Tennessee softball has a certified ace in Karlyn Pickens. But with the graduation of ace Payton Gottshall, the two biggest questions entering the offseason was who would tag team with Pickens in 2025 and who could help replace the power hitting of Kiki Milloy, Zaidi Puni and Rylie West?
Coach Karen Weekly answered those questions with the official signings this week of Sage Mardjetko, a transfer from South Carolina, and Ryan Brown, a transfer from Texas.
The signing of Brown, who is from Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, became official on Thursday.
“I’m excited to welcome Ryan home to Tennessee,” Weekly said.
The signing of Mardjetko, who is from LeMonte, Illinois, became official on Tuesday.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Sage and her family into our Lady Vol softball family,” Weekly said. “Sage is also an exceptional student with ambitious academic and career goals. She is a perfect fit for our team culture and values.”
Tennessee softball transfer Sage Mardjetko.
Both Brown and Mardjetko will be sophomores for the upcoming 2025 season with three years of eligibility left.
Mardjetko, a righthanded picture threw 118 innings for the Gamecocks with 119 strikeouts. Tennessee had recruited Mardjetko out of high school and reconnected when she entered the transfer portal in June.
“Sage possesses an incredible drive to compete and become the best version of herself, both on and off the field,” Weekly said. “Her ability to command several different pitches and speeds is rare in this game.”
Pickens, who is from Weaverville, North Carolina, will be a junior this season. She earned 2024 SEC Pitcher of the Year and 2024 All-SEC First Team honors.
Mardjetko announced her decision a week ago via Instagram and wrote: “I’m extremely thankful to have had such a great freshman year at the University of South Carolina and for everything the coaching staff did for me. I’m blessed to have met the most amazing teammates and friends while at (South Carolina). I’m excited to see where the future takes me as a Lady Vol!!”
In high school, Mardjetko threw 32 no-hitters and five perfect games in her career. As a senior in 2023, she went 23-0 with 340 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA, becoming only the second pitcher in Illinois High School Association (IHSA) history to finish a season with a 0.00 ERA with a minimum of 70 innings. She also earned 2023 USA TODAY High School Sports Awards National Softball Player of the Year honors.
Sage Mardjetko delivers a pitch for South Carolina. (Gamecocks Athletics)
Gottshall, who pitched for the Lady Vols for two seasons after transferring from Bowling Green, and Pickens helped lead Tennessee to back-to-back SEC regular season titles for the first time in program history.
Tennessee also lost to graduation the power trio of Milloy, who set a new Tennessee record with 69 career homers. Zaidi Puni slammed 41 over the wall, and Rylie West sent 27 out of the park during their college years. Sophia Nugent will be a senior this season and hit 11 homers last season, just behind Milloy (13), West (12) and Puni (12) in 2024.
Brown, who played one season at Texas, had 11 at-bats for the Longhorns, and the Lady Vols will provide way more than that in their shade of orange. A video clip HERE of Brown’s first homer at Texas shows her pop.
Brown made a visit to Tennessee while in high school but opted for Texas. She entered the portal in June and picked the Lady Vols this time. Brown posted on Instagram: “UT but put a K on it” in a reference to UTK and added #cominghome.
Ryan Brown with Ralph and Karen Weekly during a visit. (Family photo)
A product of Independence High School in Middle Tennessee, Brown was ranked No. 21 in the Perfect Game Top 50 Class of 2023 and No. 51 by Extra Inning Softball’s Extra Elite 100.
She was a finalist for Wilco Softball Player of the Year after hitting .627 with 29 runs scored, 12 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 27 RBI with an eye-popping 1.922 OPS, which unites on-base and slugging percentages to see how well a hitter can reach base, hit for average and hit for power. Anything at .800 or above is considered excellent.
“She has a unique combination of power and speed that will remind our fans of recent Lady Vol greats,” Weekly said. “She comes from a family of outstanding athletes and knows what it takes to be successful at the top level of collegiate softball.”
Maria M. Cornelius, a senior writer/editor at MoxCar Marketing + Communications since 2013, started her journalism career at the Knoxville News Sentinel and began writing about the Lady Vols in 1998. In 2016, she published her first book, “The Final Season: The Perseverance of Pat Summitt,” through The University of Tennessee Press.