KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee softball’s Payton Gottshall and Karlyn Pickens have been named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First Team All-Americans, the organization announced Wednesday.
Pickens – named a D1Softball and Softball America First Team All-American on Tuesday – is Tennessee’s second consecutive consensus first-team All-American. It is the first All-America honor received by Pickens from the NFCA.
Gottshall also collects her third All-America recognition for her outstanding 2024 season, being named to D1Softball and Softball America’s second teams on Tuesday. Like Pickens, this marks the first time Gottshall has been named an All-American by the NFCA.
A native of Weaverville, North Carolina, Pickens was one-half of Tennessee’s dominant pitching tandem. Finishing the 2024 season with a 22-7 record and an ERA of 1.12, the sophomore firmly established herself as one of the nation’s premier pitchers.
Pickens appeared in 38 games – making 27 starts – and tossed 15 complete games with 12 shutouts and a save. Over 188.1 innings pitched, the right-hander notched 225 strikeouts and held opposing hitters to a .156 batting average.
Gottshall formed the other half of UT’s pitching machine as she closed out her collegiate career on Rocky Top. The Massillon, Ohio, native went 20-5 with an ERA of 1.37 as she helped guide the Lady Vols to a second straight SEC regular season title.
The graduate pitcher made 35 appearances in the circle with 20 starts in 2024. She threw eight complete games, recorded three shutouts and picked up three saves on the year. Over 147.2 innings pitched, Gottshall had 164 strikeouts with an opponent batting average of .180.
Gottshall and Pickens are Tennessee’s 20th and 21st NFCA All-Americans, respectively, and give UT 43 total NFCA All-America selections in program history.
