DENVER – Pitchers negotiating their way through an opposing batting order can usually breathe a little more easily as the get down to the bottom third of the lineup.
 
The hitters in those spots typically aren't hitting for an extremely high average. And rarely is there a big-time home-run threat lurking.
 
MSU Denver offers some unique challenges, though. And one of them is Jake Kistaitis, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound senior first baseman who has been batting eighth in the order.
 
"It's nuts to have a guy with that much pop in your 8-hole," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "It's not often you have a 6-2 or 6-3 and 220 guy there. But other guys have done pretty well in their spots, and we're kind of at that point in the season where you don't want to change the lineup too much.
 
"The way he's swinging it, he could definitely be up (higher) in the lineup. Those back three guys in the order, if they can turn the lineup over (by getting on base), that can set us up really well."
 
As MSU Denver (23-9 overall, first in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at 16-4) heads into a huge weekend home series with Dixie State (23-11, 13-7 and tied for third), Kistaitis is swinging as well as anyone on the team. He'll look to keep it going in the four-game series at the Regency Athletic Complex that includes a single game Friday at 6 p.m., a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader, and a single game Sunday at noon.
 
Last weekend, as the Roadrunners won 3 of 4 at Colorado Christian to take over the league lead, Kistaitis was 7-for-14 (.500) with two homers and seven RBIs. For the season, he improved to .329 (fifth on the team among regulars) with six homers and 24 RBIs.
 
"I started off pretty slow at the beginning of conference, but I started slowing things down mentally and I got it going last weekend," Kistaitis said. "We shortened up my swing a little bit. I don't want to be quite as long to the ball. I saw some balls in the zone, my swing was quicker, and it just left."
 
While cleanup hitter Matt Malkin had a great season in the month of March (a .477 average with 15 homers and RBIs) and is hitting .421 with 19 homers and 52 RBIs for the season, the Roadrunners have power threats sprinkled throughout the lineup. Kistaitis adds another dimension.
 
"Jake and Malkin have the most power on the team," Strain said. "It's not really close, other than (Logan) Soole (who bats third and has nine homers). But raw, (batting practice) power, Jake can hit it out of the park as well as anybody.
 
"He has so much power, the ball jumps off his bat. Even his singles last weekend were rockets. I think sometimes he tries to lift the ball too much and tries to hit home runs. Because of that, guys figured out how to pitch to him a little bit last year, because there was some swing and miss. He had a much better approach last weekend. It worked in his favor and he got some more hits."
 
Kistaitis joined the program last season, after spending two years playing sparingly at junior college powerhouse Iowa Western Community College. But the timing was right – MSU Denver was looking for another catcher and Kistaitis was playing, and playing well, in a Denver summer league.
 
"I was a little out of it mentally (at Iowa Western)," Kistaitis said. "But I picked it back up that summer, figured some things out, and I started enjoying the game again."
 
Playing both catcher and first base last season, Kistaitis hit .307 with three homers and 17 RBIs.
 
Now he's become a full-time first baseman. Despite his muscular build, the former football player has flashed his quick feet (developed as an offensive lineman) and outstanding hands (he later played receiver) while making a number of Gold Glove-quality plays.
 
"He's a really good athlete," Strain said. "Speed-wise, he's not a burner and doesn't run great, but he does move well. He moved well behind the plate. First base took him a little while, but he worked at it and he's done a nice job with it. We've worked hard at that spot, too, because we want to be able to pitch well and play good defense.
 
"I told him at the end of last year that you've got to give yourself a chance to be in the lineup defensively. You don't want to just be a DH."
 
Said Kistaitis: "I just try not to put too much stress on myself. If I make a mistake, I'll own it, and I'll get it next time. I just try to help our team out the best I can."
 
This weekend, he'd like to help the Roadrunners solidify their hold on first place. But the going is just starting to get tough now.
 
Besides Dixie State, MSU Denver (17-2 in its last 19 games) still has upcoming series with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (tied for third in the RMAC), second-ranked Colorado Mesa (second), Colorado School of Mines (tied for third).
 
"Everyone has talked about how the toughest part of our schedule is the last four weeks," Strain said. "And if you look at teams' records, that's the reality. But we're still taking the same approach, game-by-game, and just trying to win innings. Because if we do that and stay focused, we'll be fine.
 
"I think we've lost our focus a little bit over the last month at times. We've played well most of the time, but we've given up some games just mentally where we thought we were just going to win. These next four weeks, there should be no problems motivating our guys to be ready to play.
 
"Dixie was picked ahead of us (in the RMAC). And they've been good in the past. They're talented, and we're going to have to play well to beat them."