Lemont High School softball ace eyes back-to-back state titles
LEMONT, Ill. (CBS) – The Lemont High School softball team is rolling along again at 21-1 coming off its historic championship season.
As CBS 2's Matt Zahn reports, the star pitcher is once again leading the charge.
Watching Lemont's Sage Mardjetko pitch is a must-see event, even for her own coach and teammates.
"It's wonderful," said coach Chris Traina. "It's like I have a first-row seat to watch something spectacular every time she's on the mound."
Catcher Frankie Rita, a senior, said, "Being on the other side of her perfect games is something. I just don't stop smiling, because I know exactly what's going to happen."
Rita was on the other side of Mardjetko's no-hitter last June, her 11th of the season, that came in the 3A state championship game. It was the first no-hitter in an IHSA state softball championship game since 1999, and the first championship for Lemont.
"It was awesome," said Mardjetko, a senior. "Just the moment, and rewatching that video countless times of the last pitch and us all jumping together. Me and Frankie hugging, it makes me smile every time. It's awesome. It's something that we did that no one else has done for Lemont."
And Mardjetko seems to be handling the pressure well of returning not only as state champion but also the reigning Gatorade Illinois softball player of the year.
"It's special," she said. "It's awesome. There's definitely a lot of pressure. Everybody wants to beat us. We have a target on our back, but that just makes it more fun. And it's more enjoyable when you know people want to beat you."
Mardjetko is obviously performing at a really high level, but what's scary for her opponents is maybe what's part of what makes her so great: she thinks she can be even better.
"Sure, I could be throwing a no-hitter or perfect game, but I'm still working on all of my pitches and pushing myself," she said.
Coach Traina added, "She comes in, she wants to do well. She's self-motivated. She works hard. She basically wants to keep getting better. With her, with that goal, it just drives her even more."
And the whole Lemont squad is driven to make sure that state championship win wasn't a one-time deal.
"What we know we have is something that's extraordinary, and we've done it once," said Rita. "So hopefully we can do it again and having this group of girls is awesome, because we have a team that's kind of stayed the same throughout both years. Knowing these girls and knowing their potential, especially from playing with them since we were young, it's going to be something cool to watch."
Zahn: "What would it mean to finish off your high school career that way?"
Mardjetko: "Obviously it would mean something insane, especially if you're back-to-back. That's very rare, but being able to do it would be awesome, and I think we have a chance."
Mardjetko has committed to play college softball at the University of South Carolina, but right now, she's just focused on getting that second consecutive title.
