USC Upstate outfielder Sophia Kardatzke has been named the Big South Conference Softball Player of the Week for games played April 20-26, with teammate Laila Landrum also earning the league’s Freshman of the Week honor.
The Big South said Kardatzke hit .526 for the week (10-for-19) with nine RBI, seven runs scored and four extra-base hits, including two doubles and two home runs. The league also credited her with three stolen bases and noted she went 7-for-11 in Upstate’s conference series win over Charleston Southern.
Kardatzke’s standout conference series performance
The conference highlighted Kardatzke’s performance against Charleston Southern as particularly decisive. Her 7-for-11 mark across that series gave Upstate a reliable bat at the top of the lineup during the final stretch of Big South regular-season play, and her two home runs contributed to multi-run innings that the Spartans used to pull away in close contests.
This was Kardatzke’s third Player of the Week recognition in April, according to USC Upstate Athletics, making her one of the most decorated Spartans softball players in conference weekly award history this season. The outfielder has consistently been among the conference leaders in slugging percentage and RBI production throughout the 2026 campaign.
Landrum earns Freshman of the Week
Landrum, a freshman from Simpsonville, was recognized as Big South Freshman of the Week after going 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI in limited plate appearances, according to the conference release. Simpsonville is about 25 miles from USC Upstate’s Spartanburg campus, making Landrum a regional standout in her first college season.
USC Upstate said the awards followed the final week of conference play for most Big South teams and highlighted Kardatzke’s second consecutive weekly honor in April. The Spartans are preparing for the Big South Conference Tournament after finishing their regular-season slate.
USC Upstate competes in the Big South Conference from its Spartanburg campus on Highway 29, and the softball program plays home games at Cyrill Stadium. The team’s success this spring has put multiple Spartanburg-area athletes in the conference spotlight ahead of postseason play.
