Tennessee ace pitcher Karlyn Pickens and head coach Karen Weekly have always had a unique relationship.
“I’ve never been a player that wanted my coach to sugarcoat it,” Pickens said.
“When you coach elite athletes like that, it really does sharpen your skills as a coach,” Weekly said. “It’s different coaching the best of the best.”
Over four seasons at Tennessee, their relationship was built through intentional conversations, some easy, some difficult, but always honest.
“If there was something wrong, I want you to tell me how it is,” Pickens said.
Now, that partnership is approaching its final stretch. Tennessee opens postseason play Wednesday in the SEC Tournament.
For Pickens, that growth began with how she handled failure.
Early in her career, she said she struggled with the mental side of the game, particularly bouncing back after tough losses.
“When I struggled with my mental game and bouncing back after tough losses, that was something she was very honest with me about,” Pickens said. “We had a game plan of how we were going to attack that, and I was fully bought in, she was fully bought in.”
Pickens’ ability to respond was part of what made her the No. 1 overall pick in the AUSL Draft.
Weekly said that trait has become one of Pickens’ defining qualities.
“I was just on a phone call with the GM of the team that picked her. And she said one of the things she’s always noticed is if Karlyn has a rough outing, her next one is a lot better,” Weekly said. “That bounce-back ability, wanting the ball right away, that’s who she is.”
That honesty has defined their relationship on both sides.
Weekly recalled a moment early last season against then-No. 4 UCLA. Pickens was taken out after pitching four innings, allowing three runs with one strikeout.
“She said, ‘I feel like I earned the right to finish that game,’” Weekly said. “I really appreciated the honesty. There’s nothing you want more as a coach than somebody who’s a competitor and will tell you how they feel.”
For Weekly, those moments were part of what made Pickens different.
“She makes me a better coach,” Weekly said.
Pickens said the feeling is mutual.
“I am the softball player I am today because of my coaching staff and teammates,” she said. “Karen has a huge role in that.”
That trust also shaped how she played.
“I think none of that is possible without the support that I have from my team,” Pickens said. “I only go as far as my team goes, and that’s allowed me to play so freely and just play with so much joy.”
Weekly said that combination of talent and mindset is rare.
“She’s one in a million,” Weekly said.
With postseason play beginning, the focus now shifts to what remains.
“I think this team has fight,” Pickens said. “We know how to respond and how to attack those adversities head on.”
For Pickens and Weekly, the final stretch is not about looking back, but making the most of the time they have left together.
