DENVER – They say teams are only as strong as they are up the middle.
And the MSU Denver softball team is strong indeed at catcher, pitcher, shortstop and center field.
The heart of the Roadrunners' lineup – catcher
Whitnee Alexander, pitcher-shortstop
Darby McGhee and center fielder
Megan Sansburn -- will be recognized on Sunday during Senior Day festivities.
"I look at these three and all of them have really developed and left an impact on the program," MSU Denver coach
Annie Van Wetzinga said.
The Roadrunners (22-8 overall, 20-6 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) play their final home series of the season this weekend, with doubleheaders against Regis (13-7, 10-6) scheduled for noon Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
Neighborhood rivals squaring off with high seeding for the RMAC Tournament on the line and a return to fans in the stands (social distancing required) should make for a spectacular weekend.
"We're 10 minutes apart from Regis," Van Wetzinga said. "They are always competitive, close games – which makes it fun. It's exciting to have them this weekend because we're opening it up for fans, and it's senior weekend. It should be a good, energetic weekend."
McGhee and Sansburn are each in a fifth year in the Roadrunners' program and they'll leave a lasting impact in the statistical record book.
Alexander's contributions in her two years in the program, though not as obviously numerically, are nonetheless significant.
"The best thing about Whitnee is that, even though it's only her second year here, because of who she is – her work ethic, her leadership skills, her energy – it seems like she's been here longer and in a good way," Van Wetzinga said. "That means she's been impactful on the team. She's definitely been a leader. She's someone who brings it every day. She brings focus and work ethic, and that helps our other players. It's hard to put a value on that. It's hard to Tweet about hat. It's even better to have those characteristics from someone who is behind the plate. That's a very good thing for our pitchers to have – someone with that positive personality.
"She's someone that everybody likes. Everyone appreciates her hard work and her team-first attitude."
Sansburn enters the weekend ranked in the program's career top 30 in 15 offensive categories, including fourth in games played (212) and tied for seventh in both runs (135) and stolen bases (31). For her career she's a .314 hitter with 13 homers and 96 RBIs.
"It's been cool to see someone on that career trajectory," Van Wetzinga said. "Sometimes it's just the luck of the draw, but some players can walk right away in their freshman year and get a starting spot and things go smoothly. Megan had some talented people in front of her, and a little development to do, so she didn't walk in as a starter. She had to learn some things, develop, and now you see where she's at. To think about Megan as a freshman to where she is now is awesome. That (development) is what this is about."
In center field, Sansburn has been a Gold Glove-caliber defender.
"The level of defense she's playing in center field is elite," Van Wetzinga said. "The ground she's covering, how she's leading the other outfielders – most of the time it's been true freshmen in left and right – it's no fluke that we've had a lock-down outfield all season. And it starts with her leadership out there.
"She had some of the worst (offensive) luck our first few weekends. She was hitting the ball hard and was really on it. If some of those had dropped, I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that she would be hitting 50 points higher. To her credit, she didn't let it derail her. She handled it. She wasn't happy with it and was frustrated, but she continued to plug away and she never let her defense waver."
McGhee, meanwhile, has been one of the top two-way players in program history and is the program's all-time leader in strikeouts (433), pitching appearances (135) and saves (eight). She's tied for second with 55 career wins and is second in innings pitched (584), games started (91) and shutouts (12). While compiling a career mark of 55-31 with a 3.48 ERA, she is in the career top 10 in 12 pitching categories.
"I'll bet other coaches in the league feel like, 'This kid had been there for 10 years,'" Van Wetzinga said. "She's doing what we expected. And she's another who has grown, who didn't walk in as a freshman and was a starter. She was behind some experienced, good pitchers and had to learn things, had to learn that it's hard sometimes, and that it's not always about getting strikeouts, but that it's also about keeping the team in the game by throwing quality pitches.
"She's not always on, but now she has that mental toughness and awareness to grind through things and keep our team in the game. She's been a leader in the circle for three or four years now. She's done good things playing a middle infield spot, too."
That's right, when not pitching McGhee has typically played shortstop. And she's also compiled a .311 career batting average with seven homers and 91 RBIs while ranking in the top 30 in eight offensive categories – she's tied for ninth with 36 doubles. All the while she has supplied quiet, confident leadership.
"It's super unique to play pitcher and shortstop, and it takes a special person to be able to handle all that," Van Wetzinga said. "And then hitting, you have failures there, but she doesn't take it to the field. It's a lot of responsibility. She's able to say, 'That didn't go well here, but now I've got to focus here.'
"She's not going to lead the cheers – and that's fine. She's very quiet, especially in the circle. She's a quiet leader who shows up every day ready to do her work and consistency comes from that."
