When she was a sophomore, state finals weekend brought nerves, excitement and a touch of disappointment for Sage Mardjetko.
When she was a junior, state finals weekend brought determination, success and a challenge to repeat.
Lemont’s pitching ace needed only a few seconds to summarize what state finals weekend brought to her as a senior.
“A lot of closure,” Mardjetko said. “One last hurrah. A lot of these girls we grew up playing with since we were about 8 years old.
“I have loved this team every second of the way through this season and last. I said to them on the last day, ‘I just want to go out and have fun with you one more time. Whatever happens, this is the best team in Illinois.'”
Then, the 2023 Daily Southtown Softball Player of the Year went out and proved it.
Mardjetko threw a 12-inning no-hitter to lead Lemont to a 1-0 victory over Antioch in the Class 3A state championship game at Louisville Slugger Sports Complex in Peoria.
It capped off a season of pitching perfection by the South Carolina recruit that has never been seen before even in a softball stronghold like the Southland.
Imagine this. A 23-0 record with 340 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA in 143 1/3 innings.
That’s right, no earned runs allowed the entire season.
“It was just make good pitches and work on my game,” Mardjetko said. “Getting strikes, getting outs, whether it was ground balls or pop-outs or strikeouts, was what I concentrated on.”
At the same time, it was about honing another talent that impressed Lemont coach Christine Traina as much as the statistics.
“Just her as a person, I’ve seen her grow so much into a leadership role,” Traina said. “I’ve said it over and over, it was just so much fun to watch her pitch, but I can’t wait to watch her continue to grow as a leader throughout her life.”
Mardjetko’s place in the Illinois High School Association record books would be much different if she had four full seasons of pitching.
As a freshman, the season was canceled due to the pandemic. As a sophomore, Mardjetko shared pitching duties with Central Michigan recruit Maddy Wallace.
It wasn’t until the state playoffs that the ball solely belonged to Mardjetko. She pitched brilliantly, taking Lemont to the state championship game. Highland scored a run in the bottom of the seventh to win 1-0.
During that sophomore season, Mardjetko and catcher Frankie Rita reunited as a battery for the first time since they were 12 years old.
“I knew she threw so hard,” Rita said. “That’s what I was a little worried about because I hadn’t caught anybody like that in quite a while. But then we started to build a chemistry that nobody could have known we’d have now.
“I knew what she was working with and she knew what I was working with. We both knew each other’s weaknesses and strengths and how to work through adversity.”
Over her final two seasons, Mardjetko went 44-1, leading Lemont to back-to-back state titles. She was also named the Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year in both seasons. She repeats as the Daily Southtown’s player of the year.
Rita was there with her every pitch of the way.
“Frankie knows, and I think everyone around us knows, that she was my rock,” Mardjetko said. “On the field, off the field, no matter if it was a good day or a bad day, she kept me and my teammates grounded.
“She was key for our success, definitely. And honestly, I couldn’t have been successful without her. She really did help me and make me a better pitcher.”
One who is primed and ready for the challenges of the Southeastern Conference.
“I’m definitely excited for that,” Mardjetko said. “You watch some of these hitters on TV hitting home runs and see some pitchers being super successful. I am curious how well I’ll compare to them.
“Being able to finally play against some of these big teams and big-name players is super exciting.”
