DENVER – If this is a sign of things to come, the MSU Denver softball team is in a good spot for at least the next four years.
JJ and
Laney Sheppard (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley), freshman twins from Fountain Valley, Calif., have made their presence known in their first month of being collegiate athletes for the Roadrunners. The two have combined to hit .419 with 26 hits, 12 RBIs, 10 doubles and two home runs in the team's first 16 games.
The production from the two freshmen has also helped the Roadrunners climb out of an early hole after starting the season 2-8. After winning all four games against Chadron State this past weekend, MSU Denver now sits at 8-8 and is feeling good going forward.
"Our connection has improved,"
Laney Sheppard (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley) said. "Yeah we were losing, but I feel like I got more involved with the girls and we figured out as a group what we could do better. We started to understand each other better."
The Roadrunners will seek to keep their roll going this weekend, with RMAC doubleheaders against Colorado Christian scheduled for Friday at noon and Saturday at 11 a.m.
Laney was instrumental last weekend. In the second of three games on Sunday, she homered in the fourth inning to tie the game up 2-2, then in the top of the seventh inning with the Roadrunners down 6-5, Sheppard homered again, a two-run shot to put MSU Denver up 7-6 that provided the final runs of the game.
"It's actually the second-best game I've ever had," Laney said. "I hit three in a game in high school, but hitting those two was pretty exciting."
In terms of how the twins ended up at MSU Denver, it was simple.
"Our number one goal was to go together," JJ said. "We're going to end up together in the future, so we might as well go to a school that said both of us could go with a good scholarship."
MSU Denver is happy to have them, and of course the production is nice, but the fraternal twins bring much more to the team than just their bats.
"JJ and Laney have been really positive additions to the team," MSU Denver coach
Annie Van Wetzinga said. "Obviously they've had production on the field… but they're really positive individuals, they bring good energy and are really good teammates."
JJ is hitting .500 since Feb. 8, with 12 hits, five doubles and five RBIs. She's batting a team-best .483, third-best among RMAC players with at least 29 plate appearances.
Laney hit .636 (7 for 11) with six extra-base hits against Chadron State. She's at .364 for the season.
The Sheppard twins will look to keep their outstanding freshman campaigns rolling and help the team extend its six-game winning streak.
"Winning six in a row is always nice," Van Wetzinga said. "We all felt like the turn was going to come and we were going to start putting together better games, but once you actually start getting rewarded for your hard work it's a positive, and hopefully we can keep it rolling."
