LSU softball is humming — but the Tigers haven't faced anyone like this Tennessee ace (2024)

To simulate Tennessee’s hard-throwing right-hander, Karyn Pickens, in practice this week, LSU’s Ali Newland said the team’s pitching machine and male student pitchers operated at full-throttle.

Catching up to the 6-foot-1 Pickens, who delivered the fastest recorded pitch in college softball history last season (77 mph), will be among the challenges awaiting when the Tigers travel to face the Volunteers in a three-game Southeastern Conference series.

“We’ll have the machines gassed up,” Newland said. “We’ll have the boys gassed up. They’ll probably need an ice pack or two before the week’s over. I think we’ll have them and the coaches to help us be well-prepared.”

No. 7 LSU (34-8, 10-8 SEC) finds itself in fifth place in the SEC standings when it faces No. 4 Tennessee (32-7, 12-3), the league leader, at 5 p.m. Friday at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville.

The teams will also meet at 11 a.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

“We have the freedom to go and play a team that’s ranked higher than us,” LSU shortstop Taylor Pleasants said. “We’re not supposed to win, so that’s more freeing for us than it is for them. We’re just going in not trying to do too much.”

Despite dropping its past two series, LSU finds itself in a favorable position with a No. 3 overall RPI. The Tigers finish the regular season with No. 9 Tennessee, No. 12 Arkansas and No. 37 Liberty.

“Those are really big opportunities for us to hold this spot and do exactly what we wanted to do when the season started,” LSU coach Beth Torina said. “I realize there’s 10 games left. We’re in a good spot.”

LSU’s third-ranked offense (.318) in the SEC gets a shot against Tennessee’s top-rated pitching staff (1.48 ERA, .182 opponent batting average, 287 strikeouts).

Pickens (15-4, 1.19 ERA, 149 strikeouts, nine shutouts) leads the staff, along with Bowling Green graduate transfer Payton Gottshall (15-3, 1.38 ERA, 126 Ks).

“I saw some of the velocity numbers — I’ve never seen that in our sport before,” Torina said of Pickens. “She’s consistently touching that. We have our work cut out for us. That’s why they’re sitting at the top, and that’s who we’re chasing, and that’s where we want to be.”

The Vols also have three of the league’s top hitters in junior third baseman McKenna Gibson (.367, seven homers, 36 RBIs), senior center fielder Kiki Milloy (.355, nine homers, 20 RBIs, 21 stolen bases) and senior left fielder Rylie West (.352, nine homers, 26 RBIs).

LSU counters with the pitching combo of sophom*ore Sydney Berzon (15-4, 1.97 ERA, 3 saves, 130 Ks) and graduate pitcher Kelley Lynch (5-1, 2.72 ERA, 67 Ks).

Freshman third baseman Sierra Daniel (.393) tops the Tigers in batting, followed by graduate center fielder Ciara Briggs (.369, two homers, 19 RBIs, 11 stolen bases), Newland (.355, eight homers, 34 RBIs), graduate first baseman Raeleen Gutierrez (.325, five homers, 32 RBIs) and graduate second baseman Karli Petty (.325, five homers, 24 RBIs).

“We’re excited to go to Knoxville, and we want to come away with a series win,” Newland said. “That’s every weekend. Just continue to do the things that made us good in the first place and make us successful.”