DENVER – MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain wants closer Eric Cox to set the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's record for career saves.
 
MSU Denver coach Ryan Strain doesn't want closer Eric Cox to set the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's record for career saves.
 
"It's kind of weird," Strain said, laughing. "Every time he gets a save, it means we were in a close game where I've been stressed out. I hope he gets a lot more saves. But at the same time, I'd rather we had big leads."
 
With three saves so far this season, Cox now has 22 for his career, one short of the league-record 23 set by eventual major leaguer Nate Field for Fort Hays State (Kan.) in 1996-97.
 
Cox may get one or more – though maybe Strain would rather he didn't – this weekend as the 23^rd-ranked Roadrunners play host to Mary (N.D.) in a three-game series at the Assembly Athletic Complex.
 
The teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader at noon Saturday and then a single-game Sunday, also at noon.
 
Cox has been the anchor again this season to what has been a very solid Roadrunners bullpen, which has included the heroics of Reichle Arcilise and Zane Covey.
 
Now, though, Arcilise is set to return to the starting rotation, where he starred last year until having to shut down in April.
 
Arcilise was 5-3 with a 3.63 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 52 innings in 2022. Working out of the bullpen as he builds arm strength this season, the right-hander has been phenomenal: 7 2/3 scoreless innings, two hits allowed, three walks and 17 strikeouts (all but six of the outs he has recorded). For his career, Arcilise is 10-5 with a 3.16 ERA and 122 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings.
 
"When he went down last year, it hurt, bad," Strain said. "If he stays healthy last year, I think we win the league outright, host the regional and if he's pitching in the regional it's a completely different situation than what we went through."
 
He's scheduled to get the ball for the first game of the series, though his pitch count is expected to be monitored closely.
 
"We're just trying to be smart about it," Strain said. "He's one of our best arms, and we're going to need him to start. And we're going to need him to pitch well, because their Friday guy is good, too."
 
The word is out that Mary isn't the same team that took a 31-3 drubbing while losing twice to the Roadrunners back in 2019.
 
The Marauders were a respectable 24-27 overall last season and are picked to finish fourth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference this season, the program's highest-ever preseason projection in the NSIC.
 
They split with Regis – an upper-division Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference team – on Tuesday, and opening-game starter Austin Wagner is a big left-hander, a former Division I recruit (Abilene Christian), and has a career record of 9-4 with a 3.36 ERA and 146 strikeouts in 112 1/3 innings with the Marauders.
 
"This is a completely different team (than 2019)," Strain said. "They've got a lot of Colorado kids and they probably want to come and stick it to us. Their coach has done a good job there. They're swinging the bats well. They'll be a quality team and we'll definitely need to play well."
 
Wagner and the rest of the Mary pitching staff will be facing one of Division II's best offenses: the Roadrunners lead the country in hits (149) and doubles (40), are third in runs (126), fourth in walks (74), 12^th in home runs (17) and 14^th in slugging percentage (.592).
 
Individually, Zach Schuler leads the country in doubles (nine) and is third in RBIs (23), leadoff hitter Cody Schultz ranks fifth in runs (20) and 31^st in stolen bases (six) and No. 2 hitter Caleb Albaugh is the 18^th-toughest batter to strike out in the country at one per 25 at bats.
 
"I think the biggest thing is that we put balls in play," Strain said. "We're tough outs. We've got more walks (74) than strikeouts (52) – and that just doesn't happen, whether you're a good hitting team or not."
 
Meanwhile, outfielder Cam Yuran is the reigning NCBWA South Central Region Player of the Week. He's batting .488 for the season, ranks third nationally with 13 walks, 10^th in runs (18), tied for 14^th (with Schuler) with 20 hits, and is the 27^th most difficult batter to strike out (one per 20.5 at-bats).
 
"He's just a hitter," Strain said. "He looked as out of whack as I'd seen him early last weekend, but then he faces a better arm and he goes 5-for-5 with two homers. He tends to hit the good pitching better than the bad pitching, just because his bat flies through the zone so fast.
 
"He's a good one. I'm glad he's on our side."