DENVER – The final week of the softball regular season has already included MSU Denver's annual Rowdy Awards for the athletic department, and it also features a weekend home series against Adams State that includes pre-game ceremonies Friday featuring the Colorado Peaches and Saturday's between-games Senior Day.
 
"It's a fun week for our team," MSU Denver coach Annie Van Wetzinga said. "I hope that rolls into the games. We want our girls to relax. It should be a joy to play. Sometimes we make things too big. We want to focus on playing for one another and going out and enjoying what they are doing and then sending our three seniors out the right way."
 
Fifth-year senior Destinee Lopez and four-year veterans Julia Heitz and Ari Valdez are set to play their final home games as Roadrunners in the four-game series, which includes doubleheaders at the Assembly Athletic Complex set for noon Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.
 
"The three of them have seen a lot," Van Wetzinga said. "And the last three years haven't been easy. It's been a challenge, all the uncertainty because of COVID, the starting and the stopping. But even with that, the way they handled it and stuck with it has been impressive. They are three really hard workers. They've had three completely different journeys, but each has worked through her own roadblocks, different roles on the field … and it's been cool to see.
 
"They've all grown from when they were as freshmen to now, and to see their confidence grow and their leadership qualities emerge, that's been really special."
 
Lopez, a pitcher, is 8-3 with a 4.31 ERA this season, and is second in program history with six career saves, third with 104 pitching appearances, fourth with 252 career strikeouts and – with a career record of 36-16 and a 3.76 ERA – she's fifth in program history in wins and 10^th in ERA.
 
A biology major pursuing her master's degree in education, she was 12-4 with a 2.39 ERA while earning All-RMAC first team honors last season.
 
"It's never easy to come in as a freshman pitcher like she did and get thrown to the wolves," Van Wetzinga said. "Everybody has a learning curve, especially pitchers. Destinee has gone back and forth between being a starter and a reliever, and she's had success in both roles. She's very consistent, pitches to contact, and gets us outs. She's very steady in what she does, and I think consistency is undervalued in the sports world. The thing I appreciate most with Destinee is that I know what I'm going to get – you can count on Destinee."
 
Heitz, a hospitality events major and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee vice president, was a 10-game winner as a freshman pitcher in 2019, posting a 3.85 ERA. But she struggled with her control the next two seasons while pitching a total of only 11 2/3 innings. Remarkably, she has gotten back on track this season while going 3-4 with a 3.88 ERA and one save.
 
"Julia is one of the coolest stories," Van Wetzinga said. "She's definitely had bumps in the road and obstacles to overcome on the field. Most people would have maybe thrown in the towel. Things weren't going great for her. But she doubled down on herself, which I think is pretty special. To see her work through it, believe in herself, and realize what she needs to do to be successful has been awesome to see. We've used her in some big spots this year and she's been clutch for us."
 
Valdez is a four-year starter who has a career .289 batting average, is tied for 14^th in program history with 20 stolen bases and is tied for 17^th with 158 games played. A starter in left field as a freshman, she won the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's Gold Glove at second base last season. She's an integrative health major headed for nursing school.
 
"From the get-go, you could tell she's someone who brings fire and fight to the team," Van Wetzinga said. "She's been a sparkplug from Day One as a freshman. She was super solid in the outfield, but we were thin at second base and needed to bring someone in, and she was all about that. It's made a huge difference to have her vocal energy and leadership and fire on the infield. Her ability to connect with her teammates is something else. You can't say enough about who she is and what she brings to the field. Her consistency is underappreciated. You know you're going to get her best effort. She loves being a Roadrunner."
 
Friday's pre-game ceremony is for the Colorado Peaches, the women's softball team that has appeared on the Kelly Clarkson Show and also had a one-day practice with the Roadrunners last fall.
 
"It's such a cool program to be associated with," Van Wetzinga said.
 
Meanwhile, MSU Denver will be looking to secure a spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament during this weekend's series. The Roadrunners (31-20 overall) are fifth in the league at 19-15. They appear to need one win to clinch one of six spots in the tournament and three wins (possibly fewer, depending on other results in the league) should clinch the No. 5 seed.
 
Adams State (13-32, 8-26) has been eliminated from postseason play.
 
"They have a big roster, so it's easy for them to have some energy in the dugout," Van Wetzinga said. "They're always a scrappy team. Their coach has been there a long time and knows what he's doing. It's their last weekend of the season, so they'll want to go out fighting."