Depth On Display For ISU Heading Into 2019 Season

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head softball coach Jamie Pinkerton enters his second season at the program's helm and, for Cyclone fans, there are ample reasons for excitement about the trajectory of the program.

In his first season as head coach with assistants Courtney Martinez and Kate Sinnott, Pinkerton signed the highest-rated recruiting class in ISU history, coached a rejuvenated Cyclone offense that broke the school record for home runs and secured a postseason bid to the 2018 Big 12 Championship.

Following a promising 6-2 fall campaign that included a road win over Wisconsin, a 2018 NCAA Regional team, it appears the fruit of that labor will be more apparent than ever during the upcoming season. Much of the reason for optimism is due to added depth that Pinkerton and his staff so crave in their offensive lineup.

"The fall went well and I was really pleased with what we did offensively at times," Pinkerton said. "There was obviously room to improve in all areas, but offensively I think we're going to be better just for the simple fact that we're going to be better one-through-nine. The depth definitely looks better offensively. I thought we got a good feel against teams like Drake and Wisconsin that we can compete as long as we do our jobs and stay within ourselves."

Optimism for a Cyclone offense that surprised even Pinkerton himself a season ago by erupting for 45 home runs, the most ever hit by an ISU squad, is not unfounded. Iowa State returns six of its top seven offensive threats, including All-Big 12 selection Sami Williams and senior Sydney Stites.

However, perhaps the most shocking aspect of last year's offensive revelation was the fact that the Cyclones, who hit 28 home runs the season before Pinkerton's arrival, did so short-handed.

Iowa State was without two of its top offensive weapons in 2018, with Kelsey McFarland missing the entire year and Talyn Lewis appearing in just nine contests before a season-ending injury of her own. McFarland is a 2017 All-Midwest Region player who hit .345 as a junior and has 15 career home runs. Lewis hit six dingers while starting all 58 games as a true freshman in 2017 and figures to be among the most formidable threats in ISU's lineup. Both are set to make full returns for the 2019 campaign.

"Last year we struggled further down the lineup," Pinkerton said. "Adding in Talyn and Kelsey gives us protection in the middle of the order. McFarland was already a known commodity, but after being off a year, I thought she came in and read the ball well in the outfield. Offensively, I thought she had a really good fall and hit the ball hard. She sprayed the ball around the park, to the opposite field and gap-to-gap."

The Cyclones will also return a healthy Kirsten Caudle, who looks to provide ISU a boost in the outfield and as a multi-faceted offensive weapon. Add in a freshman contingent that was ranked the nation's No. 34 recruiting class (FloSoftball) from a season ago, and the reasons for optimism are clear. Still, the Cyclones' ever-diligent coach would prefer to focus on ways to improve, rather than on the positive steps the program has made over the past 12 months.

"When you look on paper I feel positive that we've improved the roster, but on paper doesn't mean anything," Pinkerton said. "We have to continue to get better and elevate that."

One specific area ISU's head coach sees opportunity for growth is the pitching staff. In the circle, Iowa State returns the senior duo of Emma Hylen and Savannah Sanders to a group that saw marked growth in their first year under pitching coach Kate Sinnott's tutelage. However, the Cyclones will have to fill the shoes of the hard-throwing Brianna Weilbacher, who had the best season of her career as a senior in 2018.

When projecting next year's pitching rotation, Pinkerton certainly figures to lean on Sanders and Hylen, but also pointed newcomers Tatum Ksiazek, a transfer from Marshall, and freshmen Emily Guerra and Shannon Mortimer as providing more options than ISU had a season ago.

"We've still got to figure out a way to replace Bri (Weilbacher)," Pinkerton said. "We need the upward trend that we saw with the pitching staff with cutting down on walks and we obviously need Savannah and Emma to stay healthy and carry the load until Tatum comes up to speed and the younger pitchers get their feel for Division I softball on an everyday basis. We're going to be deeper as a pitching staff, but I don't know if you can replace the power that Bri had."

Added depth in year two of the Pinkerton era will not only give the Cyclones versatility, it has also helped build a culture of accountability and competition in practice that bodes well for the program moving forward. The freshman class will be vying for playing time, and ISU's coach thinks that will push everyone to compete at a higher level.

"It's shown in practice already that you're going to have to continue to get better," Pinkerton said. "A lot of teams in the past could say, 'we're not going to deal with Sami and Sydney' and hope they could try to maneuver their way through the rest of our lineup. Now it's tougher for opponents to pick their poison."

The Cyclones are set to open their 2019 campaign on Feb. 8, 2019 in Tallahassee, Fla., at a tournament hosted by defending national champion Florida State.

Players Mentioned

Kirsten Caudle

Emma Hylen

Talyn Lewis

Kelsey McFarland

Savannah Sanders

Sydney Stites

Brianna Weilbacher

Sami Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics