DENVER – There's no easing into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference portion of the schedule for the MSU Denver softball team.
The Roadrunners, picked to finish third in the RMAC, play a four-game series at defending champion and preseason favorite Colorado Mesa this weekend to open league play. Doubleheaders are scheduled for noon Sunday and 11 a.m. Monday in Grand Junction, Colo.
"You've got to play them at some point," MSU Denver coach
Annie Van Wetzinga said. "Whether it's now or later, I don't know if it matters that much. We've played quality teams and have had a good schedule leading into conference play, so I'd like to think it's prepared us for how we're starting off conference play."
The Roadrunners are 8-5 so far this season, with a solid 3-2 weekend at the difficult Desert Stinger Tournament and doubleheader splits last weekend with quality opponents from the Lone Star Conference.
"I'm happy with how we've navigated the preseason," Van Wetzinga said. "Now we'd like to just build off that. We don't want to make it any bigger than it needs to be. It's a good team, no doubt. Just like the teams we played in Arizona. It's about us showing up, containing miscues and errors, and competing hard."
Colorado Mesa is 6-4 and has also played a difficult non-conference schedule.
"They've played some tough teams," Van Wetzinga said. "And pretty much every game was a close game. With scores like that, it's probably an at-bat here or there or a play here or there that made the difference. So they're right there and they're getting really good pitching, and their offense is going to be there.
"We'll have to be tough on both sides of the ball."
While MSU Denver All-American
Shelby Robb is off to a terrific start at .372 with five doubles and seven RBIs, true freshmen
Hannah DiFabio (.395, three homers, eight RBIs) and
Katie Maney (.375, four homers, 11 RBIs) have paced an offensive that is batting .299 as a team.
"They're very talented, very coachable and very competitive," Van Wetzinga said of the two true freshmen who have made such an impract. "I'm not worried about what their numbers are. They're going to continue to contribute to our team. It's just a matter of staying steady. They're freshmen and there are going to be some learning curves, and it's just finding consistency."
While Maney is the reigning RMAC Player of the Week, another newcomer – sophomore
Sarah Norton – is already a two-time RMAC Pitcher of the Week.
Norton (4-1, one save, 3.17 ERA) is just one cog in a pitching staff that includes
Audrey Burt (2-1, 5.48), All-RMAC first team selection
Destinee Lopez (2-3, 6.04) and veteran
Julia Heitz (one save, 0.00 ERA).
"We have four pitchers, and they are all very different," Van Wetzinga said. "And that's a strength. Just because someone starts, it doesn't mean they're going to finish. Maybe they start a game and finish a game, but maybe someone else works the middle innings. Throwing different looks at teams within a game is tough.
"We're not afraid to make a change, not because of we don't believe in who's out there, it's because we have pieces, and we want to use them. Let's make it tough on the offense. When you see different looks as a hitter, that's hard."
The defense behind the pitching staff has been strong, and it has been headlined by a spectacular outfield of
Emily Shreves in left, Robb in center and Maney in right. Highlight-reel catches have become commonplace.
"Our outfield is fantastic," Van Wetzinga said. "They're athletic and fast. We're not hiding anyone out there. They're out there to steal hits and break hearts. It's fun to watch them play. They're all-in and they love to do that."
