2017: Voted to the D2CCA All-Midwest Region Second Team…Named to the All-GLIAC Second Team…Appeared in 44 games and made 42 starts, 29 of which came at designated player and another 13 starts in the circle…Finished third on the team in batting average (.331) and RBI (24), while adding 45 hits, eight doubles, and a pair of home runs...Ranked 20th in the GLIAC in batting average (.331), 22nd in RBI (24), and 24th in slugging percentage (.449)…In the circle, she finished fifth in shutouts (three), sixth in strikeouts per game (5.45), 14th in total K’s (55), 17th in ERA (3.37), 20th in games started (12), innings pitched (70.2), and opponents batting average (.288)…Finished career tied for eighth in saves (two) and tied for ninth in doubles (36)…Totaled 11 multi-hit games and five games of multiple RBI…Put together a 10-game hitting streak, tied for third-longest on the team…Went 3-7 with a 3.37 ERA in 70.2 innings pitched, making 15 total appearances in the circle…Combined to go 4-for-7 with a double, two runs, and four RBI in team’s opening day sweep over Missouri S&T and Illinois Springfield (Feb. 24)…Homered and drove in a pair of runs in 13-5 victory over Quincy (Mar. 7)…Collected a hit in 18 of 19 games from Mar. 5 to Mar. 28, driving in a run in eight of those contests…Doubled twice and drove in three runs against Drury (Mar. 11)…Finished 4-for-7 with a pair of doubles and two RBI in road doubleheader sweep at Purdue Northwest (Mar. 19)…Notched three hits and a pair of RBI in doubleheader split at Hillsdale (Apr. 1)…Stole a career-high two bases and went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI in GLIAC championship-clinching 7-6 road win at #22 Saginaw Valley State (Apr. 29) in regular season finale…Delivered 3-for-4 effort with an RBI in 7-4 win over Findlay (May 6) in GLIAC Tournament opener…Tossed a complete game three-hit shutout with six strikeouts in 3-0 win over Illinois Springfield (Feb. 24) on opening day…Logged career-high nine strikeouts in six innings against Winona State (Mar. 9)…Posted a five-inning three-hit shutout in 8-0 home victory over Lewis (Mar. 28), walking one and striking out four…Drove in game’s first run and fired a complete game two-hitter in 4-0 road victory over #18 Wayne State (Apr. 2), finishing 2-for-2 at the plate and walking one batter against six strikeouts on just 88 pitches in the circle.
2016: Selected to the NFCA All-Midwest Region Second Team and the D2CCA All-Midwest Region Second Team…Named to the All-GLIAC First Team for the second consecutive year…One of five Lakers to start in all 56 games, with 41 starts coming at designated player and 15 more at pitcher…Led GVSU in batting average (.353), hits (65), doubles (16), and slugging percentage (.522), while adding five homers, 39 RBI, and 96 total bases…Went 8-4 in the circle with a 2.91 earned run average, tallying five complete games and two saves in 91.1 innings…Ranked second in the GLIAC in doubles (16), fourth in hits (65), sixth in total bases (96), seventh in RBI (39) and at-bats (184), 10th in home runs (five) and slugging percentage (.522), and 14th in average (.353)…Also ranked sixth in the conference in saves (two), 14th in strikeouts (63), 18th in wins (eight) and opponents batting average (.252), 20th in ERA (2.91), 22nd in games started (15), 23rd in innings pitched (91.1), and 24th in complete games (five)…Her 16 doubles are tied for eighth-most in GVSU single season history…Tied for team-high with 19 multi-hit games (including nine games of three hits) and second with 11 multiple RBI contests (five games of three or more ribbies)…Recorded team season-high 10-game hitting streak to start the year, owning a .474 batting average after first 10 games…Notched six multi-hit games and six games of at least one RBI during season-opening 10-game hit streak…Went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI in 4-3 season-opening victory over Missouri S&T (Feb. 26)…Homered and drove in three runs in team’s 8-1 win over Sioux Falls (Mar. 6)…Notched a 3-for-4 effort with a double and three RBI in 13-5 victory over Pace (Mar. 12)…Doubled, smashed a three-run homer, and drove in all four of the team’s runs in 4-0 victory at in-region foe Lewis (Mar. 22)…Hit a two-run homer, doubled, tallied three RBI, and went 3-for-5 in 5-4, extra-inning win at Lake Erie (Mar. 26)…Went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs in 7-2 victory over Northwood (Apr. 7), earning doubleheader sweep over Timberwolves…Homered and recorded 3-for-4 performance in 5-0 road win at Ohio Dominican (Apr. 16)…Doubled twice, drove in two runs, and was 3-for-4 in 6-1 victory over Malone (Apr. 22)…Drove in two of team’s four runs in 4-2 Midwest Region Tournament win over Trevecca Nazarene (May 7)…Doubled, drove in a run, and went 3-for-4 in come-from-behind 5-4 win over Wayne State (May 11) in Midwest Super Region Tournament game one victory…Drove in game’s only run with a second inning solo homer and pitched five scoreless innings of two-hit ball in Lakers’ 1-0 victory over Wayne State (May 11), clinching regional championship and team’s third appearance in College World Series…Gave up two unearned runs in complete game victory at Lake Erie (Mar. 26), allowing just four hits in 3-2 win…Tossed complete game three-hit shutout in 2-0 win at Tiffin (Apr. 17), notching six strikeouts without a walk…Struck out six Cavaliers and gave up three runs in seven innings of 7-3 home win over Walsh (Apr. 23)…Allowed just one hit in five scoreless innings of a 3-0 win against Hillsdale (Apr. 24)…Threw six innings in NCAA Tournament opener against Southern Indiana (May 5), giving up two earned runs on five hits as Lakers tallied 4-3 walk-off victory…Recorded season-high seven strikeouts in complete game performance against Slippery Rock (Mar. 11).
2015: Named to All-GLIAC First Team as a designated player…Played in 42 games as a position player, starting 39 times (all at designated player), while also making 17 appearances in the circle…Hit .296 with 34 hits, nine doubles, a homer, and 23 RBI at the plate…Went 8-2 with a 2.04 ERA, recording 40 strikeouts in 58.1 innings pitched…Ranked third in the GLIAC as a batter with 23 walks…As a pitcher, finished sixth in the conference in ERA, 14th in strikeouts per game (4.8), 15th in victories, and 17th in opponents batting average (.252)…Totaled eight multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games…Owned a 10-game hitting streak during the middle of the season, the second-longest of any Laker…Notched a .356 batting average with 21 hits and 15 RBI in 21 GLIAC games…Recorded at least one base hit in 14 of 15 games from Apr. 3 to Apr. 24, which included six multi-hit games…Batting average jumped from .224 to .330 during that 15-game stretch…Totaled two hits apiece in four consecutive games from Apr. 3 to Apr. 7, racking up eight RBI, four runs, four walks, and a pair of doubles in those contests…Smacked two doubles and walked three times in opening day doubleheader sweep over Wisconsin-Parkside and Illinois Springfield (Feb. 20)…Went 6-for-12 with six walks in team’s opening 4-1 stretch at the Lewis Dome Tournament (Feb. 20-22)…Earned a win in each of her first five starts of the season, including a 6-5 victory over Assumption (Mar. 3) in which she allowed zero earned runs in six innings in the circle…Tossed a complete game six-hitter and did not walk a batter in a 6-1 win over Saint Rose (Mar. 5)…Allowed three or fewer runs in 15 of 17 appearances…Struck out season-high six batters and allowed two runs in five innings of a 10-2 win over Wisconsin-Parkside (Feb. 20) in team’s opening game of the year.
2014: Appeared in 19 games as a position player (starting 11 times as designated player) and made eight appearances in the circle…Hit .286 at the plate and went 2-2 as a pitcher…Went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles in 5-0 home win over Malone (4/12)…Followed that with a 2-for-3 performance and scored a run in the next game against Ashland (4/16)…Tallied pinch-hit RBI single in 6-3 victory over Tiffin (4/18)…Combined to go 3-for-6 and score a run in doubleheader at Hillsdale (4/25)…Delivered clutch two-run double against Findlay (4/26) to tie score at 3-3 in a game the Lakers would win 9-4 in extra innings…Earned first collegiate victory by tossing 3.2 scoreless innings of relief in 8-5 victory over Lock Haven (3/2)… Started and pitched three scoreless innings, picking up the win in 16-3 victory over University of Sciences (3/3).
High School: Played at Mount Vernon High School in Fortville, Ind. under head coach Mike McGill...Named an All-Hoosier Heritage Conference selection three times, as well as picking up all-county team honors...Voted defensive player of the year three times...Helped Marauders win the 2012 Hoosier Heritage Conference championship and the sectional title...Tallied an 18-3 record as a pitcher for Mount Vernon in 2012, fanning 109 batters in 122 innings - and also hit .430 at the plate...Went 11-6 in 2011 with 102 strikeouts in 89 innings, while hitting .484...Also played four years of basketball and volleyball...Participated in NASA (Neighbors Against Substance Abuse), was a high school mentor, and in the IHSAA Leadership group.
Personal: Daughter of Bill and Barb Balbach...Majoring in education.
