Tennessee Softball's Karlyn Pickens Pulled Mid-Game vs Belmont with Arm Concern

This is a developing story.

Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens exited Tuesday's game holding her pitching arm. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The top-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols beat the Belmont Bruins, 1-0, on Tuesday night in Knoxville but the program is holding its collective breath as senior pitch Karlyn Pickens exited the game with an apparent arm inury in the second inning.

Pickens delivered a pitch to Belmont's Brenn Blume and began to shrug her pitching shoulder before grabbing it and grimacing in discomfort.

The right-hander called time once she got the ball back and called for a trainer. After a discussion in the circle with medical staff and pitching coach Megan Rhodes Smith, Pickens tested her arm with one practice pitch and shook her head no.

The right-hander walked off the field and was replaced by Sage Mardjetko.

Pickens finished her night after 1.1 innings, two strikeouts and a walk. She threw a total of 19 pitches , nine of them for strikes.

"I don't know," head coach Karen Weekly said of Pickens' status after the game. "I'll find out something later. I honestly don't know. The way things happened, I just gotta keep coaching the game, staying locked into the game, and let the trainers and the doctors do what they need to do and find out what they tell us."

Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly didn’t have any update on the apparent arm injury to ace Karlyn Pickens. Pickens will visit the doctor tomorrow to learn more.

“I don’t know.” - Weekly

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— Rhiannon Potkey (@RPotkey) March 4, 2026

Weekly wasn't on the field during the mound visit with Pickens but said she knew there was a little discomfort.

"She threw a pitch and said she still felt the discomfort so we gotta make a change then."

Mardjetko pitched an inning before Erin Nuwer took over. Nuwer was credited with the win and improved to 9-0 after only allowing one hit and striking out seven in 4.2 innings of relief.

Belmont's Maya Johnson was handed the loss after giving up the game's only run in the first inning. It was unearned and she had 11 strikeouts.

Tennessee lead-off batter Sophia Knight reach on an error and scored on a double to left center by Ella Dodge.

From there, Johnson scattered four hits across the rest of the game.

Rylee Spindler had the only two hits for the Bruins.

Pickens entered Tuesday’s game with a 6-0 mark and a microscopic 0.62 ERA. In eight appearances, six starts, and 45.1 innings pitched, she has allowed just four earned runs, 16 hits, and 20 walks while striking out 66.

The Lady Vols improved to 20-0 and will welcome Louisiana State to Knoxville for a three-game series starting Friday to open SEC play.

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