Completed Event: Softball versus Iowa on April 21, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 7
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Iowa State University Athletics
Cyclones Celebrate Senior Day Saturday
04.28.2011 | Softball
AMES, Iowa - Iowa State (20-21, 2-8 Big 12) will honor lone senior Rachel Zabriskie before Saturday's game with No. 17 Baylor (36-11, 7-6 Big 12) at the Southwest Athletic Complex. Fans are urged to come early for the recognition ceremony.
In four seasons at Iowa State, Zabriskie has become the school record holder with 66 wins, 85 complete games, seven saves and 799 strikeouts. Her 799 strikeouts ranks 10th all-time in the Big 12. In 2010, Zabriskie became the first Cyclone pitcher to record 20 wins since Lori Young had 24 in 1985. As a freshman in 2008, Zabriskie was the winning pitcher as the Cyclones defeated Baylor, 6-4, in the first round of the Big 12 Championship Tournament.
Looking for her 14th win of the current season, Zabriskie (14-14) will face a Bears lineup lead by Baylor senior Dani Leal who is hitting .371 in conference play and leads the team with 13 home runs on the year. Once on base, the Bears are one of the busiest teams in the country, stealing 98 bases this year, 19 against Big 12 opponents. Kathy Shelton ranks third in the league with 29 thefts this season and is a large part why Baylor ranks 11th in the nation with 2.09 stolen bases per game.
Pitching has laid the basis for the Bears' success in 2011. Baylor's four pitchers have combined for a 1.52 ERA, ninth-best in the country and third in the conference behind Texas and Missouri. Redshirt sophomore Whitney Canion has struck out 223 batters and allowed only 31 earned runs in 175.1 innings en route to a 20-8 record.
Saturday's game is slated for 2 p.m. CDT following the senior day festivities.
Cyclone Notebook
- Before first pitch against the No. 17 Baylor Bears on Saturday, the Cyclones will honor senior Rachel Zabriskie in this year's senior day ceremony.
- Iowa State picked up its second Big 12 victory last Saturday, defeating Kansas, 4-3.
- The final four opponents on the Cyclones' schedule are all currently ranked in the top 25 (No. 8 Missouri, No. 14 Oklahoma [ESPN], No. 14 Nebraska [USA Today], and No. 17 Baylor).
- The Cyclones moved up to No. 69 in the RPI rankings this week, the first time the team has been in the top 70 this year.
- 10 of Iowa State's foes this season are currently ranked in the top 30 RPI, including Baylor at No. 13. Upcoming opponents Missouri (5), Oklahoma (11) and Nebraska (20) are also among the top RPIs in the country.
- Four current Cyclones have 10 or more multi-hit games this season: Erica Miller (14), Tori Torrescano (13), Heidi Kidwell (13) and Sara Davison (10).
- Miller and Torrescano are the only 2011 Cyclones with 10 or more multi-RBI games in their careers.
- Sunday's loss to the Jayhawks was Iowa State's first when leading after four innings. The Cyclones a 16-1 this season when taking a lead into the fifth frame.
- The loss to Kansas marked only the second time this season when the Cyclones walk at least five times in a game. The other was at Texas State on Feb. 18 (six walks).
- Katie Harms has the first hitting-streak of her career heading into this weekend's series with the Bears. Harms hit a single in each game against Kansas in the role of designated player.
- In two one-run games in league play this year, the Cyclones are 2-0 with wins over No. 17 Oklahoma State (4-3) and Kansas (4-3).
- The Cyclones are 16-3 on the year when getting on the board ahead of their opponent.
- With 15 stolen bases this year, Kidwell is three thefts away from the ISU single season record of 18 stolen bases, set by her sister, Kelsey (2008) and Lisa Frank (2000).
- Miller's 10 homers this year are just one short of Lindsey Herrin's single-season record of 11. Her 16 career home runs ranks fifth at Iowa State.
- Torrescano is just behind Miller with nine homers this year.
- Iowa State's 30 home runs this season is eight off the all-time record of 38 home runs in a season set in 2008.
- Miller is leading the Cyclones through the conference schedule. She is the only regular starter against Big 12 foes hitting over .300 (.419), the only player with double-digit hits (13), has almost double the number of total bases as the next Cyclone (25-16) and is slugging an incredible .806.
- As a result of her efforts, Miller is ranked, in conference-only games, fifth in batting average, second in home runs (4), tied for eighth in total bases and third in slugging.
- Pitcher Lauren Kennewell ranks 15th in the league with an ERA of 5.86 through 14.1 innings versus league opponents.
- Kidwell's 15 stolen bases rank seventh in the Big 12 for the entire season.
- Rachel Zabriskie has struck out 179 batters this season, ranked seventh in the Big 12. Her 31 batters fanned in league play is tied for seventh.
- The Cyclones have struggled in 2011 in bases-loaded situations. The team is 13-of-54 (.241) overall this year and 0-for-7 in league competition.
- Pinch hitting has also been a challenge for Iowa State who is 1-for-23 this year. The only hit was by Harms.
- Big 12 leadoff hitters have done well against Iowa State this season, hitting .413.
- Torrescano has 11 doubles on the year, tied for sixth in the Big 12. 10 times out of 11 when Torrescano hits a double, Iowa State has gone on to win the game.
Getting to Know No. 17 Baylor
- The Bears lead the all-time series, which dates to 1980, 19-10.
- The Cyclones last win over Baylor was in 2008 when Iowa State knocked the Bears out of the Big 12 Tournament in the first round by the score of 6-4 in 10 innings, with freshman Rachel Zabriskie getting the win.
- 2008 was a good year for Iowa State against Baylor. During the regular season the Cyclones split the series, played in Waco. After being shutout in game one, 5-0, the Cyclones rallied on day two to defeat 15th-ranked Bears, 2-1. Zabriskie was the winner of the second game.
- Iowa State lost three games against Baylor in 2010, including a 15-4 loss in the first round of what would be the final Big 12 Championship Tournament.
- This season, the Bears are 36-11 overall and are one game over .500 in the Big 12 at 7-6.
- Senior Dani Leal leads the Bears on offense, hitting .373 this season with a team-high 13 home runs and 90 total bases.
- Kathy Shelton ranks third in the Big 12 with 29 stolen bases this season, including nine thefts in conference play.
- Thanks to Shelton and three other players with 10 or more stolen bases, the Bears rank 11th in the country with 2.09 stolen bases per game.
- Pitching has been the star for Baylor. The team ERA of 1.52 is 9th in the nation and third in the Big 12 this season, trailing No. 3 Texas and No. 8 Missouri.
- Redshirt sophomore Whitney Canion is the ace of the Baylor staff at 20-8 on the year and boasting a 1.24 ERA, fourth in the Big 12. In conference play, Canion drops to 6-5 while keeping her ERA low at 1.70.
- Canion has 223 strikeouts on the year, 81 against Big 12 batters. She has allowed only 31 earned runs in 175.1 innings of work but has again struggled against the powerhouses of the Big 12, giving up 18 earned runs in 74 innings.
Zabriskie in Elite Company
• Senior pitcher Rachel Zabriskie is the only Iowa State student-athlete to ever eclipse 700 strikeouts. Zabriskie is not only the Iowa State al-time strikeouts leader, but also ranks among the top 10 all-time Big 12 strikeout leaders. Zabriskie broke into the elite ranks of the conference leaders pitching against Minnesota on April 7, 2011.
Big 12 Strikeout Leaders
1 2,265 Cat Osterman Texas, 2002-03, 05-06
2. 1,226 Amanda Renfro Texas Tech, 1998-2001
3. 1,151 Lauren Bay Oklahoma State, 2000-03
4. 988 Meagan Denny Texas, 2005-08
5. 945 Peaches James Nebraska, 2001-04
6. 936 Ashley DeBuhr Nebraska, 2004-07
7. 865 Stephanie Falk Missouri, 1998-2001
8. 858 Leigh Ann Walker Nebraska, 1999-2002
9. 845 Jessica Hoppock Oklahoma State, 1996-97, 1999-2000
10. 799 Rachel Zabriskie Iowa State, 2008-
Tinkering with the Lineup
Employing a new-look team in 2011, head coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler is constantly tweaking her lineup to find the best look against an upcoming opponent. As a result, only three players have played at least 30 of the team's 41 games in the same position and only the first four batters have 25 games or more at the same spot in the batting order, which has left third baseman Dalyn Varela leading the batting at both the third and fifth spots.
Lineup Leaders by Position
Pitcher - Rachel Zabriskie, 29 games
Catcher - Amandine Habben, 31 games
First base - Erica Miller, 20 games
Second base - Sara Rice, 22 games
Third base - Dalyn Varela, 21 games
Shortstop - Sara Davison, 40 games
Left field - Kelsey Enslin, 14 games
Center field - Heidi Kidwell, 41 games
Right field - Anna Cole, 25 games
Designated player - Tori Torrescano, 29 games
Lineup Leaders by Batting Order
Leadoff - Heidi Kidwell, 38 games
2nd spot - Sara Davison, 25 games
3rd spot - Dalyn Varela, 25 games
Cleanup - Tori Torrescano, 28 games
5th spot - Dalyn Varela, 16 games
6th spot - Anna Cole, 15 games
7th spot - Amandine Habben, 16 games
8th spot - Sara Rice, 13 games
9th spot - Kelsey Enslin, 14 games
Watch Kidwell Run
• Junior outfielder Heidi Kidwell sits seventh all-time at Iowa State with 29 career stolen bases. In 2011, Kidwell is 15-19 in steals through 41 games and there's a pattern emerging when trying to predict Kidwell's next theft.
SB after leading off an inning: 11-14
SB when not leading off an inning: 4-5
SB with no outs: 11-14
SB with 1 out: 2-3
SB with 2 outs: 2-2
Davison Lights up Freshman Season
• Shortstop Sara Davison has been hot all season long for Iowa State, hitting .311 after 41 games, fifth-best on the team. The only freshman to start or play in all games this season, Davison has dropped below .300 only five times, never hitting below .289.
Among the Cyclones, Davison is tied for first in sacrifice hits (6), second in doubles (5) and ranks third in runs scored (25), fifth in both at bats (106) and hits (33). She also is 4-for-4 in stolen bases
Players Mentioned
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OF
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