PRIMER: Iowa State vs. No. 22 UCF

Who: Iowa State (31-21, 8-13 Big 12) vs. UCF (36-14-1, 12-8-1 Big 12)

Where: Cyclone Softball Complex (2,000) – Ames, Iowa

When: May 1 – 4 pm // May 2 – 1 pm // May 3 – 11 am

Leading Off
Iowa State will wrap up the regular season this weekend against UCF in its eighth and final Big 12 series of the year. The Cyclones will look to win their third conference series of the year and qualify for the Big 12 Tournament.

ISU enters the weekend having won three midweek contests against St. Thomas (twice) and Drake. The Cyclones bested St. Thomas in a Tuesday doubleheader before downing Drake on Wednesday for the second time this season. Iowa State finished the year 8-1 in midweek action.

UCF's most recent action came last Saturday, when the Knights dropped their second of two contests against No. 5 Florida. The teams met April 24 in Gainesville, with Florida winning 7-0 before facing off the next day in Orlando, with the Gators again winning 7-0.

Weekend Promotions:
Friday: Bark in the Park - you can register your dog here
Sunday: Senior Day - ISU's seniors will be recognized postgame

Scouting the Cyclones
Iowa State's offense is led by senior standout Reagan Bartholomew, who leads the team in batting average (.422), runs (54), hits (68), homers (15) and walks (31). Bartholomew is eighth in the Big 12 in batting average and fourth in hits.

Jessie Clemons (fifth - 67) and Tatum Johnson (eighth - 63) also rank in the conference's top ten hitters and are second and third, respectively, on the team in the category. Clemons leads the country in doubles with 22, while Johnson leads the team in RBI with 46. Johnson (11), as well as Kadence Shepherd (12) and Sydney Malott (10), are the only Cyclones outside of Bartholomew with double-figure homers.

In the circle, five Cyclones have seen action. Jaiden Ralston leads the way with a team-low ERA of 4.18. Lauren Schurman has hurled 136.1 innings, a team-high, and owns 75 punchouts, also a team-high. Freshmen Liv Palumbo (6-3) and Hailey Holtz (0-0), as well as Michigan State transfer Ava Mullen (4-5), round out the staff for ISU.

The Cyclones own a .327 batting average and have produced 352 runs on 458 hits. The team has 180 extra-base hits with 326 RBI and has drawn 208 walks. ISU holds a collective 5.14 ERA and fields the ball at a .974 clip.

Opponent Outlook
UCF's hit leader, Sierra Humphreys (53), also leads the team in batting average with a .366. Her 49 RBI are tied for a team-best with Izzy Mertes, who also leads the team in doubles with 15. Kendall Yarnell and Beth Damon make up the final pieces of a Knight quartet that has 47 of the team's 60 homers.

The Knights have one of the deepest pitching staffs in the conference, but it starts and ends with sophomore Isabella Vega. Vega holds a 2.51 ERA and is 16-7 on the year with 86 strikeouts in 128.1 innings pitched. UCF's second-most seasoned pitcher, Ava Stuewe, has a 3.50 ERA and has hurled 56 innings.

The Knights own a .318 batting average and have produced 327 runs on 408 hits. The team has 145 extra-base hits with 301 RBI and has drawn 200 walks. UCF holds a collective 2.73 ERA and fields the ball at a .969 clip.

Series History
UCF leads the series history, 6-5, but the Cyclones have won three straight over the Knights. As members of the Big 12, ISU is 4-2 against UCF. The Knights are 2-1 all-time in Ames.

On Deck
Iowa State's postseason fate depends on how they fare this weekend against the Knights. The Cyclones could finish anywhere from sixth to tenth in the conference standings, and only the top eight advance to the Big 12 Tournament in OKC.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Reagan Bartholomew

Jessie Clemons

Hailey Holtz

Tatum Johnson

Sydney Malott

Ava Mullen

Liv Palumbo

Jaiden Ralston

Lauren Schurman

Kadence Shepherd

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics