A new face to the campus of South Carolina, and the Southeastern Conference, is right-handed pitcher Sage Mardjetko. She comes to Columbia after concluding an impressive high school career in Illinois.
Mardjetko, ranked ninth in the 2023 Extra Elite 100, was selected as the 2023 USA Today High School Sports Award National Softball Player of the Year in addition to being named the two-time Illinois Gatorade Softball Player of the Year.
She led Lemont High School to back-to-back state championships and threw no-hitters in the 2022 and 2023 championship games. As a senior, Sage went 23-0 with a 0.00 ERA and recorded 340 strikeouts and tossed 12 no-hitters.
In three state championship game appearances, Mardjetko allowed two hits and one run and struck out 48 batters.
“The Gatorade Player of the Year announcement was right before the state championship, so it did not allow me to get too far ahead of myself,” said Mardjetko. “Then with graduation, nationals and moving to school there was little time to celebrate. But enough time.”
The decision to where that school would be turned out to be an easy one for Mardjetko.
“It just felt right. Nothing else compared to it, and I just knew it,” she said of her visit to South Carolina. “Visiting the campus, it was beautiful, the staff was great, and it felt like home.”
For Mardjetko, the staff has been very welcoming. She is currently one of five pitchers on the roster for head coach Beverly Smith.
“The speed of the college game compared to high school is a hard adjustment, but I love it,” she said. “With the age gap of players, you have to make every day count.”
With someone that is accustomed to pitching three to four times a week, the routine has changed for Mardjetko with a focus on quality versus quantity.
“Coach Bev allows us to focus on positioning and allows a lot of time for that self-correction if needed,” Mardjetko said. “The bullpens are high max, but not a high number of pitches. The focus is on quality reps.”
Her transition to college life has also gone smoothly thus far.
“It’s been great. Coach Bev and the team have made the transition to college feel special.”
Mardjetko will get her first taste of collegiate softball this weekend as the Gamecocks open the fall season at Charleston on Sept. 24.
South Carolina will also face Georgia Southern (Oct. 1), Duke (Oct. 1), South Carolina Beaufort (Oct. 7) and Wofford (Oct. 7) during the fall season.
COPYRIGHT © 2023 Extra Inning Softball TM
Check out our other EIS links:
Find us on Instagram ~~~ Find us on Twitter ~~~ Find us on FacebookEIS Online Store ~~~ Sign up for our Newsletter ~~~ Check out our Team SubscriptionsCheck out our latest Podcasts ~~~ Advertise with Us! Check out our Rate Card
