DENVER – Zach Walsh is right where he wanted to be.
 
Batting cleanup and playing second base for MSU Denver? Sure.
 
But think more broadly.
 
He's a Texas kid who wants to be in Colorado.
 
"This is where I wanted to end up after school anyway," Walsh said. "I have family down in the Springs, Buena Vista. I pretty much grew up here every winter and summer. I always wanted to move here, but I got a chance to move to California, so I decided I might as well take that.
 
"It happened a little sooner than planned, but it's been awesome."
 
Walsh is a senior in his second season with the Roadrunners after playing two seasons at NCAA Division I Santa Clara, his California detour.
 
When he was looking to transfer two seasons ago, he was already lined up to play summer ball in Denver. And then it didn't take long for him to become a Roadrunner.
 
"We watched him practice and saw him play a little in a (summer) game, and we offered him and were able to get him," Metropolitan State University of Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "It didn't take long (to decide to make the offer). And he wanted to come here. He'd played a game here and had seen our facility."
 
As MSU Denver prepares to open the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference portion of its schedule with a four-game series this weekend at CSU-Pueblo (single game Friday at 6 p.m., doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. and a single game Sunday at noon), Walsh is the reigning RMAC Player of the Week.
 
While MSU Denver is beginning to recover from a slow start to improve to 5-9, CSU-Pueblo is 8-4.
 
Against common opponents, MSU Denver is 5-6 while the ThunderWolves are 6-2.
 
"They've got some solid starters, so we're hoping to get into their bullpen, just like with most teams," Strain said. "They'll pitch well. They've got some new guys in the lineup that we don't know much about, but they've got three or four guys who are doing the most damage and we'll try not to let them hurt us."
 
Said Walsh: "I'm excited for it. They've got a good team. I'm ready to see what we have. I don't know too much about them, but I'm excited to play." 
 
In the Roadrunners' three-game sweep of Sioux Falls (S.D.), Walsh was 5-for-10 (.500) with two homers, six RBIs, six runs, a double and two walks.
 
For the season he's batting .366 with three homers and 11 RBIs. He leads MSU Denver in OPS (1.115), on-base percentage (.481) and walks (eight), and he's the co-leader in runs (11).
 
He finished strong last year to bat .308 with nine homers and 39 RBIs. But in a lineup that included All-American Matt Malkin, all-region pick Draven Adame and a healthy Logan Soole, Walsh wasn't always the focus of opposing pitching staffs.
 
That has changed this year.
 
"Once you go to the middle of the order, go to that 4-hole, no matter who you are they always pitch you a little different," Strain said. "But for all our hitters, it's a matter of figuring out how you're being pitched, what other teams are trying to do to you and then how can you combat that and get yourself in the best position to have the most success."
 
Walsh said he may have tried to do too much earlier this season – Strain frequently says Walsh often overswings and tries to do too much when he doesn't need to do that.
 
"That first weekend, I probably did a little bit," Walsh said. "Malkin just dominated last year, and someone has to fill that void. But we've got a couple of guys who can do that, and that takes the pressure off you. It's not an 'I' sport. You've really got to depend on your team."
 
Walsh was in a groove last week.
 
"I was seeing a lot of fastballs early last year, and once I started heating up, I started seeing more off-speed pitches," Walsh said. "This season I'm definitely getting a lot more off-speed, so it's changed my approach a bit. I've been attacking the off-speed stuff, because if they're giving it to me, I might as well just take it and drive it. That's been my focus."
 
When he gets a chance, Walsh also tries to focus on taking advantage of being in Colorado.
 
He enjoys snowboarding in the winter, and fishing … anytime.
 
"I'm always asking who wants to go fishing," Walsh said. "Fly-fishing, spinning, everything. I haven't gone ice fishing yet, but that's on the list."
 
Growing up, he said he spent about one-third of the summer in Colorado and a couple of weeks over the summer in the state as well.
 
"Summer was the time to get up here and relax and enjoy Colorado for what it is," Walsh said.
 
Whenever baseball ends for Walsh, he plans to stick around.
 
"Whatever happens with baseball happens, and if nothing comes from it, I'm getting my real estate license right now and should be done with that in the next month or so," Walsh said.