DENVER – Rumor has it that MSU Denver has a softball program.
 
And, at long last, the Roadrunners are ready to get back on the field.
 
"We're back and we're healthy, and I think everyone is just ready to play softball," MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga said. "We're just trying not to overthink it and to just go out and enjoy playing softball."
 
Due to COVID-19 protocols, MSU Denver has played only four games so far this season, and none since a disappointing four-game season-opening series sweep on Feb. 28 and March 1 at the hands of Colorado Mesa, which has since moved into the national rankings.
 
Throw in some weather issues, including the 15 inches or so of snow that fell last weekend, their has been plenty of angst to deal with for MSU Denver.
 
The Roadrunners hope to put some of that in the past in a four-game series this weekend, with doubleheaders Friday at noon and Saturday at 11 a.m. at New Mexico Highlands.
 
"We're sitting on a lot of frustration," Van Wetzinga said. "So far this spring hasn't been a lot of fun. Then you get hit with a blizzard and you can't be out on your field. It's safe to say that things haven't gone our way lately.
 
"But hopefully the toughest part is in the past and now we can be all together as a team again, go compete, play and have fun."
 
Now things are expected to flow in a fast and furious fashion for the foreseeable future. The Roadrunners have 10 games scheduled over the next 11 days.
 
The list includes a recently-added non-conference doubleheader at Nebraska-Kearney on Wednesday. Up to 40 games could be played before the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament starts on May 13.
 
"With us rescheduling, adding a couple of games and making up some games, I've told the girls, 'We are going to start playing softball,'" Van Wetzinga said. "And it's going to be a lot of games in a short amount of time. And that's awesome, because at this point, we are good on practice. Not that we won't have some things we'll need to fine-tune, but we need to play.
 
"I think they're all excited to just start playing games."
 
New Mexico Highlands is off to a 4-8 start.
 
"They've been scoring some runs," Van Wetzinga said. "They've been playing some high-scoring games. And we're playing at their place, so we can't give them life, give them free bases on walks and errors. We need to be sharp, and if they score runs it needs to be something earned. They've shown that they can take advantage of it when teams open the door for them."
 
The Roadrunners would also like to break out of the offensive funk they suffered through against Colorado Mesa.
 
"Offensively, it's just a matter of us staying within ourselves and not trying to do too much," Van Wetzinga said. "It would be easy to be excited and press because we haven't played for so long. But if we can stay relaxed and in a 'have fun' mentality, I think things will happen for us."