Karlyn Pickens smiled as the ball popped in the air. It was the seventh inning of Tennessee softball’s super regional with Nebraska. The Lady Vols held a mere 1-0 lead over the Cornhuskers, and were one minuscule out away from punching the program’s ninth ticket to Oklahoma City.

Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens gave up zero earned runs in the 6-1 loss to Arkansas. Tennessee's inconsistent offense was unable to overcome the defensive errors that led to six runs.

Pickens explains how her mindset has shifted in the postseason and says she will give it her all to earn the right to play another game following the Tennessee win.

The Tennessee ace breaks her own record for the fastest softball pitch ever thrown at 79.4 mph in game two of the Super Regional against Nebraska. Karlyn just hit 79.4 on the gun 🔥🔥🔥 the new fastest pitch in NCAA Softball history, breaking her own record of 78.2 pic.twitter.com/WuVWJrccdr

Tennessee softball stars Karlyn Pickens and Taylor Pannell have been named First Team All-Americans by Softball America, the program announced via @Vol_Softball