The Lady Vols and Alabama enter the weekend with one thing clearly defining the matchup: elite pitching on both sides.
“I’m thinking this is going to be potentially a pitcher’s duel every single day of this series,” former Tennessee outfielder and SEC Network analyst Rylie West said.
Both programs sit at the top of the SEC in pitching metrics, creating a strength-on-strength showdown.
Alabama’s staff is anchored by junior Jocelyn Briski, who has been one of the most efficient pitchers in the country. She owns a 10.85 strikeout-to-walk ratio, the second best mark in the country. With 141 strikeouts to just 13 walks the ace consistently forces hitters to adjust to her low-zone command.
“Tennessee has to understand. They can’t swing for that long ball. They need to play short game, get back to what they used to do earlier in the season, be dynamic, because she is an elite drop ball,” West said.
West added, “When you miss a drop ball… it stays down in the zone. She doesn’t miss it up very much, and so even her misses, she’s not going to be able to get beat out of the park with those big home runs.”
Briski’s approach is paired with freshman Vic Moten, whose high-velocity style presents a completely different challenge for opposing lineups.
“The high heat 70s, with also a change up — just the complete opposite plane,” West said. “So it’s big adjustments in game and in between the series, when they’re both elite, going in different directions.”
While Alabama’s pitchers set the tone, Tennessee counters with its own elite arms.
Karlyn Pickens and Sage Mardjetko have been a lethal combo all year. Marjedtko ranks among the national leaders with 130 strikeouts in 91 innings and sits eighth in the country with 10.0 strikeouts per seven innings.
Her versatility allows Tennessee to attack hitters in multiple ways, a necessity against Alabama’s disciplined lineup.
“If she stays in one spot too long, Alabama makes enough good contact that they’ll be able to catch up to it,” West said. “She needs to be able to change her speeds… use all four quadrants.”
But for Tennessee, success in the circle may ultimately hinge on Pickens, especially given the history in this matchup.
Alabama returns to Sherri Parker Lee Stadium for the first time since taking a 2-1 Super Regional series in 2024, a series that ended Tennessee’s 44-win season on its home field.
“They lost. They felt that feeling of Alabama celebrating on Tennessee’s field,” West said. “And so I think that just motivates them a little bit more. And for Karlyn, specifically, she pitched a lot during that series, and so I think she’s just going to have that extra fire lit underneath her.”
Pickens’ performance could be pivotal in matching Alabama’s depth and versatility in the circle.
“Karlyn Pickens also has to be on for the team to go,” West said. “When she’s on, the team goes… when her changeup is on, she has to be able to change speeds. Alabama, they’ve proven that they can hit fast… so when she’s on, they go with her.”
With multiple elite arms on both sides and contrasting styles throughout each staff, the series may come down to which team can best execute its approach pitch by pitch.
In a matchup defined by pitching, even the smallest edge could decide the weekend. The series begins Saturday at 4:00 p.m..
