Cyclones To Host No. 1 Oklahoma This Weekend

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CYCLONE NOTEBOOK
1. The Iowa State softball team (28-18, 4-8 Big 12) returns to conference play with a three-game series this weekend vs. No. 1 Oklahoma (42-2, 12-0 Big 12) at the Cyclone Sports Complex. The series begins with a doubleheader on Friday, starting at 2 p.m. Every game of the series will be broadcast live by Cyclones.tv.

2. Oklahoma will bring the longest winning streak in the nation to Ames this weekend, having won 32 games in a row. It is the longest winning streak in program history. The Sooners' last loss was on Feb. 22, 2019 vs. UCLA at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. Oklahoma has also won 37 straight games in Big 12 play, dating back to April 23, 2017.

3. This weekend will mark Iowa State's third, fourth and fifth meetings vs. a No. 1-ranked foe this season, the most ever in a single season in school history. Iowa State is 0-12 all-time vs. No. 1-ranked opponents dating back to 1995. The program's last triumph over a top-3 team came on April 24, 2005 (1-0 at No. 3 Texas).

4. Iowa State hit four home runs in its 13-6 extra-inning victory at Omaha on Wednesday, tied for the second-most in a single game in program history. Sami Williams, Kaylee Bosworth, Sally Woolpert and Logan Schaben all went yard to lead ISU to its fifth-consecutive win.

5. The Cyclones are looking to continue momentum built last weekend in a three-game sweep at Baylor. It was Iowa State's first series sweep of the Lady Bears since 2003, and the first three-game road conference series sweep in program history.

6. Iowa State is No. 51 in the weekly RPI rankings, released by the NCAA. No. 51 would be the highest RPI finish in program history. The Cyclones were ranked No. 44 on April 8, 2019, which was the highest weekly RPI ranking ever achieved by Iowa State.

7. Senior pitcher Emma Hylen was named the College Sports Madness Big 12 Player of the Week following a dominant weekend in Waco. Hylen went 2-0 vs. Baylor with a 0.60 ERA and a complete game victory in two appearances. The native of Roseville, Minn., closed out the series by surrendering just one hit with three strikeouts in 4.2 innings of relief work. Hylen is the second Cyclone to earn College Sports Madness weekly honors this season (Kaylee Bosworth - April 9).

8. Hylen, already Iowa State's career leader in saves with nine, continues to climb Iowa State's all-time rankings in several categories. Her 40 career wins are No. 5 in ISU history. She is also among the all-time leaders in appearances (No. 3- 136), games started (No. 6 - 71) innings pitched (No. 5 - 507.1) and strikeouts (No. 10 - 290).

9. Junior Sami Williams has established herself among the nation's premier offensive weapons. She is one of just four players in the country with at least a .390 batting avg., 16 doubles and 12 home runs this season. Williams is the only player from a Power 5 conference with these numbers.

10. Through 45 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 three home runs shy of breaking ISU's single-season home runs record (14) and five doubles shy of breaking her own single-season doubles record (20).

11. The Cyclone pitching staff, under the tutelage of pitching coach Kate Sinnott, has shown tremendous improvement in 2019. The group's combined ERA of 3.04 is on pace to be the best by an Iowa State staff since 2009 (2.73). Emma Hylen's 2.76 ERA would be the best single-season figure by a Cyclone pitcher since 2010 (Rachel Zabriskie - 2.74).

12. Senior Savannah Sanders is also climbing Iowa State's all-time pitching charts. The native of Mt. Juliet, Tenn., is No. 3 in school history with 77 career starts, No. 4 in games pitched with 119 and No. 10 in innings pitched with 433.0. Sanders is also No. 12 in all-time strikeouts with 265.

13. Iowa State's defense has 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 22 double plays on the season, and ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 with a .968 fielding percentage.

14. 2019 is the first season in program history that Iowa State has swept two Power 5 opponents (Baylor & Georgia Tech) in a three-game series.

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

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Players Mentioned

Kaylee Bosworth

Emma Hylen

Savannah Sanders

Logan Schaben

Sami Williams

Sally Woolpert

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