DENVER – It sounds like a classic recruiting tale, but it's one that doesn't happen as often as perceived.

MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga was first impressed by Darby McGhee (Camarillo, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo) when she was watching someone else. A California native, McGhee and her Pacific Coast Predators were in Colorado for the annual Sparkler tournament, a major club-team event that attracts entrants from all over the country.
 
"She just stood out," Van Wetzinga said. "She was a sophomore. She was pitching well. She had a presence. I could tell she was athletic. She was hitting and playing defense, too. I just took note of it.
 
"A year later we circled back and my pitching coach and I were looking at recruits. We saw a video of her and my pitching coach said she really liked her. And I remembered I'd really liked her, too."
 
One thing led to another, and before long McGhee had committed to play softball at Metropolitan State University of Denver.


Now a junior, McGhee is already a returning All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference player. A two-way star both in the circle and at the plate (not to mention in the field), McGhee is off to her best start ever.
 
Through 12 games this season she's hitting .444 with two homers and nine RBIs, and, with four doubles, she has a team-best slugging percentage of .722 that is fourth in the RMAC among players with at least 36 at-bats.
 
In the circle, the reigning RMAC pitcher of the week is coming off a two-hit shutout of Montana State-Billings in which she recorded a career-best 11 strikeouts. That puts her season totals at 1-3 with a 2.97 ERA and an RMAC-best 29 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings. She's second in the RMAC in ERA among pitchers with at least 30 innings of work.
 
So, all in all, the chance appearance of a California team in a tournament in Colorado has turned out to be a major benefit for the Roadrunners' softball program. The tricky part might have been getting McGhee to move from the somewhat steady warmth of California to the occasional unpredictability of Colorado weather. But McGhee was open to the possibilities.
 
"I really wanted to go away for college," McGhee said. "And Denver was perfect. It wasn't too far away, but it was also just far enough. I'd been here before and I liked it. … And I think I like snow. I haven't decided."
 
Snow, or least the threat of it, and cold temperatures have worked to MSU Denver's advantage this weekend. The Roadunners' RMAC-opening series with Chadron State, which had been scheduled to be played on the road, has instead been shifted to the Regency Athletic Complex because of expected better weather. Doubleheaders are scheduled for Saturday at noon and Sunday at 11 a.m.
 
"Any time you can play on your home field, that's a good thing," Van Wetzinga said. "It's just another example of why we're lucky to have our facility. It allows us to play more games, and more games at home. It's been worth the investment."
 
MSU Denver is just 4-8 overall, but swept a doubleheader from MSU-Billings last weekend and has won three of its last four games.
 
Chadron State, picked to finish 12^th among the 13 RMAC softball teams, is 3-7.
 
"They have some pretty decent offensive stats and some new players who are helping them out, some freshmen," Van Wetzinga said. "They have some physical athletes who, when they connect, the ball can go."
 
McGhee will be trying to avoid having that happen while she's pitching. After going 16-10 with a 3.56 ERA last season, McGhee has drawn Van Wetzinga's praise for having increased composure in difficult situations this year.
 
"I'm better at not stressing about the little things," McGhee said. "They're still important. But I try not to let things bother me if it isn't going perfect."
 
At the plate, McGhee has demonstrated more power than in the past – she has six extra-base hits in 36 at-bats this year after having just two in 60 at-bats last season.

"She's always been a high-contact, put-the-ball-in-play kid with the bat," Van Wetzinga said. "This year the power has come. She's using her lower half more, getting her legs into it more. And she's swinging with more conviction."
 
Confidence gained through experience plays a major role.
 
"I think my approach is a little more relaxed," McGhee said. "In the past I'd go up there and I'd be super tight and tense. This year I've figured things out a little more, I'm more relaxed and I've figured myself out a little more.
 
"I've definitely gotten stronger since I've been here, but I'm still not that strong. But it's also that my approach has changed and I'm more relaxed. I'm not pressing too hard."
 
That chance connection has been a good one.
 
"That's the benefit of playing in a larger tournament or just playing against good teams – (college) coaches are more likely to be there," Van Wetzinga said. "It is actually kind of rare, because usually there's some kind of connection (to recruits), or they come to a camp because they already have interest in you."