Lady Vols Continue to Build Pitching Depth as Erin Nuwer Impresses in Fall Action
Tennessee’s Pitching Foundation Remains Firm with Depth Emerging This Fall
One of the most important parts of the game of softball is great pitching of course. The Tennessee Lady Vols have been known for producing elite pitchers throughout the history of their program, and that continues to be the case today.
Last season, the Lady Vols finished with the best ERA in the country at 1.82 and the second best WHIP at .99 across 412.2 innings of work. That staff, led by Karlyn Pickens, featured the nation’s third best individual ERA at 1.17. Tennessee also tossed 20 shutouts during the season, showing just how dominant they were in the circle. (Stats via NCAA.com)
Pickens and Sage Mardjetko carried much of the load in 2025. Between the two of them, they combined for a 37-13 record with 424 strikeouts, 306 of those belonging to Pickens.
I could go on and on with stats, but I wanted to check in on the Lady Vols to see how the staff was shaping up this fall heading into 2026. Both Pickens and Mardjetko return to lead the way, but who else could step up and provide a steady arm to spell either pitcher?
Nuwer Steps Into the Circle
In Tennessee’s fall matchup with Carson Newman, Coach Karen Weekly handed the ball to sophomore right hander Erin Nuwer to start the game. The East Aurora, New York native saw action as a freshman, tossing 57.1 innings with 65 strikeouts and a 6-4 record across 11 starts in 18 appearances. Nuwer held opponents to a .205 batting average and posted a 2.32 ERA.
She made her postseason debut at the Women’s College World Series, where she threw two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and allowed just one hit, earning the win over rival Florida in an 11-3 five inning run rule.
Against Carson Newman, Nuwer showed excellent off speed movement paired with a sharp rise ball. She used both effectively, even when pitching behind in the count. When the Eagles made contact, it was mostly weak grounders and easy pop ups for Tennessee’s defense to handle. According to Synergy Sports, Nuwer posted a 30.1 percent whiff rate last season, a mark that shows how deceptive her stuff can be.
Nuwer pitched a solid four innings of two hit ball, allowing no runs and striking out seven. She had some location hiccups early on but quickly settled in. She mostly worked off speed, and Carson Newman did not have any luck figuring her out. Her movement and deception kept them guessing all night.
I spoke with Erin after the game, and she immediately addressed her early struggles with location and how Assistant Coach Megan Rhodes Smith helped her work through it.
“I was feeling confident. I was really trying to locate my drop ball because it wasn’t working in the first two innings that good,” Nuwer said. “But then Megan really honed in and was like, ‘Okay, well, these next two innings we’re only throwing drops,’ and I kind of just trusted my defense and trusted Elsa behind the plate, and whatever happened, happened.”
Weekly’s Focus: Depth and Development
After the game, I spoke with Tennessee Head Coach Karen Weekly about building depth in the pitching staff. She made it clear that she does not want Pickens throwing the same number of innings she did last season.
“You have to have a deep staff. We don’t want Karlyn to throw the number of innings she threw last year. So we want to build a staff that’s going to definitely complement her,” said Weekly.
According to Weekly, Pickens is set to make her first fall appearance Saturday evening against ETSU. She also said it has been good to get other pitchers opportunities early in the fall to gain experience.
It is still early, and fall is all about development, finding what works, and what needs to be tweaked before the season begins in the spring. When asked what Tennessee can do better, Weekly emphasized the importance of attacking hitters.
“We need to pound strike zone more. I think we’re getting behind in counts way too often, and I know that that will come,” said Weekly. “That’s something they need to have a sense of urgency about right now.”
Given the staff’s track record, I am sure Tennessee will correct that quickly. They had one of the best pitching staffs in the nation last year, and there is no reason to think that will change. Weekly’s point about depth, though, is right on target. Pickens’ workload could definitely use some lightening in the 2026 season. According to 64 Analytics, Karlyn threw the fifth most innings last season in Division I softball with 226.2.
Nuwer’s Growth and Confidence
As for Nuwer, Coach Weekly believes the sophomore has the potential to be dominant. She called last season an anomaly for her and said Erin has returned with a new level of confidence this fall.
“I just think she’s got elite stuff, and sometimes she shies away from some of her best things. She just needs to work through whatever difficulty she’s having, you know, whether it’s locating a pitch, getting it to break, because her pitches do some pretty crazy things,” said Weekly.
Weekly again stressed attacking the strike zone and went on to explain what makes Nuwer so difficult for hitters.
“I just want to see her, you know, attack the strike zone with every one of her pitches. She can throw her hardest pitches in the upper 60s, but then what gets you with Erin is her rise ball is gonna be a little bit slower, and then, of course, she has her changeup.”
“So that’s what makes her difficult. And, you know, she just needs to understand how gifted she is and how many tools she has in her toolbox and not be afraid to use them,” Weekly explained.
I believe the Lady Vols will have a complementary staff this coming season. That is definitely one of Head Coach Karen Weekly’s main focuses. There are more arms in the room also, and time for more people to emerge to build solid depth on this Tennessee pitching staff.
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