2014: Led Loyola all year at the plate, boasting a .284 average (44-for-155) with three home runs and 21 RBI, as well as a .354 on-base percentage... Posted nine multi-hit efforts and four multi-RBI games...Recorded a team-high 10-game hitting streak, March 3-16, which also extended into a 13-game reached base streak... Hit .556 over Loyola's three-game series versus Wichita State to open up the conference season... Roped a two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning to spark a five-run rally en route to a comeback victory over Northern Illinois... Also circled the bases in a 1-for-3 day versus Nebraska-Omaha (2/16)...Went 3-for-4 with two runs scored against Alabama A&M...Finished 2-for-3 in Loyola's comeback victory over Pac-12 powerhouse California (3/2)...Kicked off the UCLA/CSUN Invitational with a perfect 2-for-2 day against No. 3 UCLA (3/7)...Had back-to-back two-hit efforts in Loyola's two wins over Bakersfield (3/9) and Wichita State (3/15)...Collected a hit in each of Loyola's three games at Southern Illinois...Posted two hits, one RBI and one run in the Ramblers' quarterfinal victory over Southern Illinois in the MVC tournament (3/8)...Had a sparkling .600 success rate (54-for-90) in advancing runners...Led the team with 14 sacrifice bunts.
2013: Was one of only four Ramblers to appear in all 47 games ... Saw all of her action at second base and has started all but one game in her first two seasons at Loyola ... After struggling with the glove early in the year, committed only one error in over the final 30 contests ... Hit .258 (32-for-124) and led the team with 10 stolen bases and 27 walks ... Batted .300 (24-for-80) in Loyola's wins and .310 (9-for-29) with runners in scoring position ... Came out of the starting blocks swinging a hot bat and hit .357 (10-for-28) over her first nine games ... Recorded nine two-hit performances ... Loyola went 8-1 when she tallied two hits ... Strung together a seven-game hitting streak, February 24 - March 5 ... Drove home a pair of runs in a win against Providence ... Reached base safely in 18 of the final 19 games of the season ... Scored a run in seven consecutive contests, April 6-18 ... Loyola posted a 17-5 ledger when she scored one or more runs ... Drew three walks against Purdue ... Reached base in all four of her plate appearances against Detroit in game one of a double dip on April 13, by coaxing three walks and tallying a base hit ... Went 2 for 4 with a season-best three RBI in the nightcap of that twin bill at Detroit ... Her 27 bases on balls rank as the fifth-highest single-season total in school history.
2012: Earned Second Team All-Horizon League and Horizon League All-Newcomer Team honors after ranking second on the team with a .322 batting average and 14 stolen bases ... Hit a team-best .378 with runners in scoring position ... In Horizon League play, batted .333 and was 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts ... Was Loyola's best hitter at Loyola Softball Park, batting a robust .489 (23-for-47) with nine RBI ... Got off to a fast start and carried that momentum through the rest of the season ... Had six hits in her first nine collegiate at-bats ... Recorded 11 multi-hit outings, including a 4-for-4 effort in which she also scored three times and drove in a pair of runs in a 10-3 win versus Northern Illinois ... Went 2-for-3, stole two bases, and knocked in a run against North Texas in the season opener ... Drove in four runs in a doubleheader sweep of Youngstown State ... Notched a pair of hits, scored three times and swiped two bags in an 8-0 win at Wright State ... Put together a season-best, 10-game hitting streak, April 12-25 ... In a doubleheader sweep of Detroit, went 5-for-8 and scored four runs ... Her average never dipped lower than .278 at any point during the season.
High School: As a senior, batted .386 with a .456 on-base percentage ... Helped Elk Grove High School to a 28-win season in 2011 and earned both All-Mid-Suburban League East and all-area honors ... Had a decorated high school career in which she finished with a career batting average near .400 and at one point strung together a remarkable 43-game hitting streak ... As a junior, she established school standards for batting average (.577), on-base percentage (.626), and hits (73) en route to ESPN Rise Second Team All-American recognition, while helping Elk Grove to a runner-up finish in the state tournament ... As a junior, also collected
Daily Herald and
Chicago Sun-Times First Team All-Area accolades, as well as Illinois Coaches Association First Team All-State status ... In April 2010, was named ESPN Rise National Player of the Week for the Midwest Region ... Participated in the Tribune-Bandits All-Star Game in 2011 ... Played club for the Southern Force 18U Gold and helped the squad qualify for the national tournament ... Honor roll student.
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Balzano's Career Statistics
|
Year
|
G-GS
|
Avg.
|
AB
|
R
|
H
|
RBI
|
2B
|
3B
|
HR
|
BB
|
SO
|
HBP
|
SB-SBA
|
|
2012
|
49-49
|
.322
|
149
|
26
|
48
|
15
|
3
|
1
|
0
|
11
|
25
|
2
|
14-15
|
|
2013
|
47-46
|
.258
|
124
|
27
|
32
|
10
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
27
|
23
|
5
|
10-13
|
|
2014
|
56-53
|
.284
|
155
|
32
|
44
|
21
|
7
|
1
|
3
|
11
|
23
|
7
|
3-5
|
|
2015
|
50-50
|
.289
|
159
|
21
|
46
|
18
|
7
|
1
|
3
|
10
|
16
|
1
|
13-16
|
|
Totals
|
202-198
|
.290
|
587
|
106
|
170
|
64
|
19
|
5
|
6
|
59
|
87
|
15
|
40-49
|
