Mardjetko Named USA Today National Player of the Year

CHICAGO — Incoming South Carolina softball freshman Sage Mardjetko (Lemont, Ill./Lemont) was named the 2023 USA TODAY HSSA National Softball Player of the Year on Sunday.

Mardjetko led Lemont to the back-to-back Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 3A state championships, capping off her career with a 12-inning, 24-strikeout, no-hitter in the state championship on Saturday (June 10). She also threw a no-hitter in the 2022 IHSA state championship. In 2023, the 5-foot-10 right-handed pitcher finished with a 23-0 record and a 0.00 ERA, leading her team to a 35-1 record. The back-to-back Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year, Mardjetko struck out 340 batters while allowing just 18 hits and 21 walks in 143 1-3 innings over 24 games. She fired 12 no-hitters, including two perfect games, and allowed just three unearned runs all season. Mardjetko becomes only the second pitcher in IHSA history to finish a season with a 0.00 ERA (min. 70 innings). Ranked as the nation’s No. 10 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball, she also batted .348 with five home runs and a .667 slugging percentage.

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