It is never too early to think ahead to the next college softball season. The Tennessee Lady Vols are set to head into the 2026-27 year with a strong returning group. Head coach Karen Weekly lost only a few to graduation and the portal.
Production-wise, right-handed pitcher Karlyn Pickens (graduation) will be noticed most. Still, this team should be well-experienced and fine, moving forward.
“I would say just to continue to be them, be confident, play with joy, and just win it next year,” Pickens said after the Women’s College World Series.
But continuing to be them also has to come with growth. One question will be at the forefront of everyone’s mind going into fall ball and next season. Who will be the solid arms on the pitching staff other than Sage Mardjetko and Erin Nuwer?
The pitching situation looks stocked with potential outside of Mardjetko and Nuwer. When I spoke with Weekly a few weeks ago, she was looking forward to Maddi Rutan and Peyton Hardenburger. Both saw time in the circle last season, with Hardenburger not seeing as much of the field.
“I think the returners besides Sage and Erin, you’ve got Peyton Hardenburger and Maddi Rutan,” Weekly said. “And I think Maddi had some really outstanding moments this year. I think Peyton did as well.
“Peyton, it’s going to be fun to watch her because Peyton didn’t really get to pitch in the fall, because she was recovering from a torn ACL that she suffered the last game of her high school career. But I think Maddi and Peyton are ready to take a big step.”
Hardenburger, in seven appearances, posted a 1-0 record with 14 strikeouts to four walks. She carried a 4.67 ERA and a .265 BA and tossed one complete game in 12 innings pitched.
The sample size is small, but the projections look solid. The strikeout-to-walk ratio and ability to induce groundouts look right in line with how the Lady Vols staff normally operates. With a full year under associate head coach and pitching coach Megan Rhodes Smith, look for Hardenburger to be a big factor in the 2027 season. According to Rivals/On3, Hardenburger was the No. 2 pitcher in the 2025 class coming out of Wamego, Kan., last year.
Rutan, in five appearances, posted a 2-0 record with 12 strikeouts to three walks, striking out better than four batters for every walk she issued. Six of those strikeouts came in 3.2 innings against LSU. She carried a 1.26 ERA, a 0.66 WHIP and a .145 BA across 16.2 innings pitched, making three starts. With more development ahead, she will be a valuable arm for the Lady Vols in 2027.
Tennessee also has incoming freshmen Bailee Shelton and Maggie Krause, who should have time to develop before being thrown into the fire. There is plenty more to sort out, and pitching is the place to start. Stay tuned as I will have an exclusive from Rhodes Smith’s vision on her staff soon.
