It’s an ace and a home run. It’s a spike and a strike. Whether she is on the volleyball court or the softball field, senior Stephanie Milam is always perfecting her craft. She is an important part of the senior class athletes and strives to be proficient in the sports that she plays. Milam is varsity level for both sports and a CIF champion for volleyball. Her teammates agree that she is a valuable asset.

“She [is] our top pitcher because of her speed and accuracy,” junior Aurora Cox said.

This fearsome pitcher and volleyball player wasn’t always a California native, however. She arrived at Sage in her sophomore year.

“I moved from Idaho because my grandpa lived in Carlsbad and was getting really sick. Also, all of my family is in California, so there was no reason for my parents to stay once I graduated. I was happy to get a fresh start after living in a small town for almost 12 years,” Milam said.

When Milam arrived, her head was at her sports, “I love the team aspect of being interconnected” Milam said. Her first sport is volleyball, and her official position is the libero, which takes a lot of skills to play.

“She gets us all to work together as a team, instead of dwelling on our mistakes,” senior Riley Gill said.

Milam’s position is not only very important, but it also helped lead the team to their 2014 CIF Championship.

“I don’t even know where would be [without Stephanie],” says Gill.

As the seasons change, Milam’s focus shifts sports and she puts on her cleats and pitchers face to take the softball field. During her first year at Sage Creek, there was only one softball team and two pitchers; unfortunately, halfway through that season, the other pitcher was injured and they were down to Milam. Her determination lead the team to victory after victory for the best season that Sage Creek’s softball team has ever had

“It brought out a leadership side in me that I wasn’t expecting,” Milam said concerning her position as pitcher.  

The following season for softball, the coach decided that varsity was a possibility with the talented players that he had. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Milam was going to be varsity, as she is not only a valuable pitcher but a fantastic team player.

“She always encourages us even if we make mistakes,” Cox said.