ISU Opens Season at Bulldog Round Robin

AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State softball team opens its 2007 season, the second under head coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler, at the Bulldog Round Robin in Starkville, Miss., from Feb. 9-11, at the Mississippi State Softball Field. The Cyclones will face Kennesaw State on Friday at noon in the season opener for both schools. Joining Iowa State and Kennesaw State at the tournament are the host, Mississippi State, and Purdue.

Tournament Schedule
Friday, Feb. 9
Iowa State vs. Kennesaw State, Noon
Iowa State at Mississippi State, 2 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 10
Iowa State vs. Purdue, 10 a.m.
Iowa State at Mississippi State, 4 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 11
Iowa State vs. Kennesaw State, 10 a.m.

Live Stats: Live stats will be available for all games at Cyclones.com by clicking on the live stats tab under the Gameday menu.

Quickly
The Iowa State softball team opens the 2007 season with five games at the Bulldog Round Robin in Starkville, Miss., from Feb. 9-11 ... the Cyclones will face Kennesaw State on Friday at noon and Mississippi State at 2 p.m. ... the Cyclones will play the Owls and Bulldogs twice on the weekend, in addition to a contest against Purdue ... ISU hasn't won a season opener since 2003 when it defeated Santa Clara, 5-1.

Plenty of Experience
Iowa State returns seven seniors, who have played in a combined 835 games, starting 750 of them ... catcher Ashley Killeen and first baseman Jessica Quade have played in all 145 games in their careers ... Killeen has started every game with Quade starting all but one ... the other seniors returning include second baseman Jennifer Bigbee, pitcher Alyssa Ransom, third baseman Kristen Karanzias and outfielders Katie Reichling and Fallon Johnson.

All-Big 12 Honorees Return
Killeen (Papillion, Neb.) and Bigbee (San Diego, Calif.) return after being second team all-Big 12 selections a year ago ... Killeen hit .336 and drove in a school-record 40 runs last year while Bigbee hit .228, including a team-high .278 among regular starters in conference play.

In Elite Company
Killeen sits just eight RBI shy of Iowa State's career record of 88 ... Erica Martinez (2000-03) also holds the home run record with 27 long balls, but Killeen is within striking distance of that record as well with 14 career homers.

Pitching Staff Intact
Alyssa Ransom and Amie Ford both return from last year's pitching staff ... also joining the rotation are freshman Charissa Carlin, Laura Farlee and Holly Jordan.

Newcomers
The addition of 10 newcomers will provide depth for Iowa State ... the Cyclones brought in four infielders, three outfielders and three pitchers.

Ransom's Records
Senior hurler Alyssa Ransom's name is scattered throughout the ISU record books ... the Round Rock, Texas native holds at least a share of the record in five categories (saves, games pitched, games started, complete games and innings pitched) ... with 13 wins she will equal Tammy Rueckert (1978-81), who had 46 career wins.

On The Road Again
The Cyclones will open the season playing their first 39 games on the road ... the Cyclones first home game will be on March 28, when they host Northern Iowa in a doubleheader.

ISU Opens Season at Bulldog Round Robin

Players Mentioned

Jennifer Bigbee

Jennifer Bigbee

Charissa Carlin

Laura Farlee

Amie Ford

Amie Ford

Fallon Johnson

Fallon Johnson

Holly Jordan

Kristen Karanzias

Kristen Karanzias

Ashley Killeen

Ashley Killeen

Jessica Quade

Jessica Quade

Alyssa Ransom

Alyssa Ransom

Katie Reichling

Katie Reichling

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Iowa State University Athletics

ISU Opens Season at Bulldog Round Robin

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Players Mentioned

Jennifer Bigbee

Jennifer Bigbee

Charissa Carlin

Laura Farlee

Amie Ford

Amie Ford

Fallon Johnson

Fallon Johnson

Holly Jordan

Kristen Karanzias

Kristen Karanzias

Ashley Killeen

Ashley Killeen

Jessica Quade

Jessica Quade

Alyssa Ransom

Alyssa Ransom

Katie Reichling

Katie Reichling

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