COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- San Diego State softball's Maggie Balint (West Grove, Pa.) has been named the Mountain West Pitcher of the Week, the league announced Tuesday. Balint has now won the weekly award six times in eight opportunities this season.
Balint led the Aztecs (25-10, 9-0 MW) to a series sweep over Nevada last weekend. The right-hander pitched in all three games and in 15 of the team's 21 innings, going 2-0 with a save and a 0.47 ERA. Balint struck out 27 with just one walk, while limiting the opposition to eight hits (six singles) and a .157 average.
Balint started her weekend with a complete game, three-hit shutout in a 1-0 SDSU win on Friday where she struck out 12 batters. On Saturday, Balint picked up the save in a 4-2 San Diego State victory, striking out two in a perfect inning of relief. She finished her weekend with 13 strikeouts and one walk in a 3-1 Aztec win on Sunday, allowing one run on five hits.
On the season, Balint is 12-4 with four saves and a 1.31 ERA, striking out 179 against 19 walks, while limiting her opponents to a .170 average. Among the SDSU single-season leaders, Balint ranks first in strikeouts per seven innings (11.15) and opponent average (.170), second in strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.42), a tie for third in win percentage (.750), fourth in WHIP (0.775), fifth in hits allowed per seven innings (4.24) and a tie for seventh in saves (4). Among the national leaders, Balint is tied for fourth in saves (4), fifth in strikeouts (179), eighth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (9.42), 12th in strikeouts per seven innings (11.15), 26th in ERA (1.31), 27th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.24) and tied for 36th in wins (12).
San Diego State, which is 25th in the latest D1Softball rankings, travels to UNLV for a crucial weekend series with games set for 6 p.m. PT Friday, 3 p.m. PT Saturday and noon PT Sunday. The Aztecs and Rebels (27-6, 5-1 MW) were each picked to win the MW in a preseason poll voted on by the league's coaches, tallying 57 points apiece.