Completed Event: Softball versus Drake on March 25, 2026 , Win , 6, to, 5 , 8 Inn.
Final
Softball
6
Drake
5
Iowa State University Athletics
Woods-White Savors Chance To Reconnect With ISU Softball
09.26.2016 | Softball
AMES, Iowa – This weekend, Erin Woods-White became the fourth Cyclone softball player in program history to be inducted into the ISU Hall of Fame. Despite her place among the greatest players to ever wear the Cardinal and Gold, the news that she would be inducted still took Woods-White by surprise.
"I was honestly in shock and so humbled by it," Woods-White said. "I was immediately flooded with memories of my teammates and coaching staff and everybody that was part of this. There were so many people that helped me along the way."
Several months after learning she was to be honored by her alma mater, Woods-White received a request from recently-hired ISU head softball coach Jamie Trachsel. That request, for a time, took her mind away from the past memories of her playing days at Iowa State, and replaced them with excitement for the program's future.
Woods-White and the seven other members of the 2016 class were honored with a banquet Friday night in the Sukup End Zone Club, and again Saturday on the field at halftime of the Iowa State-San Jose State football game. However, Trachsel's request to Woods-White culminated in an opportunity that stood out as a particularly special moment for the Cyclone great: The chance to speak to the Iowa State softball team following practice about her journey and the lessons she wanted to pass down to the next generation of Cyclones.
"Coach Trachsel has been wanting to have a connection with the alumni and wanting us to be involved," Woods-White explained. "It was so special to me that she asked me to come talk to the team. For us alumni to see somebody who comes in and buys in right away to being a Cyclone and having a staff that is determined to make this program what it can be, it is so exciting."
For Trachsel and the rest of the ISU staff, the chance to have the only player in program history to have her number retired (#2), a two-time Oympian and former softball coach come speak to their team was a no-brainer.
"We asked Erin to come speak to share her Iowa State and softball career journey with us," Trachsel said. "We wanted her to share her experiences, thoughts, proud moments and lessons learned as a player, teammate, leader and winner. We want to make sure our alumni are proud of who we are and how we represent their program on and off the playing field."
Woods-White did just that, as she shared stories of her life in softball with the team. She offered advice and examples that only someone with her wealth of experience and success could. Her stories ranged from how she, like 2017 Cyclones, went through a coaching change early on in her Cyclone career, to the time she prepared and played for Team Canada in the 2004 Olympic Games while nursing a broken wrist.
"Erin is someone our players can relate to because of their shared experience transitioning from one coaching staff to another," Trachsel said. "Hearing her advice on how to not only adjust but embrace change and the new challenges and expectations that come from a new staff will be helpful to them."
Regardless of the stories Woods-White told, the three-time All-Big 12 honoree (1996, '98, '99) shared her life's lessons with a hopeful eye on the future of the program. Her excitement about the new era of Iowa State softball under Trachsel extends beyond her Cyclone loyalties. Woods-White, who coached Solon to a Class 2A State Softball Title in 2007, is among those in the Iowa high school community who have taken notice of the desire Trachsel and staff have to bring Iowa-grown talent into the program.
"I think the coaching staff that is in place right now is such an amazing group," Woods-White said. "They were very present at the state tournament this year. They're supportive of recruiting Iowa kids, and that's been evident since they got here. To us coaches here in Iowa, it meant a lot to have a staff that sees that there is talent here. It's been amazing. Coach Trachsel wants this program to be successful and it's obvious in everything they are doing."
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