastpitch game in 2012.
Tennessee softball vs Oklahoma: Series history
Tennessee is 7-8 all time against Oklahoma, which owns a 4-3 record vs the Lady Vols at neutral sites. After taking the road series in March, Tennessee is 4-3 against OU in Norman.
Before meeting for the first time in SEC play this season, the last time Tennessee faced the Sooners was in the opening game of the 2023 WCWS. Oklahoma beat the Lady Vols 9-0 in five innings.
Watch Tennessee softball vs. Oklahoma on Fubo (free trial)
What time does Tennessee softball vs Oklahoma start?
- Date: Thursday, May 29
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Devon Park in Oklahoma City
What TV channel is Tennessee softball vs Oklahoma on?
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women’s athletics. Email her at cora.hall@knoxnews.com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.
Tennessee freshman forward Chris Washington Jr met with the local media earlier this week in his first press conference after committing and signing with the Vols back in the spring.
Washington discussed why he chose Tennessee, what position he has mostly been working at this summer and much more. Here’s everything Washington said.
More From RTI: What Director of Sports Performance Garrett Medenwald Said About Tennessee Basketball Offseason
On what led to him de-committing from Alabama, eventually committing to Tennessee
“Honestly, I just felt like that for me and my family, that was just the best decision for me. And I found my right school, I feel like.”
On his first impressions of the team
“Like I said, me and the guys, we came a long way just from this first month, you know, getting help from DeWayne, and the team, it’s just been a blessing.”
On what the first month has been like for him personally
“Honestly, just getting better day by day. Coach Barnes, he’s coaching me hard. So honestly, just stacking days, just getting better day by day.”
On what Rick Barnes is harping on with him right now
“My defense. The whole country know I can score the ball, so just me, just working on my rotations, being right in the gaps. Defense.”
On what position he is working at.
“Right now, they got me playing four.”
On if they sold development based on his film or Tennessee’s track record
“I mean, honestly, just the track record of like guys he did put in the league, you know what I’m saying? I want to be pro, so like I said, I came to Tennessee, I felt like they’re gonna get me there, he’s gonna get me there.”
On who have been the verbal leaders on the team
“My boy DeWayne and my boy Kenbell (Duncan Campball), them two. They’ve been kind of really helping me.”
On how Tennessee sophomore forward DeWayne Brown has helped the newcomers understand what it’s like to play for the Vols
“I be in practice sometimes, I’ll get lost and he’ll kind of just help me a little bit. I mean, honestly, him just guiding us when we mess up.”
On his relationship with the rest of his freshman class: Manny Green, Ralph Scott and Marquis Clark; if he knew about them on the AAU circuit
“It’s been a great relationship. I didn’t play those guys on the circuit, so for us to be all on the same team, it’s a good thing.”
On playing AAU basketball in Knoxville; if that helped his decision
“It’s great, you know? It’s just amazing, honestly. I’m just glad to be here.”
On how he is liking the new Adidas uniforms
“I’m loving it. We’re in Adidas gear. I’m liking it, I’m loving it.”
On his strengths on offense
“I’d say getting to the rim, getting to my spots, and my (ability) to catch and shoot.”
On where his spots are
“Really just getting to the mid-range, getting down hill.”
On watching last year’s Vols get drafted
“Coach Barnes, him getting those guys there, I know my time’s gonna come.”
On his freshman class
“Oh, we got the best class, I feel like, honestly. We got a good class.”
Why he feels Tennessee has the best freshman class
“Shoot, we all can score, honestly. (Barnes) recruited a lot of scores this year. Even our freshman class, we can all get a bucket.”
Tennessee
Where Tennessee Baseball Players, Commits Land In Final MLB Mock Drafts, Rankings | Rocky Top Insider
The 2026 MLB Draft gets underway on Saturday afternoon to jump start MLB All-Star game festivities in Philadelphia. The two-day, 20-round draft is a highly important once for Tennessee baseball. While there are fewer current Vols projected to be selected, there will be no shortage of Tennessee prep signees and transfer commits who are draft risks.
We’ve compiled a number of both mock drafts and overall draft prospect rankings from a multitude of outlets that give us a look at where Tennessee players, transfers and commits could go. There’s a handful of Tennessee transfer commits who are not listed but are also draft risks including Wright State outfielder Andrew Duncan, Baylor shortstop Travis Sanders, FIU infielder Mario Trivella and Clemson right-handed pitcher Hayden Simmerson.
Taking a look at the mock drafts and draft rankings here.
More From RTI: Clemson Transfer Pitcher Commits To Tennessee Baseball
Current Tennessee player. Tennessee transfer commit. Tennessee high school signee
Mock Drafts
ESPN Two-Round Mock Draft
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 11 to Kansas City
- OF Trevor Condon — No. 14 to Miami
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 34 to Pittsburgh
- RHP Kaiden McCarthy — No. 51 to Pittsburgh
The Athletic One-Round Mock Draft
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 11 to Baltimore
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 24 to Seattle
CBS One-Round Mock Draft
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 18 to Cincinnati
Prospect Rankings
MLB Pipeline Top 250
- OF Trevor Condon — No. 13
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 16
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 25
- RHP Kaiden McCarthy — No. 61
- RHP/SS Cole Koeninger — No. 99
- SS Jack Dugan — No. 106
- C Sean Dunlap — No. 124
- RHP Shawn Sullivan — No. 132
- RHP Tyler Putnam — No. 139
- RHP Gary Morse — No. 141
- 3B/OF Henry Ford — No. 148
- LHP Jake McCoy — No. 152
- C/OF Garrett Wright — No. 190
- RHP Cannon Grant — No. 212
- RHP Bo Rhudy — No. 219
- LHP Ricky Ojeda — No. 243
ESPN Top 250
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 11
- OF Trevor Condon — No. 16
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 32
- C Sean Dunlap — No. 49
- RHP Kaiden McCarthy — No. 52
- RHP Gary Morse — No. 98
- RHP/SS Cole Koeninger — No. 107
- SS Jack Dugan — No. 109
- RHP Tyler Putnam — No. 112
- RHP Cannon Grant — No. 125
- 1B Cody Boshell — No. 142
- LHP Jake McCoy — No. 156
- C/OF Garrett Wright — No. 162
- 3B/OF Henry Ford — No. 183
- RHP Bo Rhudy — No. 201
Perfect Game Top 400
- LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger — No. 16
- OF Trevor Condon — No. 29
- RHP Tegan Kuhns — No. 50
- RHP Kaiden McCarthy — No. 51
- RHP/SS Cole Koeninger — No. 62
- C Sean Dunlap — No. 68
- 3B/OF Henry Ford — No. 134
- 1B/OF AJ Curry — No. 153
- RHP Cannon Grant — No. 176
- RHP Tyler Putnam — No. 190
- SS Jack Dugan — No. 201
- LHP Jake McCoy — No. 227
- RHP Shawn Sullivan — No. 231
- RHP Gary Morse — No. 241
- LHP Ricky Ojeda — No. 251
- RHP Bo Rhudy 255
- SS Jaxson Wood — No. 262
- C/OF Garrett Wright — No. 269
- LHP Brandon Arvidson — No. 274
- SS Manny Marin — No. 375
- OF Reese Chapman — No. 386
- LHP Drew Christine — No. 387
Sissy arrived at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee in 2000, where caretakers began monitoring and managing her osteoarthritis. Sanctuary leaders said a recent progression of the disease caused what they described as “clear signs” of pain and swelling in her right wrist.
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