LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- San Diego State's Maggie Balint (West Grove, Pa.) and Mac Barbara (Long Beach, Calif.) earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-West Region first-team honors, the NFCA announced Thursday.
NFCA member head coaches from each respective region voted on the teams and all student-athletes are now eligible for the 2022 NFCA Division I All-America squads.
Balint is currently 18-5 with six saves, a 1.50 ERA in 177 innings, striking out 263 against just 35 walks, limiting the opposition to a .173 average. It was Balint's third time making an all-region team (also 2017 first-team all-Pacific and 2021 third-team all-West). Balint, who was also named the MW Pitcher of the Year, is tied for third in the country in saves (6), ninth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.51), 13th in strikeouts (263), 16th in strikeouts per seven innings (10.40), 21st in ERA (1.50) and 30th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.39). Among the
Aztec single-season leaders, Balint ranks first in winning percentage (.783) and strikeouts per seven innings (10.40), tied for first in saves (6), second in opponent average (.173), third in strikeouts (263), fourth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.51), eighth in WHIP (0.825) and 10th in hits allowed per seven innings (4.39).
Barbara, who also was named the Mountain West Player of the Year and a finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year as a redshirt freshman, is batting .395 (62-for-157) with 15 home runs, 56 RBIs, 29 runs, 14 doubles, 33 walks and six stolen bases for a .783 slugging percentage and a .497 on-base percentage. Barbara, who reached base safely in 40 consecutive games from Feb. 17-May 6, which was the longest streak in the country this year and set a program record, ranks among the top 50 in the country in RBIs (T-18th, 56), total bases (24th, 123), slugging percentage (38th, .783), on-base percentage (44th, .497), walks (T-47th, 33) and home runs (T-49th, 15).
Among the Aztec single-season leaders, Barbara is third in RBIs (56), fourth in on-base percentage (.497), slugging percentage (.783), OPS percentage (1.280) and extra-base hits (40), fifth in walks (33), tied for sixth in home runs (15) and doubles (14), and seventh in batting average (.395) and total bases (123).
The Aztecs (37-14) won the 2022 Mountain West title with a 20-4 record and will play No. 20/18 LSU (34-21) in the NCAA Tempe Regional at 5 p.m. PT Friday in Tempe, Arizona, on the campus of No. 8/4 Arizona State (39-9), the tournament's No. 8 overall seed. Cal State Fullerton (36-20) is the other team in the double-elimination regional.
Balint, Barbara Earn NFCA All-West Region Honors
