FORT MYERS, Fla.- After making her run at a second straight NJCAA National Championship next week in Alabama, Florida SouthWestern ace Belle Sardja will be headed home, as the Tampa native signed with the University of South Florida in a ceremony at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on Thursday.
Sardja has had one of the finest careers in FSW history, going into next week's World Series with a 38-5 career record and a program record 9 saves while also posting the top ERA of any Buccaneer hurler in program history with a 1.02 mark through 267 innings pitched. This season she is 22-2 with a microscopic 0.81 ERA while posting a 112-21 strikeout to walk ratio on the year. Earlier this month she earned 1st Team All-Conference and 1st Team All-State accolades while also being named the Southern Conference and FCSAA State Pitcher of the Year. As a freshman in 2022, Sardja put the Bucs on her back in the postseason as the righthander led FSW to their second straight NJCAA National Championship, pitching in each of the Bucs final seven games at the National Tournament including earning wins in both ends of FSW's National Championship sweep over McLennan in the finals to earn Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
She signs with her hometown Bulls after USF went 32-24 overall and 10-7 in American Athletic Conference action in 2023. USF has a storied history under Head Coach Ken Eriksen, who coached Team USA to a silver medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The Bulls have played in the NCAA Tournament 14 times since 2000, reaching Super Regionals twice and the Women's College World Series during the 2012 season.
Sardja is the second pitcher off of the Bucs 2023 staff to sign at the NCAA Division I level, joining Kylee Graham who inked with Toledo earlier this spring. She is the fifth FSW player overall to sign at the Division I level in the past two seasons.