Former Tennessee softball star pitcher Karlyn Pickens was at her best in her first start for the U.S. women's national team at the Women's Softball World Cup.
The U.S. dominated New Zealand with a 9-0 win in five innings behind Pickens' dominant performance in the circle Sept. 14. Pickens only allowed one hit with 10 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
Pickens made her debut for the U.S. national team ahead of her senior season at Tennessee, and she continues to be a strong arm for the national team as the 2028 Olympics approach.
Former Lady Vols star Aubrey Leach-Gartner, who has been a staple of the U.S. team for several years, has also had a strong showing. Leach-Gartner is batting .625 with four runs scored,
one RBI and two walks through four games.
Pickens and Leach-Gartner are teammates in the AUSL on the Carolina Blaze. Pickens was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 AUSL Draft after leading Tennessee to the Women's College World Series in three of her four years, which included back-to-back SEC Pitcher of the Year awards. Leach-Gartner, who was an All-American infielder for UT from 2016-19, has been on Tennessee's staff since 2021 and was promoted to an assistant coach in June.
The U.S. is currently playing in the group stage of the Women's World Cup in Group C, which also includes the Netherlands, Mexico, China and Brazil. The U.S., which has yet to allow a single run, opened group play with an 11-0 win over Mexico before defeating Brazil 17-0 and taking down the Netherlands 8-0.
The Women's World Cup Finals will be held in 2027 with the top two teams from each group advancing. There are three groups with six teams each.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Tennessee softball star Karlyn Pickens pitches shutout for Team USA
