She's On the Cusp of a Softball Milestone

Karlyn Pickens is closing in on a number that used to sound like fiction in softball: 80 mph. The Tennessee pitcher already owns the sport's top recorded speed at 79.4 mph, and all eyes will be on her starting Friday evening as she leads her team into a best-of-three series against Georgia in the NCAA super regionals, reports the Knoxville News Sentinel. The 22-year-old tends to throw her fastest in big moments, notes coach Karen Weekly, "so who knows ... maybe we'll see something crazy this weekend." A softball pitcher hitting 80mph is a "once-unthinkable milestone," notes the Athletic, whose story includes a comparison to the 4-minute mile.

Pickens is 6-1, and her long limbs—or "long levers," as Mike Candrea, former head coach of Team USA softball puts it—is a factor in her speed. But so is the adrenaline of a big moment, says Pickens herself. "It's almost less about your preparation and physical stamina and more about the stakes of the game," she tells the Athletic. "It's not like I'm throwing anywhere close to 79 or 80 mph on any given day in the bullpen." For the record, her record 79.4mph softball pitch equates to a 111.7mph pitch in Major League Baseball, when accounting for the shorter distance to home plate, notes the Knoxville newspaper.