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Tennessee softball ace Karlyn Pickens started Game 3 against Mississippi State, returning from an arm strain that kept her sidelined for seven games.
Senior ace Karlyn Pickens is starting for Tennessee softball for the first time since suffering an arm strain on March 3. The No. 1 Lady Vols (26-1, 4-1 SEC) face No.
12 Mississippi State (27-3, 1-1) in a rubber match at Nusz Park on March 15 (1 p. m. ET, SEC Network+).
Pickens was listed as the starting pitcher on Tennessee's lineup and will make her return to the circle after missing the last seven games. The reigning back-to-back SEC Pitcher of the Year has been considered day-to-day since leaving the second inning against Belmont on March 3. Pickens grabbed her right shoulder after throwing a pitch and immediately called for a timeout, bringing pitching coach Megan Rhodes Smith and the athletic trainer to the circle before she exited the game.
Tennessee's pitching has been excellent during the road series against the Bulldogs, but it has been an uphill battle offensively. The Lady Vols went to extra innings in Game 1 before Makenzie Butt delivered the game-winning home run in the ninth for a 3-1 win. Mississippi State even the series in Game 2, handing Tennessee its first loss of the season when the Bulldogs walked it off in the bottom of the seventh with a 1-0 win.