DENVER – Stopping cancer and growing the game are but two of the objectives for the MSU Denver baseball team this weekend as it plays host to New Mexico Highlands in a four-game series at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
 
Games are set for noon Friday, Saturday and Sunday – with Saturday a scheduled doubleheader. Saturday is Teal Deal, as the Roadrunners don teal jerseys, signifying ovarian cancer awareness but also part of the overall Strike Out Cancer effort. Sunday is Youth Day.
 
"Teal Day is a special day and everyone looks forward to it," MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain said. "It's an important cause, because cancer has affected everyone in different ways. It's a big deal for us and we are able to team with our softball team to raise some money and help out as best as we can.
 
"For Youth Day we've invited a bunch of groups to come out. It's a chance for our guys to give back and let some of the young guys see our players, who they think are like big leaguers. It's a fun way for us to help grow the game as much as we can."
 
Beyond the charitable efforts, MSU Denver is looking to be less than hospitable in its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series with Highlands. The Roadrunners are 13-9 overall and 4-4 in the RMAC after dropping three of four last weekend at CSU-Pueblo to lose their national ranking in the NCBWA poll. Highlands is 4-16 and 2-6.
 
"Highlands always swings the bat well, and is always in games as a result," Strain said. "If you don't pitch well, they will punish you for it. They have hard-nosed, tough kids with a chip on their shoulders. We'll need to pitch better than we did last weekend."
 
MSU Denver gave up 39 runs in four games last weekend, including 36 while losing the first three – surprising considering the Roadrunners had yielded only nine runs in four games while winning three of four the previous weekend against then-No. 13 Colorado School of Mines.

The offense has remained generally consistently good all year, scoring at least five runs in all but one game. Highlands has given up at least eight runs in all but three games, but two of those were last weekend against UCCS.
 
"A lot depends on our guys' ability to adjust to the different arms they throw," Strain said. "Because they can frustrate you if you don't have a good game plan against them."
 
Offensively, MSU Denver ranks ninth in Division II in home runs (36), 10^th in doubles (54) and 12^th in slugging percentage (.564).
 
Among those leading the charge are true freshman outfielder Cam Yuran, the reigning RMAC Player of the Week who is ninth in the RMAC in batting (.404), third in slugging percentage (.825), fourth in OPS (1.296), tied for fourth in homers (six), tied for fourth in RBIs (25) and 11^th in on-base percentage (.471).
 
"He led us in hitting in the fall, and we've got a pretty good group of hitters," Strain said. "You never know what's going to happen once the lights are on and you are facing different pitchers. But he's had some others in the lineup swinging pretty well in front of him and he's been able to hit down in the lineup a little bit and has been able to get comfortable."