The Washington Huskies added some depth to their pitching staff on Monday night with the commitment of Madi Balk, who entered the transfer portal after two years at Florida State.
“I absolutely fell in love with Seattle and the UW Softball program this past weekend,” Balk said on social media. “I truly feel like myself here. Thank you so much for this opportunity!”
Balk had a strong first year in Tallahassee, making 8 appearances with 3 starts, and finishing 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA and a .143 batting average against. She struggled during her sophomore year after being buried in the Seminoles’ rotation, making just 3 appearances and tallying just 3 1/3 innings pitched, where she allowed 4 hits and 5 earned runs, giving her a 10.50 ERA for the year.
The change of scenery should do Balk a lot of good and she should work well with Washington’s new pitching coach Brad Kilpatrick, who should hone in on her control. She owns a career 11:20 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which should be the primary focus of her development.
With so many openings on the pitching staff following the graduation of Brooke Nelson and Lindsay Lopez, and both Ruby Meylan and Sidne Peters choosing to enter the transfer portal, Balk’s role with the Huskies is still somewhat unclear, but she will certainly see a much heavier workload than her time at Florida State.
Go Dawgs! 🦄💜 pic.twitter.com/yI6SQNRNrl
— Madi Balk (@MadiBalk) June 11, 2024