Tennessee Softball Provides Injury Update on Karlyn Pickens

The Tennessee Lady Vols superstar Karlyn Pickens has been ruled day-to-day after leaving the second inning against Belmont with an apparent injury on Tuesday evening, according to Cora Hall at Knoxville News Sentinel.

"Karlyn suffered an arm strain during the Belmont game," Tennessee’s statement said. "She was evaluated Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. She is currently listed as day-to-day."

Pickens was 19 pitches in with two strikeouts and a walk against Belmont when she grabbed her right shoulder, wincing in pain. She then called a timeout and motioned for a trainer to visit the mound. After a discussion in the circle with medical staff and pitching coach Megan Rhodes Smith, Pickens threw a test pitch and shook her head no.

The right-hander was replaced by Sage Mardjetko for 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.

Weekly, who wasn't on the field during the mound visit with Pickens, said in the post-game press conference that she knew there was a little discomfort, and the appropriate change was made.

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

Coach Karen Weekly updates the status of All-American Karlyn Pickens who left Tuesday's game with discomfort in her pitching shoulder. Karlyn was in good spirits with her teammates after the 1-0 win over Belmont @Vol_Softball is now 20-0 to start the season! @WVLTSports @wvlt pic.twitter.com/x3gf2KcHLl
— Rick Russo (@wvltrick) March 4, 2026

The No.1 Lady Vols were able to keep their undefeated streak alive, with Ella Dodge’s double providing the only run of the game. Tennessee handed Belmont’s ace Maya Johnson her first loss of the season.

Pickens, who is 6-0 on the season, currently holds a 0.62 ERA with 68 strikeouts. In eight appearances and 45.1 innings pitched, she has allowed just four earned runs, 16 hits, and 20 walks.

She’s coming off a phenomenal junior season that awarded her a second-straight SEC Pitcher of the Year title after putting up a 1.17 ERA, 306 strikeouts, and seven shutouts. She recorded the fastest pitch in college softball and led Tennessee to the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) semifinals.

Luckily for Tennessee, if Pickens were to be out for a bit, Nuwer and Mardjetko have already proved to have her back this season.

At the the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational, Nuwer was absolutely dominant in Tennessee's clean sweep. She pitched 10 innings of shutout softball and earned three wins, including victories over then-No. 11 Nebraska and then-No. 6 UCLA. Against the Bruins, she only gave up one hit. She’s currently second in the NCAA in ERA at .21, while the team as a whole leads the league in ERA at .44.

Tennessee now heads into conference play at home with a three-game series against LSU Friday through Sunday.

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