Tennessee softball labored to earn a series win over the weekend over South Carolina, so the team entered the midweek contest on Tuesday eyeing a win with ease.
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Within the first few batters of each inning, it was clear that there was a theme that read all Lady Vols. The theme held through five innings as the Lady Vols run-ruled ETSU 12-0.
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The Buccaneers (15-17) started the game being sat down twice on strikes, before their first baserunner reached from a single. It ended up being their only hit of the game.
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Mardjetko didn’t yield much more than that. She allowed just two more baserunners all night, walking two total batters, and allowed just one hit that came in the first.
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“She was getting ahead of batters,” Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly said. “I think tonight, all the way around, it was the definition of attack. We attacked in the circle. She had a great tone for us. I think they only had one leadoff runner get on.”
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It came off a lead-off walk in the fourth inning.
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The world has finally been given a fair look into the work Mardjetko has put in, especially since a surgery on her shoulder over the summer.
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“Going through an injury, you have to find all the positives and everything,” Mardjetko said. “So the littlest things, just for months, I was finding all the good and the bad. So just use that and keep it in my game today.”
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It was a nagging issue that had lingered with Mardjetko since high school. After the surgery, Weekly talked about how the league has yet to see a fully healthy Mardjetko.
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Now through 78.2 innings pitched over the 2026 season, Mardjetko has posted a 0.89 ERA, with 119 strikeouts and just 23 walks.
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She finished Tuesday night against ETSU, striking out 13 batters, which is a career high for Mardjetko. Despite the career day, she still feels her best stuff is still out there.
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“I was working through things with my pitches and just trying to use this game to prepare for the SEC and postseason,” Mardjetko said. “So even though it looks great on paper, just work through all the things to still get better even when you do have good results.”
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Over her last seven appearances, Mardjetko has yielded one run or less in each outing, becoming one of the team’s most reliable arms, even while in competition with Erin Nuwer and Karlyn Pickens.
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The three of them unite to make one of the most effective starting rotations in softball, yet Mardjetko has found ways to stand out among the best.
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“She has a lot of stuff,” Weekly said. “She has about five pitches that are all elite, and that’s pretty rare, but I think the biggest thing that’s changed for Sage is just the mindset in how she approaches things.”
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Perhaps it’s the habit from grinding through her surgery days, but Weekly remained impressed that Mardjetko never took the easy way out, even on a midweek start.
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“She knew that she could limit the number of pitches she used and get outs quickly and easily, but she wanted to work on things that maybe hadn’t felt right lately, or she just needed to mind-tune a little bit, ” Weekly said. “
So she understands how to get better and not take the easy way.
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The team continues its push toward the postseason with a road trip to Kentucky this weekend, where Mardjetko should return to the circle for more competitive action.