Cyclones Set To Take On No. 2 Oklahoma

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State Softball team (18-21, 1-5 Big 12) is on the road this weekend for a three-game series vs. No. 2 Oklahoma (31-2, 6-0 Big 12) in Norman. The Cyclones and Sooners will play a doubleheader on Sunday starting at noon, and will play the series finale on Monday at noon. The series was originally set to be played at the Cyclone Sports Complex, but was moved to OU's Marita Hynes Field due temperatures forecasted to be below the threshold required by Big 12 rules.

vs. Oklahoma
Where: Norman, Okla.
When: Sunday, April 8 – Monday, April 9
Live Stats: Live stats will be available on the schedule page here.
Watch: All of this weekend's games will be broadcast live on SoonerSports.tv.
Live Updates: Follow @CycloneSB on Twitter for live in-game updates from the field.

Cyclone Headlines
-Iowa State has a 28-77-0 all-time record against Oklahoma in a series that dates back to 1978. The Cyclones last defeated the Sooners on April 22, 2006 in Ames, Iowa.

-The Cyclones will look to bounce back from an 0-3 weekend vs. Texas at the Cyclone Sports Complex. Nychole Antillon was a bright spot in the ISU lineup, going 5-of-10 at the plate on the weekend with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.

-Last time Iowa State was in the state of Oklahoma it pulled off its biggest win of the season, defeating No. 24 Oklahoma State in a 12-inning thriller in Stillwater, 5-4, on March 25. 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. It was ISU's second-largest come-from-behind win of the season (5-run deficit vs. Omaha).

-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. 67 in this week's RPI rankings.

-Sami Williams is once again powering the Cyclone offense, leading Iowa State in hits (51), runs (27), home runs (9), RBIs (20) and total bases (88). The sophomore also leads the Big 12 in hits, while her .398 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.

-Sydney Stites, a transfer from Montana, has adjusted well to Big 12 play in her first season as a Cyclone. Stites is hitting .350 in conference play while leading the team in runs (4), home runs (2), total bases (13).

-First-year head coach Jamie Pinkerton has the Cyclones playing their best in tight games. With a 5-4 12-inning victory over Oklahoma State on March 25, Iowa State improved to 4-0 in extra-inning games, and is now 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.

-Pitcher Emma Hylen had one of the finest performances of her career in ISU's win over the Cowgirls. Hylen, a junior, entered in relief in the bottom of the fifth inning and proceeded to shut down OSU's explosive offense. Hylen held the Cowgirls scoreless on just five hits with two strikeouts in 8.0 innings of work. Dating back to last season, Hylen has been the pitcher of record in five of ISU's last six conference victories.

-Taylor Nearad, a junior college transfer from Kirkwood, is tied for13th in NCAA DI in doubles this season with 13. She also hit the first home run of her Cyclone career in the top of the 12th inning to lift Iowa State past No. 24 Oklahoma State. Nearad made history in ISU's 7-3 victory over North Texas, tying a single-game school record with three doubles in the contest. Nearad went 3-of-4 at the plate and scored a run while becoming the fourth Cyclone ever to record three doubles in one game.

-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.

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Players Mentioned

Nychole Antillon

Emma Hylen

Taylor Nearad

Savannah Sanders

Logan Schaben

Sydney Stites

Brianna Weilbacher

Sami Williams

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Iowa State University Athletics