Cyclones Continue Big 12 Action At Texas Tech

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State Softball team (19-24, 1-8 Big 12) returns to conference action this weekend with a three-game series vs. Texas Tech (21-22, 1-11 Big 12). The Cyclones and Red Raiders will open the series on Friday at 3 p.m. at Rocky Johnson Field. Game two is set for Saturday at 4 p.m., followed by the finale on Sunday at 12 p.m.

vs. Texas Tech
Where: Lubbock, Texas
When: Friday, April 20 – Sunday, April 22
Live Stats: Live stats will be available on the schedule page here.
Watch: The game will be broadcast live by TexasTech.TV ($)
Live Updates: Follow @CycloneSB on Twitter for live in-game updates from the field.

Cyclone Headlines
-Iowa State is 18-35-0 all-time vs. Texas Tech in a series that dates back to 1984. The Red Raiders swept a three-game series at the Cyclone Sports Complex a year ago, and also defeated ISU 1-0 on May 13, 2017 at the Big 12 Championship. Iowa State's last win over TTU came on April 22, 2016 at Rocky Johnson Field in an 8-6 Cyclone victory.

-The Cyclones have been off since April 12 due to cancellations caused by weather, and are looking to build on a win over UNI in the UNI-Dome. Iowa State defeated the hosting Panthers 10-7 in a back-and-forth extra-inning affair. The Cyclones, who exploded for 14 hits in the game, tallied their best offensive output since March 17 vs. Tulsa.

-First-year head coach Jamie Pinkerton has the Cyclones playing their best in tight games. With the 10-7 eight-inning victory over UNI on April 13, Iowa State improved to 5-0 in extra-inning games, and is also 8-3 in games decided by one run. Last season, Iowa State was 1-2 in extra innings and 8-7 in games games decided by one run.

-The NCAA released the first RPI rankings of the season on March 20. Iowa State was ranked No. 57 on March 27, the program's best standing since the NCAA began to release weekly RPIs in 2011. The Cyclones are No. 60 in this week's RPI rankings.

-Sami Williams needs two more hits to join the Iowa State's single-season top 10 for the second consecutive season. Williams tallied 66 base hits as a freshman to tie for fifth on ISU's season charts. She is on pace to become just the second player in program history to appear on the single-season hits chart multiple times (Brittany Gomez).

-Williams is once again powering the Cyclone offense, leading Iowa State in hits (58), runs (31), home runs (9), RBIs (23) and total bases (98). The sophomore is third in the Big 12 in hits, while her .387 batting average ranks ninth among league hitters. As a freshman, Williams was named to the 2017 All-Big 12 First Team. She was one of three freshmen to garner first team accolades and is just the second newcomer in program history to be named to the first team. She is also a finalist for the 2017 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year.

-Taylor Nearad is T-No. 18 nationally and T-No.1 in the Big 12 with 14 doubles on the season. The junior from Solon, Iowa, is already T-No. 4 on Iowa State's single-season doubles list, needing seven to pass the school record set by Sami Williams in 2017. Nearad tied the single-game school record with three doubles on March 14 vs. North Texas.

-Nychole Antillon's solo home run in game one vs. OU marked the first run given up by Sooner ace Paige Parker in her last 41 2/3 innings of action. Iowa State also scored first-inning runs in games two and three of the series. Oklahoma has not allowed a run in the first inning against any other opponent this season. Iowa State tallied five runs in game two vs. OU, the most runs the Sooners have allowed thus far in 2018.

-On March 25, ISU pulled off its biggest win of the season, defeating No. 24 Oklahoma State in a 12-inning thriller in Stillwater, 5-4. It was the program's first win over a top-25 team since 4/25/2015 vs. No. 16 Baylor. The Cyclones trailed 4-0 after five innings, but got home runs by Logan Schaben and Sydney Stites in the top of the seventh, and a solo home run by Taylor Nearad in the 12th inning to complete the comeback.

-Senior pitcher Brianna Weilbacher was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week following a dominant weekend at the Osprey Classic. On the week, Weilbacher recorded a 0.00 ERA in 15.0 innings pitched with 22 strikeouts for a league-leading 10.27 strikeouts per seven innings. Iowa State has three pitchers on its roster (Emma Hylen, Savannah Sanders and Brianna Weilbacher) that have won Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors during their career. That's tied with Oklahoma for the most in the Big 12.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Nychole Antillon

Brittany Gomez

Emma Hylen

Taylor Nearad

Savannah Sanders

Logan Schaben

Sydney Stites

Brianna Weilbacher

Sami Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics