DENVER – The more Matt Malkin (Broomfield, Colo./Monarch) relaxes, the more stress he causes opposing pitchers.
 
Metropolitan State University of Denver's slugging cleanup hitter is putting up statistics that defy description and would be beyond belief if they hadn't, you know, actually happened.
 
Last year he was playing at Alabama, where he was a part-time starter for the Southeastern Conference program. When the Crimson Tide decided to make personnel changes and cut him, Malkin eventually transferred to MSU Denver for his senior season.
 
"I'm just playing the game," Malkin said. "In the past, I've always put a lot of pressure on myself. In this game, with (Major League Baseball scouts), you want to do as well as you can to get noticed and go to the next level. This year, I've said (the heck with) it, just go play the game. That's the base of my success this year. I'm just doing my thing and trusting my instincts."
 
So, here are just some of the numbers that Malkin has amassed in 24 games with the Roadrunners.
 
He leads NCAA Division II in home runs per game (0.78), RBIs per game (2.09) and slugging percentage (1.135). Those numbers would all command exclamation points on their own, but then this story would be riddled with exclamation points.
 
So let's get those out of the way: !!!!!!!!!!!
 
Malkin leads the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in home runs (18), RBIs (48) and batting average (.461). So he's on pace for the league's Triple Crown, which would also be cause for attention, but then there's the fact that he's eighth nationally in batting average, so he's not too far off the pace for winning the Triple Crown at the national level.
 
He's on pace to set the Division II record for homers per game (it's 0.73, set in 1981) as well as the single-season record for total homers (it's been 36 since 1998, and he's on pace for 38 by the end of the regular season). He's not far off the pace for Division II records in RBIs per game (2.19) and slugging (1.187).
 
No one else in any of the NCAA's three levels has more than 14 homers. He leads all three divisions in homers per game and total bases (101).
 
RMAC records for homers (28) and slugging percentage (1.013) seem to be in peril.
 
Malkin has already broken MSU Denver's single-season home run record of 17, and there are still 25 regular-season games to go.
 
He has hit 15 homers in his last 15 games.
 
He hit homers in seven straight games (the Division II record is nine) from March 10 through March 23, then he went 0-for-5. So he promptly had back-to-back two-homer games in the two games since.
 
Unimpressed that he did quite a bit of damage in series that were played at the hitter-friendly parks of New Mexico Highlands and Adams State? Well, consider that he hit two homers Tuesday in a 17-6 win at Division I Northern Colorado, where it's 416 feet to straightaway center field and even deeper to the right-center gap, which cost him what would have been a third homer – it turned into a double as part of a 5-for-6, six-RBI game. He has three multi-homer games in his last five.
 
"It's pretty amazing," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "He just continues to play well."
 
Fifth-year seniors at Division II programs rarely draw a lot of attention from professional scouts. Even the best Division II players are frequently late-round choices such as former Colorado Mesa star Sergio Romo, a long-time major league reliever picked in the 28^th round in 2005.
 
But Strain, whose father, Joe, was a long-time scout (who was responsible for the Giants drafting Romo), expects that some scouts will start making their way to MSU Denver games as the weather warms up to take a peek at Malkin, not to mention centerfielder Logan Soole (Louisville, Colo./Monarch), Malkin's high school teammate who has already played two seasons of minor-league baseball.
 
If and when the scouts do show, what will they find out about Malkin?
 
"The thing that gets overlooked the most is that he's a great teammate," Strain said. "The guys like him. He's got a sense of humor. He doesn't ever seem to take too much too seriously. He plays and has fun and doesn't worry about what his results are, and when you do that, usually good things happen for you."
 
Malkin, whose father is a former 11^th-round draft choice, is aware of his national rankings, but is taking it all in stride.
 
"You've got to take a glimpse at that once in a while," Malkin said, chuckling. "It's pretty cool. But at the same time, I did have high goals for the season. I always have high expectations for myself, especially when I've worked at this game for so long, I want to do well. And me doing well is only going to benefit the team."
 
The Roadrunners are indeed benefitting. They've won 11 straight games to improve to 17-7 overall, and need only one more win to match the school record of 12 consecutive victories, set during the end of the 2001 and start of the 2002 seasons.
 
MSU Denver is 10-2 in RMAC play, tied for a three-way tie for first place with national No. 1 Colorado Mesa and 25^th-ranked Dixie State.
 
"Any time you're on a win streak like this, you just have to keep going," Malkin said. "That's what you've been training for. Being in first place, that's big time."
 
The Roadrunners are gearing up for a four-game home series with Regis (8-17, 3-9) this weekend, which includes a single-game Friday at 6 p.m., a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday, and a noon single game on Sunday.
 
Sooner or later, teams may eventually just avoid giving Malkin anything to hit. But with Zach Paschke (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista), Chase Anderson (Littleton, Colo./Columbine) and Soole setting the table in front of him and the likes of Cade Peters (Stockton, Calif./St. Mary's), Draven Adame (Lamar, Colo./Lamar) and Zach Walsh (Austin, Texas/Vista Ridge) behind him, the Roadrunners aren't giving opponents many options.
 
"I've told the guys that, no pressure on them, it's just the reality of the situation," Strain said. "The good news for us is that the three guys hitting in front of him have been swinging the bats pretty well and getting on base for him. When there are guys on base when he's up, they've got to make a decision of whether to pitch to him or walk him. And the guys behind him are important, too. Hopefully Matt will continue to hit, but if they walk him, then he's on base and the guys behind him can drive him in."
 
As a team, MSU Denver leads Division II in homers (1.96 per game) and slugging percentage (.607), and ranks second with 47 homers, third in runs (9.5 per game) and fourth in batting average at .339.
 
The Roadrunners are versatile and have been outstanding in pitching and defense as well as hitting: they lead the RMAC in batting average, ERA and fielding percentage.
 
"We're trying the best we can to just win innings," Strain said. "If we get too far ahead of ourselves, if we start chasing wins, that's when you start getting in trouble. I'm just trying to keep our guys grounded. We've played well, handled ourselves well."