A Closer Look - Season 1 (Sarah Montei)
It is not uncommon for a female to play baseball. From the 1940’s when the AAGPBL gained national attention to Chelsea Baker, a teenage phenom that learned how to pitch from legendary Joe Niekro, to a youngster playing in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. USC Aiken can lay claim to one of the best that has played baseball on a national stage in junior center fielder/do-it-all standout Sarah Montei.
Following in her father’s footsteps, Sarah began playing baseball at the age of four. After starting out on a t-ball team, she moved on to play baseball at the YMCA for a season. From there, she progressed as she played at Parks Field until the age of 12.
At the tender age of 13, during the summer she went to Cooperstown and played on an international all-girls baseball team. In the 64-team field, the one Montei was on was the only squad with females on it. The squad consisted of females from all over the globe, including Ireland and Japan. Females from across the United States were also on the team, including players from Colorado and California, yet Montei was the lone female representative from the Southeast.
At the tournament, the squad won three games, marking the most games ever won by an all-girls team at the event. The impressive part was that Montei was on the mound and looked like her father, Mike, who holds the record for career victories at a military school (30) and earned the victory in the third win for the team.
Montei also made the original Summerville Shock Wave baseball travel team and played well for the squad.
Despite having gone to a softball practice and disliking it when she was eight years old, Montei was approached by the school’s softball coach about trying out.
“When I was eight, I went to a softball practice with my best friend and hated it,” Montei said. “I didn’t think anyone on the team could throw or play very well. The level of competition definitely was not up to par with what I was playing with and against while on the baseball field.
“On the day of softball tryouts – which was a different day for those of us playing basketball – I told everyone that I was not going to try out. Then, after talking to my mom, I decided at 3:30 I would attend the tryout that started at 4 p.m. I tried out at shortstop, with a hat on and my hair down. At that time, I had never even thrown a softball.”
The tryout did not go very well for Montei as she threw everything sidearm and was inaccurate. However, she made the team.
Montei played shortstop in eight grade for the varsity team. In ninth grade, she moved to the hot corner before making a switch to center field in 10th grade. Over the last five years, she has never left the post she has commanded.
Heading into her senior year, the multi-sport standout was unsure of what she was going to do.
“It was my dream to play basketball at Tennessee, but I never put time into it,” Montei said. “I originally wanted to go to USC Upstate and I had been to South Carolina for camp, but I called on Halloween of my senior year and said I was going to play at USC Aiken.”
The three-time all-state selection and the two-time Region Player of the Year, Montei showed she could hold her own in a sport she did not start playing until high school.
Entering her third year with the Pacers, Montei has arguably the best arm of any outfielder in Division II. She has seven outfield assists during her first two years and has helped turn three double plays. Her stellar arm is similar to her father’s, who owns The Citadel’s school record for the longest relief stint in school history – a 9-inning performance against Charleston Southern. It marked the same day he set a career high with 10 strikeouts.
Montei’s speed is outstanding as well, having caught fly balls on multiple occasions that another outfielder should have had.
“My dad helped a lot with my success here,” Montei stated. “He helped a lot with fundamentals when I was a kid and taught me the correct mechanics.”
By taking to heart what her father showed her, Montei has blossomed into one of the best overall players in the conference. The 2015 season should be an even better season for Montei as she has stepped into the leadership role on the squad after the departure of five seniors from the NCAA Tournament team in 2014.
Just like her father’s baseball roots, Montei’s baseball background could help her establish a lasting legacy for those who want to follow in her footsteps.
