Cyclones To Host No. 14 Oklahoma State This Weekend

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CYCLONE NOTEBOOK
1. The Iowa State softball team (23-15, 1-5 Big 12) returns to conference action this weekend with a three-game series vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State (29-11, 7-2 Big 12) at the Cyclone Sports Complex. The series begins Friday at 4 p.m. Every game of the series will be broadcast live by Cyclones.tv. Admission is free to this weekend's games.

2. The Cyclones, winners of five straight, are coming off a 2-0 win over Iowa in the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk rivalry game. Iowa State has won four of the last five meetings against the Hawkeyes and improved to 42-36-2 in the all-time series.

3. Junior Sami Williams has established herself among the nation's premier offensive weapons. She is one of just two players in the country with at least a .400 batting avg., 15 doubles and 11 home runs this season. Williams is the only player from a Power 5 conference with these numbers.

4. Through 38 games, Williams has already put up unprecedented numbers for the Cardinal & Gold. She is the first player in program history to record 11+ home runs and 14+ doubles in the same season. She is four home runs shy of breaking ISU's single-season home runs record (14) and six doubles shy of breaking her own single-season doubles record (20).

5. Senior Kaylee Bosworth was named the Big 12 Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on April 9 after leading the Cyclones to a 4-0 week. Bosworth hit .538 with five RBI, two doubles, a home run and a league-leading seven runs scored on the week.

6. The Cyclone pitching staff, under the tutelage of pitching coach Kate Sinnott, has shown tremendous improvement in 2019. The group's combined ERA of 2.87 is on pace to be the best by an Iowa State staff since 2006 (2.52). Emma Hylen's 2.19 ERA would be the best single-season figure by a Cyclone pitcher since 1999 (Mandy Loushin - 2.01).

7. Iowa State's defense has also made tremendous strides in their second season working with head coach Jamie Pinkerton and assistant Courtney Martinez, who has been charged with tutoring the infield. Iowa State has turned a Big 12-leading 20 double plays on the season, and ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 with a .968 fielding percentage.

8. Williams, a native of Laguna Niguel, Calif., is tied for No. 5 nationally in doubles with 15 on the season. She has already tallied a program-record 49 doubles during her career, breaking the previous all-time mark of 41 on March 8 at Cal Poly.

9. Iowa State's 3-0 weekend vs. ACC foe Georgia Tech was the program's first sweep of a three-game series since May 5-7, 2017 vs. Kansas. Georgia Tech was the first Power 5 opponent in ISU history to come to Ames for a three-game, non-conference series. ISU's final win over the Yellow Jackets was the 1000th in progam history.

10. The Cyclones are in the midst of a nearly-unprecedented home stand right now, as 12 of 13 games during the stretch are slated to be played at the Cyclone Sports Complex. It is just the second time in program history (1999) that 12 of 13 games have been at home. Prior to this stretch, just seven of ISU's 86 contests during the Jamie Pinkerton era had been played at home.

11. Freshman Kasey Simpson made history vs. South Dakota, tying Erica Miller's single-game program record with seven RBI vs. the Coyotes. Simpson, who entered the game with four RBI and no home runs on the season, tallied a grand slam, a solo home run and a game-ending 2-RBI base hit to secure the 9-1 run-rule victory. Simpson's seven RBI vs. South Dakota are the second-most in a single game by any Big 12 player this season.

12. Iowa State's 6-5 win over No. 15 Texas Tech was the program's first victory over a top-15 ranked opponent since March 8, 2013 (vs. No. 8 Oregon). It was also the second win over a nationally-ranked opponent in the Jamie Pinkerton era.

13. Williams continues to climb the ISU career record charts during her junior campaign. The native of Laguna Niguel, Calif., is already No. 2 on Iowa State's all-time list in batting average (.385), No. 1 in doubles (49), No. 4 in home runs (31) and No. 9 in RBI (83). Williams currently ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 in doubles per game at .38. She's also on pace for the third-best single-season batting average in program history (.413).

COMPLETE GAME NOTES
For complete game notes, click here (PDF).

Cyclones To Host No. 14 Oklahoma State This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Kaylee Bosworth

Emma Hylen

Kasey Simpson

Sami Williams

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Iowa State University Athletics

Cyclones To Host No. 14 Oklahoma State This Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kaylee Bosworth

Emma Hylen

Kasey Simpson

Sami Williams

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