The pitcher's circle at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium was more like a pressure cooker on May 24.
Karlyn Pickens spent six innings holding Nebraska's offense at bay, the last five with a one-run lead. The Tennessee softball junior pitcher was only one out away from delivering a win and staving off elimination.
The Huskers had runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh inning. A pitch by Pickens flew over catcher Sophia Nugent's head, and the runner at first advanced to second.
When Pickens took the ball back from Nugent and turned to walk back to the circle, she was smiling. Perhaps out of relief that the ball bounced back to Nugent, preventing the runner on third from scoring. But whatever it was, Pickens was loose.
In the biggest moment, with the season on the line, Tennessee's ace didn't succumb to the pressure.
"Our goal today was just make it to Sunday," Pickens said. "And I was going to do anything it took to make that happen."
Nebraska flied out to center field after the wild pitch to end the game. The No. 7 seed Lady Vols won 3-2 to force a Game 3 against the Huskers on May 25 (2 p.m. ET, ESPN) for a trip to the Women's College World Series.
"She's not going to give in. She's not going to give up," Tennessee coach Karen Weekly said of Pickens (23-9), who had 11 strikeouts.
Pickens is grounded by her teammates in high-pressure moments, which there were no shortage of against Nebraska. She gave up three hits in the first inning, which led to the Huskers immediately tying the game 2-2 after Tennessee took a 2-0 lead on Ella Dodge's home run.
But then Pickens held Nebraska hitless until the seventh inning. She struck Jordy Bahl out swinging with a full count to end the second. She caught Ava Kuszak looking in the sixth inning after falling behind in the count. And she didn't fold when the Huskers threatened to walk it off on her home field.
"Knowing every time I turn around after a pitch, everybody's looking at me, always surrounding me with happiness and joy ... that just fuels me to be able to compete at my best," Pickens said. "I know that they have my back and are going to do anything it takes to get their job done. So I'm going to do the same."
Pickens and her teammates talk between every pitch as she walks to the back of the circle. Sometimes Dodge sees a look on Pickens' face, and she knows the other team isn't getting a hit.
"One day, we turned around and she was like, 'Watch this.' And then she struck the girl out," Dodge said. "We feed off each other's energy."
Pickens was back to herself in Game 2 after struggling to land her changeup in Game 1. She never seemed to find it in the 5-2 loss, which was uncharacteristic of her.
If Pickens struggles with a pitch, she usually finds it at some point in the game, and she did in Game 2. For Weekly, it was the key from the fourth inning on.
Pickens' changeup mixed with her velocity is what puts her in a league of her own, which is only getting faster. Two months after breaking Monica Abbott's record of 77 mph, Pickens threw the fastest pitch ever recorded again.
In the first at-bat of the game, Pickens threw 79.4 mph, besting her record of 78.2 mph from March. But Pickens wasn't moved by the accomplishment after the win.
"The record is cool and all," Pickens said. "But it would have been an even greater accomplishment to have landed the changeup even better today."
Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women's athletics. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora's coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.