Cyclones Set For Aquafina Invite At No. 2 Florida

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State softball team will head to Gainesville, Fla. this weekend to compete in the 2018 Aquafina Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida.

The tournament, which will be played at Katie Seashole Pressley Stadium, will pit Iowa State against Georgia Southern (8:00 a.m. CT) and Maryland (10:30 a.m) on Friday. The Cyclones will battle No. 2 Florida (3:30 p.m.) and Illinois State (6:00 p.m.) on Saturday. Iowa State will once again face the No. 2 Gators to close out the tournament on Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

The Cyclones will look to build on a strong performance at the 2018 Marucci Desert Classic a week ago, going 4-1 at the tournament.

Aquafina Invitational
Where: Gainesville, Fla. – Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium
When: Friday, Feb. 23 – Sunday, Feb. 25
Live Stats: Live stats will be available on the schedule page here.
Live Updates: Follow @CycloneSB on Twitter for live in-game updates from the field.

Cyclone Headlines
-The Cyclones went 4-1 last weekend at the 2018 Marucci Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. Iowa State defeated two NCAA regional teams from a season ago in BYU and San Jose State. Iowa State is now 3-0 this season in games vs. 2017 NCAA Regional qualifiers, after opening the season with a 1-0 victory over Saint Francis.

-Junior catcher Kaylee Bosworth had one of the finest weekends of her Cyclone career. The native of Manvel, Texas, hit .357 with six RBIs and three home runs in four games, all of which were Iowa State wins. Bosworth, who entered the weekend with six career home runs, went yard in three consecutive games to close the tournament, leading ISU past BYU, Nevada and San Jose State. Her three home runs were tied for the most in the Big 12 this week.

-With Iowa State trailing BYU 3-2 and down to its final out in the top of the seventh inning, Bosworth crushed a two-run home run over the scoreboard in left field, lifting the Cyclones past the defending West Coast Conference champion Cougars. Bosworth's two run shot later in the day vs. Nevada also proved to be the difference in a 6-5 victory. To close the weekend, Bosworth notched a career-high three hits on four at-bats with a solo homer vs. San Jose State.

-Junior pitcher Savannah Sanders shined at the Marucci Desert Classic, going 2-0 in four appearances on the weekend. Sanders entered in relief and helped guide the Cyclones past both BYU and Nevada to pick up her first two victories of teh season. She held opposing hitters to just a .185 batting average in 7.0 innings in Las Vegas.

-Sami Williams logged the second walk-off hit of her career in the season-opener, sending the Cyclones to a 1-0 win against Saint Francis. With the game-winning run on third base thanks to the international tiebreaker rule, Williams sent an RBI base hit through the left side, scoring Hannah Carter to end the game in the bottom of the eighth inning.

-Iowa State's 12-4 victory over 2017 Mountain West champion San Jose State was its best offensive performance of the season. The Cyclones racked up season-highs in hits (17) and runs (12) with a season-low amount of strikeouts (1). The Cyclones have 16 multi-hit performances this season, six of which came in the win over SJSU. Bosworth and Nychole Antillon both went 3-of-4 in the outing.

-Sami Williams is once again powering the Cyclone offense, leading Iowa State in hits (13), runs (7), RBIs (8) and total bases (22), and is tied for the most doubles (3). As a freshman, Williams was named to the 2017 All-Big 12 First Team. She was one of three freshmen to garner first team accolades and is just the second newcomer in program history to be named to the first team. She is also a finalist for the 2017 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year.

-Iowa State bolstered its roster with the addition of three transfers: 2016 Big Sky Freshman of the Year Sydney Stites (Montana), two-time Junior College National Player of the Year Taylor Nearad (Kirkwood) and NSAA Co-Newcomer of the Year Hannah Carter (Bellevue). All three have started every game this season and have been featured prominently in the ISU batting order

-Williams, Lewis and Antillon all hit home runs in the first inning of Iowa State's 10-2 run-rule victory over Presbyterian. The three home runs are tied for the third-most single-game home runs in school history.

-2018 marks Jamie Pinkerton's debut season as Iowa State's head coach. Pinkerton returned to Ames after serving as an assisant coach with the Cyclones from 2010-2013, during which Iowa State's offense excelled under his tutelage. The 2013 Cyclones set schools records for runs (284), home runs (40), RBI (253) and walks (166). Pinkerton left to start Montana's softball program from scratch following the 2013 season.

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Players Mentioned

Nychole Antillon

Kaylee Bosworth

Hannah Carter

Taylor Nearad

Savannah Sanders

Sydney Stites

Sami Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics