Melissa Balkema (Saint John, IN) of the softball team is honored for the week of April 25-May 1.
Balkema hit a sizzling .571 over the Cougars’ four-game weekend and helped the team earn a berth in the NACC conference tournament. Balkema scored seven runs and drove in six, including five to go with her first homer of the season as the Cougars defeated Milwaukee Engineering 12-10 in game one of a crucial April 29 doubleheader. The CUC shortstop and number two hitter in the lineup is hitting .417 on the year, and 16 of her 43 hits are for extra bases, resulting in a team-leading slugging percentage of .641.
Balkema, the daughter of Rob and Patty Balkema, is a 2015 graduate of Hanover Central High School Cedar Lake, IN. She is a freshman special education major.
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