Completed Event: Softball versus Iowa on April 21, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 7
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Iowa State University Athletics
Iowa State Softball 2023 Season Primer
02.07.2023 | Softball
AMES, Iowa - 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of Iowa State softball. Here is a guide for fans regarding the upcoming season.
THINGS THAT FANS NEED TO KNOW
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Admission to ALL home games are FREE of charge.
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ISU will host six home series this season. In addition, ISU will play two single mid-week games at home during the 2023 campaign.
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Mid-week games are on Tuesday or Wednesday and weekend series begin on Friday's.
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Friday non-conference matchups begin at 1 p.m. while conference series are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
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Posters will be available in the Jacobson Athletic building for fans to stop in and grab before the first home series of the season.
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The first home game of the season will be on March 17th versus future Big 12 foe BYU.Â
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Two of ISU's six home series are against 2022 national champion Oklahoma and national runner-up Texas.
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There will be promotions and giveaways at home games this season.
ARE YOU FOLLOWING THE CYCLONES?
Instagram | Twitter | FacebookÂ
Above are the links to our social media pages. Our social media pages and cyclones.com are the ways we encourage fans to follow us for updates, news and notes throughout the season.
STATE OF THE PROGRAM
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Iowa State finished with a 28-27 overall record, marking the first time since 1988-1989 that Iowa State has posted back-to-back winning seasons.
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Iowa State's 2023 squad returns 75 percent of its stolen bases from last season, 83 percent of its at-bats and 97 percent of its innings pitched from a season ago.
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Iowa State returns three players who earned All-Big 12 honors last season in Mikayla Ramos (Second Team) and Carli Spelhaug (Second Team) and Angelina Allen (Freshman).
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Mikayla Ramos was named to the Extra Innings Extra Elite Top 100 list entering the season. Ramos was number 76 on the list.
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The Cyclones finished fourth in Big 12 regular season conference play last season.
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Iowa State ended the 2022 season with a win over Baylor in the first round of the Big 12 tournament before dropping the quarterfinal matchup to eventual national champion Oklahoma 5-0.
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The Cyclones will look to make the NCAA Tournament for the third time in program history (1988, 2021) this season.Â
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PINKERTON FOCUS
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Head Coach Jamie Pinkerton enters his sixth season at ISU.
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Pinkerton enters the 2023 season with a 133-121 overall record as Iowa State's head coach.
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Pinkerton has coached four NCAA Regional squads (Arkansas in 2008 & 2009, Montana in 2017, Iowa State in 2021).
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ROSTER RUNDOWN
Seniors
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Carli Spelhaug - Started 51 of 55 games in left field. Spelhaug finished 2022 with a .313 average while collecting 12 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 19 RBIs. She stole 15 bases on 16 attempts, the 10th most in program history. Spelhaug ended the 2022 season with a .977 career stolen base percentage (43-of-44), tied for the second best among active Division I players.
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Janessa Jasso - Jasso made seven appearances and made three starts as a Junior. She totaled 10.2 innings in the circle and recorded five strikeouts including three scoreless, one-hit innings against Texas Tech.
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Alesia Ranches - Ranches started all 55 games at shortstop last season. She ended 2022 with a .272 average with 41 hits. Ranches recorded nine doubles, a triple and five home runs while carrying a slugging percentage of .444 and reached base at a .362 clip. She finished 2022 with 34 RBIs and scored 25 runs while stealing four bases.
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Kasey Simpson - Simpson started all 55 games at second base last season for the Cyclones. She hit .240 with 36 hits including eight doubles, two triples and five home runs while registering 25 RBIs and scoring 24 runs. She finished the year with six multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games.
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Karlie Charles - Charles made 16 starts and 33 appearances, totaling 91.1 innings in the circle last season. She posted an 8-5 record with a team-best 3.14 ERA as a Junior. She led the Big 12 and ranked 10th nationally with a 7:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio last season. Charles only allowed .84 walks per seven innings, the best in the Big 12 and seventh nationally a year ago.
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Sarah Tyree - Tyree has appeared in 26 games while starting 13. She has collected eight hits, six runs, five RBI, a double and a home run at ISU.
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Makaylin Powers - Enters this season as a Junior. Powers made her first start in 2021 against Kansas City.
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Sophie Maras - Transferred from Iowa. Maras saw action in 45 games last season for the Hawkeyes. She ended 2022 with a .300 batting average featuring 19 runs, 30 hits, and six doubles. Maras registered 14 RBIs and finished the season with a .926 fielding percentage.
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Lea Nelson - Last season, Nelson played in 37 games, primarily as a pinch runner. She made one start and registered three at-bats while stealing 11 bases on 14 attempts and scoring 15 runs as a Junior.
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Angelica Gonzalez - Played in four games as a Junior while tallying two at-bats.
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Ellie Spelhaug - As a Junior, Spelhaug made 41 appearances in the circle, the sixth most in a season in program history. She tallied 16 starts and logged 137.2 innings. Spelhaug finished 2022 with an 11-18 record with a 4.17 ERA and recorded 83 strikeouts.
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Mikayla Ramos - Ramos started all 55 games last season. She was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and NFCA All-Region team. Ramos ended 2022 hitting .301 with 14 home runs, 10 doubles and a triple. Ramos registered 53 RBIs which ranked fifth in the Big 12 and were the third most in a season in program history. She became the only Cyclone to record two seasons of 50-plus RBIs in her career. Her 14 home runs tied for the third most in a season in school history and ranked fifth in the Big 12 last season.
Juniors
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Milaysia Ochoa - Ochoa played in and started all 55 games in right field last season. She hit .276 with 45 hits including a team-high 13 doubles and recorded 36 RBIs.. Her 13 two-baggers were also the eighth-most in the Big 12. Ochoa also registered a triple, four home runs and scored 30 runs a season ago.
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Kali Gose - Last season, Gose Played in 24 games and made 14 starts. She hit .220 with nine hits and a double. Gose scored six runs and collected five RBIs as a Sophomore.
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Natalie Wellet - Wellet played in 30 games and made 19 starts a year ago. She hit .255 with a double, home run and five RBIs last season.
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Kelly Treves - Treves has appeared in four games as a Cyclone and has scored one run during her career.
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Camille Marin - She played in 17 games and made nine starts as a Sophomore. Last season, Marin logged six hits, including a double, and scored two runs and totaled six RBIs on the year.
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Saya Swain - Swain made 31 appearances in the circle last season, 20 of which were starts. She totaled 97.1 innings and compiled an 8-4 record and a 4.32 ERA. She led the pitching staff with 120 strikeouts a season ago.
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Abby Gunter - Last season, Gunter played in nine games. She recorded seven at-bats and logged three hits, including a double. In total, she registered four RBIs on the year.
Sophomores
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Angelina Allen - Allen started all 55 games last season for the Cyclones. She led the team with a .325 average en route to receiving All-Big 12 Freshman Team honors. She ended 2022 with 55 hits, the 10th-most in the Big 12 and second among league freshmen and tallied nine doubles, two triples, four home runs and 31 RBIs.
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Angelita Fuentes - Played in 23 games and made 13 starts as a freshman. Last season, Fuentes hit .257 with a pair of doubles and a home run. She finished the year with five RBIs.
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Olivia Wardlow - Wardlow played in 23 games and made two starts as a freshman. She recorded one hit in seven at-bats and scored eight runs on the year.
Freshmen
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McKenna Andrews - Andrews signed with Iowa State out of Flower Mound High School in Texas. She was named to the 1st Team All-District team twice in high school. She was named to the 2nd Team All-Metroplex team and was named All-Area MVP in 2021. Andrews was nominated for the USA Today Texas Player of the Year as a senior. As a senior at Flower Mound, Andrews hit .416 with 47 hits, 41 RBI's and five home runs.
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Tatum Johnson - Johnson signed with Iowa State out of Chino Hills High School in California. She is a three-time scholar athlete selection. Johnson posted an above .300 average three of her four years of high school.
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Tiana Poole - Poole signed with Iowa State out of Villa Park High School in California. She is a two-time all-league selection and posted a .321 average with 25 hits, 12 RBIs and four home runs in 2022. As a junior, Poole hit .429 with 12 hits, 13 RBIs and three home runs.
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Paige Nakashima - Nakashima signed with Iowa State out of James Campbell High School in Hawaii. As a senior, Nakashima was named to the 2022 All-State First Team and was a 2022 All-OIA Softball Western Division Selection. She hit .441 with 33 RBIs and 13 runs as a senior. As a junior, she hit .517 with 15 RBIs and eight runs.
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Jaiden Ralston - Ralston signed with the Cyclones out of Paso Robles High School in California. In a Covid-shorted season as a sophomore, Ralston went 3-1 with a 0.48 ERA and 35 strikeouts.
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Ashley Minor - Minor signed with Iowa State out of Rockwall High School in Texas. She was ranked 46th in the nation for Legacy and Legends softball. As a senior in high school, Minor was named First-Team All-District, Second Team All-Area, All-Metroplex and set the new home run record for Rockwall High School.
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
The Cyclones begin the 2023 campaign in five consecutive weekend tournaments on the road.
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Doc Halverson UNI Dome Tournament (Cedar Falls, Iowa - Feb. 10-12)
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Teams ISU will play: Omaha, Drake and UNI.
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Fresno State Kickoff Classic (Fresno, Calif. - Feb 17-19)
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Teams ISU will play: UIC, Fresno State and Seattle.
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Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic (Cathedral City, Calif. - Feb 24-26)
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Teams ISU will play: UC-Riverside, Cal Poly, San Diego, Utah and Oregon.
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Wooo Pig Classic (Fayetteville, Ark. - March 2-5)
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Teams ISU will play: Arkansas, Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and North Texas.
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Rainbow Wahine Classic (Manoa, Hawaii - March 10-12)Â
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Teams ISU will play: Fordham, Niagara and Hawaii.
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After five consecutive weekend tournaments, the Cyclones will welcome future Big 12 foe BYU (March 17) and Omaha (March 19) to Cyclone Sports Complex for a pair of doubleheaders to open up the 2023 home slate.
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BYU 2022 record: 42-10
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Omaha 2022 record: 32-14
ISU will then take a quick trip to Lincoln, Nebraska for its first mid-week game of the year against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Afterwards, Iowa State will turn its attention toward a three game series against the defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners at Cyclone Sports Complex from March 24-26.Â
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Nebraska 2022 record: 41-16
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Oklahoma 2022 record: 59-3
Following the matchup with the Sooners, Iowa State will travel to Lubbock for a weekend series against Texas Tech (March 31-Apr. 2) before traveling to Cedar Falls to play UNI in a non-conference mid-week game on February 4th.
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Texas Tech 2022 record: 22-27
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UNI 2022 record: 32-13
After its trip to Cedar Falls, Iowa State returns home for four-straight games. ISU will host national runner-up Texas for a three game series (Apr. 6-8) before welcoming the South Dakota State Jackrabbits to Cyclone Sports Complex for a home mid-week game on April 11.
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Texas' 2022 record: 47-22-1
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SDSU 2022 record: 41-13
Iowa State follows up its four-game homestand with a three-game series in Stillwater, Oklahoma against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls on April 14-16.
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Oklahoma State 2022 record: 48-14
Following its trip to Stillwater, the Cyclones have five days off before it hosts the Colorado State Rams in their lone non-conference three game series of the season on April 21-22.
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Colorado State 2022 record: 18-28
After hosting the Rams, Iowa State travels to Iowa City to face in-state rival Iowa (April 26) in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.
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Iowa 2022 record: 21-31
After facing Iowa, ISU will host its final homestand of the season at Cyclone Sports Complex. First, Iowa State will host Baylor (April 28-30) for the final home Big 12 series of the season before welcoming Drake (May 3) for the last mid-week game of the 2023 season.
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Baylor 2022 record: 32-24
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Drake 2022 record: 21-29
Iowa State wraps up the regular season with a trip to Lawrence for the final series of Big 12 play against the Kansas Jayhawks on May 5-7.
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Kansas 2022 record: 20-36
After the conclusion of regular season play, Iowa State travels to Kansas City for the annual Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship tournament on May 11-13.
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
C/INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballTuesday, May 05
Tuesday, May 05
Tuesday, May 05
Sunday, May 03
