Upcoming Event: Softball versus Omaha on February 6, 2026 at 10 a.m.
10 a.m.
Softball
Omaha
Iowa State University Athletics
Thursday, April 18
Waco, Texas
6:30 PM
Iowa State
at
Baylor
Preview: Cyclones Set For Weekend Series At Baylor
04.17.2019 | Softball
CYCLONE NOTEBOOK
1. The Iowa State softball team (24-18, 1-8 Big 12) resumes Big 12 play this weekend with a three-game series vs. Baylor in Waco, Texas. The Cyclones and Lady Bears will play the series-opener on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. Friday's game will start at 6:30 p.m. and be streamed on FSSW-Plus. Saturday's game is at noon and will be televised by FSSW.
2. The Cyclones are coming off a 2-0 victory over UNI at the Cyclone Sports Complex on Tuesday behind Shannon Mortimer's two-hit shutout. Iowa State is now 2-0 in games vs. in-state foes after taking down Iowa in the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk rivalry contest on April 9.
3. Iowa State is 12-41-0 all-time vs. Baylor in softball. The Cyclones are looking for their first win over the Lady Bears since a 4-1 victory in Waco on April 25, 2015. Baylor has since won 11-straight in the series.
4. Junior Sami Williams has established herself among the nation's premier offensive weapons. She is one of just three players in the country with at least a .395 batting avg., 15 doubles and 11 home runs this season. Williams is the only player from a Power 5 conference with these numbers.
5. Through 42 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).
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 3.17 is on pace to be the best by an Iowa State staff since 2009 (2.73). Shannon Mortimer's 2.58 ERA would be the best single-season figure by a Cyclone pitcher since 2009 (Rachel Zabriskie - 2.37).
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 21 double plays on the season, and ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 with a .967 fielding percentage.
8. 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.
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 program history.
10. The Cyclones just completed a nearly-unprecedented home stand, playing 11 of their last 12 games at the Cyclone Sports Complex. Iowa State went 7-5 during the stretch, including its first win over a top-15 ranked team since 2008, taking down No. 15 TTU, 6-5. Prior to that stretch, just seven of ISU's 86 contests during the Jamie Pinkerton era had been played at home.
11. 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 (.381), No. 1 in doubles (49), No. 4 in home runs (31) and No. 9 in RBI (83). Williams currently ranks T-No. 1 in the Big 12 in doubles per game at .36. She's also on pace for the sixth-best single-season batting average in program history (.396).
12. 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.
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
For complete game notes, click here (PDF).
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
RHP
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INF
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IF
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