Cyclones Bound For Samford/UAB Tournament

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State Softball team (7-3) will look to build on its five-game winning streak this weekend, as the Cyclones travel to Birmingham, Alabama to compete in the Samford/UAB Tournament.

The event, which runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, will feature the Cyclones taking on Indiana, Samford, UAB and Murray State. Iowa State will play one game against each team.

The Cyclones are coming off their first undefeated weekend since the 2015 season after sweeping Tennessee State's Tiger Classic with a 5-0 record.

Samford/UAB Tournament
Where: Birmingham, Alabama – Samford Stadium/Mary Bowers Field
When: Friday, Feb. 24 – Sunday, Feb. 26
Live Stats: Live stats will be provided by the host institutions, Samford and UAB
Video Stream: A live video stream will be available for Iowa State's games vs. Samford (Friday - 1 p.m.) and UAB (Saturday – 5:30 p.m.). Those links can be found on the schedule page.
Live Updates: Follow @CycloneSB on Twitter for live in-game updates from the field.

Cyclone Headlines
-The Iowa State softball team (7-3) is headed to Birmingham, Alabama to take part in the Samford/UAB Tournament Feb. 24-26. The Cyclones will play games against Indiana, Samford, UAB and Murray State over the weekend.

-Iowa State went 5-0 last weekend at the Tiger Classic in Nashville, Tenn., hosted by Tennessee State. The Cyclones swept a trio of games against the Tigers, and also took a pair of games off of Alabama A&M.

-ISU swept the Big 12 weekly softball awards following their first undefeated weekend since 2015. Sophomore Emma Hylen was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, while freshman Sami Williams was named Big 12 Player of the Week.

-Hylen went 1-0 with two saves on the weekend, including a career-high 11 strikeouts in Iowa State's 5-1 win over Alabama A&M. The sophomore gave up just 5 hits and no earned runs in 11.1 innings of work over the weekend.

-Williams went 6-of-14 at the plate at the Tiger Classic with three home runs and two doubles. The freshman, who has started every game this season at second base, also racked up a team-high nine RBIs at the tournament.

-The Cyclones set a single-game school record by scoring 21 runs in their victory over Alabama A&M on Feb. 18. The previous record of 20 runs was set on May 22, 1976 vs. Drake.

-Kelsey McFarland's junior campaign is off to a strong start. The New Prague, Minn. native ranks among the top-50 nationally and No. 2 in the Big 12 with a .536 batting average. McFarland leads the team with 15 hits and has stolen four bases in 10 games, after stealing one all of last season.

-The Iowa State pitching staff currently ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 with 77 strikeouts on the season, led by 35 from Savannah Sanders. Bri Weilbacher also ranks No. 2 in the nation in strikeouts per seven innings. She has struck out 19 batters in 10 innings of work.

-The Cyclone infield has had an infusion of youth, with three freshmen (Sami Williams - 2B, Logan Schaben - SS and Talyn Lewis - 1B/3B) starting every game this season. Freshman Jaiden Johnson also got a start at the designated player position and has seen extensive action as a pinch hitter.

-Jamie Trachsel is in her first seaon as Iowa State's head coach after serving six years as co-head coach at North Dakota State. While at NDSU, Trachsel coached the Bison to five NCAA Regionals and 10 conference championships (five regular season, five postseason).

Players Mentioned

Emma Hylen

Jaiden Johnson

Talyn Lewis

Kelsey McFarland

Savannah Sanders

Logan Schaben

Sami Williams

Sponsors

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