On Wednesday, Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) announced it signed Pickens to the league’s first NIL deal. As part of the partnership, the ace will help raise awareness about the AUSL through marketing and social media posts. The pro softball league says the signing is a ‘strategic move’ to connect college softball to the pro level.“When I was growing up, I didn’t really see [pro] softball … I watched the Olympics, but outside of college, I didn’t really think there was an option to go pro,” Pickens said via release. “It’s been just a few years, and now everyone’s dream is to go to AUSL and continue their softball career.”
Pickens made college history last season when she threw the fastest pitch ever recorded.
On March 24, 2025, Pickens threw a 78.2 mph pitch against Arkansas. It broke a previous record held by Monica Abbott. Two months later, on May 24, 2025, the Tennessee pitcher broke her own record with a 79.4 mph pitch to Nebraska’s Jordy Frahm. Pickens finished her junior season with Tennessee with a 25-11 record, 306 strikeouts and a 1.17 ERA.The Lady Volunteers’ season begins on Thursday, Feb. 5, against BYU in the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida. The 2026 season for AUSL begins June 9, 2026.