Cyclones Travel To Shocker Invitational

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State travels to Wichita, Kan., this weekend to take part in the Shocker Invitational. The tournament will include a pair of games against upstart Wichita State and South Dakota State and a single game with UMKC.

Schedule
Friday, March 7
ISU vs. UMKC, 12:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 8
ISU vs. South Dakota State, 10 a.m.
ISU at Wichita State, 12:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 9
Iowa State vs. South Dakota State, 9 a.m.
ISU at Wichita State 1 p.m.

Live Stats
Live stats for all games will be available at Cyclones.com, courtesy of Wichita State.

Cyclone Notebook
- Iowa State (14-3) looks to continue its winning ways as it hits the road to take part in the Shocker Invitational in Wichita, Kan., this weekend. At the Shocker Invitational, ISU will play another against UMKC along with two against South Dakota State and Wichita State.
- ISU's game against UMKC, slated for Thursday, was cancelled due to poor field conditions
- The Cyclones went 3-2 last weekend at the Hillenbrand Invitational, defeating South Florida, New Mexico State and Illinois-Chicago while falling to a pair of ranked foes, Virginia Tech and Arizona.
- The Cyclones have four players hitting .350 or better on the season.
- Ariel Coburn continued her solid play last weekend, hitting .462 to lead all Cyclones. Carleigh Berry also broke out of an early season slump, going 3-for-7 (.429) with a pair of stolen bases.
- The Cyclone pitching staff had another good weekend, putting up a 2.06 ERA and allowing opponents to hit just .261 against them. The staff also had 17 strikeouts while issuing just two free passes.
- Alex Johnson became the first Cyclone this season to reach double-digit runs batted in. As a freshman, Johnson tied for the team lead with 28 RBI. Only two players (Ashley Killeen, Lisa Leinen) have led the Cyclones in RBI in back-to-back seasons.
- Coburn is on a five-game hitting streak. Her 17 hits ranks third on the team.
- The Cyclones have shown an improved eye at the plate this year, averaging a walk per every 2.7 strikeouts. Last season, ISU drew a walk per every 3.2 strikeouts.
- Iowa State has 32 extra base hits on the season and at least one in each game except the South Florida contest. The Cyclones have five triples this season, which is how many they had in 2007 and more than they have had in four other complete seasons.
- ISU ranks fourth in the Big 12 in fielding percentage (.969). A year ago the Cyclones finished last in the league with a .950 fielding percentage. ISU has also turned eight double plays, which is tied for second in the Big 12.
- Senior hurler Amie Ford missed the fall season recovering from elbow surgery on her throwing arm.
- Iowa State is the youngest team in the Big 12 with 12-of-its-16 players being freshmen or sophomores. Missouri is the second youngest with 14-of-20 players with under two years of collegiate experience.
- The Cyclones will be on the road for the first 34 games of the 60-game schedule.
- The Cyclones were picked last in the Big 12 preseason poll. Texas A&M was selected first and Oklahoma second.

Stat of the Week
Iowa State is hitting .364 (8-for-22) with the bases loaded. Amanda Bradberry leads all Cyclones hitting .500 (2-for-4) in that situation.

Scouting UMKC (1-6)
- UMKC sits at 1-6 after picking up a 3-2 eight-inning win over Missouri State last weekend in Springfield.
- UMKC is led by freshman Megan Ussary, who hits .333. The Kangaroos have struckout 46 times while drawing just nine walks. As a team, UMKC hits just .154 and has just eight RBI on the season.
- In the circle, freshman Taya Upkes is 1-2 with a 4.20 ERA. Samantha Hurst is 0-3 and has a 9.80 ERA. Opponents hit .368 against the Kangaroos.
- Iowa State is 9-3 all-time against UMKC. The Cyclones swept the Kangaroos last year, with both games' final scores ending up 11-2.

Scouting South Dakota State (4-9)
- South Dakota State is 4-9 overall and looks to end a five-game skid. The losing streak includes a pair of losses last weekend to Missouri.
- The Jacks hit .277 as a team and are led by junior Brittany Postma and her .462 batting average. Postma joins Jessica Vineyard (.382) with five two triples. As a team, SDSU is 20-of-25 on stolen base attempts.
- South Dakota State's pitching staff has struggled against the competition this spring, posting a 4.80 ERA. Jenna Marston has carried much of the load for the staff, logging 79.0 of a possible 86.0 innings in 12 appearances. Marston is 4-8 with a 4.61 ERA and 48 strikeouts on the season.
- The Cyclones own a 4-0 edge all-time against the Jackrabbits. Last year, ISU won 2-1 in rainy conditions at the Southwest Athletic Complex.

Scouting Wichita State (12-7)
- Wichita State defeated Oklahoma State 7-0 on Wednesday to improve to 12-7 on the season. The Shockers are coming off their best weekend of the season after going 3-2 at the Texas Classic. The Shockers beat Wisconsin twice and disposed of then-22nd ranked Texas.
- Wichita State's biggest win was an 18-0 pounding of then nationally ranked Washington. The Shockers are 2-2 against Big 12 competition this year, picking up a win over Texas Tech to go with their victory over the Longhorns.
- Britnee Barnett leads the team with a .343 average and 16 runs batted in while Katie McGeeney is second with a .321 average. As a team, WSU hits .257.
- In the circle, Ashley Bright has collected a 7-5 record while posting a 1.79 ERA. Her 126 strikeouts leads the Missouri Valley and opponents hit just .195 against her.
- Wichita State leads the all-time series 4-2 with wins in the last two meetings. The Cyclones and Shockers have never met in Wichita.

Players Mentioned

Amanda Bradberry

Amanda Bradberry

Ariel Coburn

Ariel Coburn

Amie Ford

Amie Ford

Alex Johnson

Alex Johnson

Ashley Killeen

Sponsors

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