AUSL's top Draft picks set for possible matchup in Women's College World Series
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The end of the college baseball and softball seasons are here. With that, some players will be playing in their final games before moving on to other things, including -- for a select few -- furthering their baseball or softball careers as a pro.
Two of those players are Tennessee's Karlyn Pickens and Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady. They could be facing off against each other before they become professionals in less than two weeks with Athletes Unlimited Softball League when Texas Tech takes on Tennessee in the Double Elimination Round of the Women's College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City on Saturday at 3 p.m. on ABC.
Pickens -- who went first overall to the Carolina Blaze in the AUSL Draft earlier this month -- could be drawing the start in the game after having a fantastic collegiate career. She is a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year (2024, 2025) and she holds the record for fastest pitch thrown in collegiate softball, as she threw a 79.4 mph pitch against Nebraska in Game 2 of the 2025 NCAA Knoxville Super Regional.
This season, Pickens made 32 appearances (15 starts) and she's 15-7 with a 1.60 ERA with 180 strikeouts (135 1/3 innings). Pickens and the Lady Volunteers are 46-10 on the season and 16-8 in the SEC.
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Canady, who went second overall in the AUSL Draft to the Texas Bolts. Canady has been dominant on the mound for the Red Raiders, who have a 58-7 overall record and a 21-3 record in the Big 12. Canady has a 26-6 record in 40 appearances (28 starts). In 165 innings, she has walked 48 batters compared to 229 strikeouts.
Canady is a multiple-time first-team All-American, was the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate player of the Year, D1Softball National Pitcher of the Year (2025), and she's a two-time Honda Sport Award winner for Softball (2024, 2025).
The winner of this game will go on to play on Monday at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN, but with the double elimination format, the loser will have to play on Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN. You can see more on the bracket here.