DENVER – MSU Denver, off to an 8-0 start in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play for the first time since 2017, will look to keep the momentum going this weekend with a four-game home series against CSU Pueblo.
Doubleheaders at the Assembly Athletic Complex are scheduled for Saturday at noon and Sunday at 11 a.m.
At this time, MSU Denver will not be able to process credit cards at the game, so cash is requested for on-site ticket purchases. MSU Denver is looking at other solutions, but it may not be resolved before this weekend's games.
The Roadrunners have been full speed ahead since starting league play. That followed a difficult season-opening road trip to Texas in which MSU Denver was 3-6 but gained valuable experience.
"Maybe we didn't come home with the nicest-looking record, but we played tough competition, and we figured out a lot of things we needed to work on, and we were challenged, which we needed as a young team," Van Wetzinga said. "Our challenge after that is to use that experience. I think we have. We weren't beaten down or frustrated by it. They saw how close they were to some of the traditionally top teams.
"We had a big comeback against UCCS, and we had lost a game like that at St. Mary's. You've seen it done, and you know it can be done. We had to find a couple of different ways to win against UCCS, and I do think the Texas trip helped us with that."
Saturday is Strikeout Cancer Day, with the Roadrunners wearing teal uniforms to support awareness and a cure for cancer.
This year the Roadrunners are specifically supporting the Kong Strong Classic, a golf tournament under the direction of the Anderson family, boosters whose daughters played for MSU Denver. The Andersons, honoring the late Jim Anderson, not only have a scholarship to support MSU Denver softball, but also help support a scholarship for Colorado high school athletes who are heading to college to play sports and who have been affected by cancer.
On the field, only league favorite Colorado Christian is also 8-0 through the first two league weekends, with Colorado Mesa, Colorado School of Mines and Regis all at 6-2.
"There's going to be a fight," Van Wetzinga said. "There are going to be some big series. Christian is looking really good. … Regis is going to be tough. … Mesa is always going to have athletes and hitters. Every weekend is tough. … You can't look past anybody. It's college softball. Everybody has good players who can step up and do things."
In league play, MSU Denver's
Shelby Robb and Jaden Geist are tied for fourth in the RMAC with .500 batting averages (Robb is 13-for-26, while Geist is 8-for-16), while Robb shares the lead in both doubles (six) and triples (three) and ranks fifth with a 1.077 slugging percentage and with an OPS of 1.644.
A 2021 All-America first team player, Robb didn't play during the Texas trip as she finished off her recovery from a season-ending injury suffered in 2022. Robb has upped her program-best career batting average to .437, and she's second in program history with a .488 on-base percentage and third with a .747 slugging percentage.
"Shelby is off to a good start," Van Wetzinga said. "That's also a big difference from Texas to now, just having her back. It matters if she's in the lineup or not. It's really good to see her healthy and not just hitting, but running the bases really well without hesitation. It makes us more dynamic."
CSU Pueblo is 6-9 overall and is one of three RMAC teams tied for ninth at 1-7 in the league.
"We expect them to challenge us and to try to get their offense going with speed and the short game," Van Wetzinga said. "We'll need to contain that. They have quick, athletic kids and we can't give them extra outs."
