Iowa State Set For I-75 Challenge

AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State softball team travels to The Peach State this weekend to compete in the I-75 Challenge. The Cyclones open the weekend on Friday with a doubleheader at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga. at 12 p.m. CT. On Saturday, a trip north on I-75 will take Iowa State to Bailey Park to face Kennesaw State at 2 p.m. The weekend ends back in Atlanta for a 12 p.m. Sunday first pitch at Georgia State.

Where: Atlanta, Ga. / Kennesaw, Ga.
When: Feb. 29 – March 1
Live Stats: Available here.
Live Stream: Only available for Iowa State vs. Georgia Tech - LINK

CYCLONE NOTEBOOK
1. The Cyclones are coming off a 3-1 weekend at the Gamecock Invitational that included wins over No. 8 Michigan, Boston College and Elon. ISU's lone loss came 5-3 to No. 22 South Carolina.

2. The Cyclones are now 2-0 in their last two games vs. top-10 opponents (5-10-19 vs. No. 8 Texas / 2-22-20 vs. No. 8 Michigan). Iowa State had not previously bested a top-10 team since March 9, 2013.

3. Sami Williams made school history vs. No. 22 South Carolina. The native of Laguna Niguel, Calif. blasted two home runs on the weekend, the second of which broke Iowa State's all-time home run record of 42, previously held by Cyclone great Tori Torrescano (2010-13).

4. Williams was named Big 12 Player of the Week for her performance in Columbia. The senior, who earned a Big 12 weekly honor for the second time in her career, went 7-of-11 (.636 avg.) at the plate with eight RBI, two home runs, a triple, a double and five runs scored. She ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 in RBI per game (2.00), home runs per game (.50) and slugging percentage (1.455) on the weekend.

5. After two weeks of action, Williams ranks among the nation's leaders in RBI (No. 5 - 23) and home runs (T-No. 8 - 6). Williams is the NCAA's active leader in career doubles, and is already the Big 12's all-time doubles leader with 63.

6. Iowa State has the youngest pitching staff in the nation in 2020, and pitching coach Kate Sinnott has done a masterful job with her bullpen. All 95.1 innings of work in the circle so far this season have been handled by the freshman trio of Karlie Charles, Janessa Jasso and Ellie Spelhaug. The group has a combined ERA of 2.94, and allow opponents to hit just .240. Iowa State has not had a staff ERA lower than 3.25 since 2009.

7. Carli Spelhaug has made an impact for the Cyclones on the base paths. The native of Bettendorf, Iowa, is first in the Big 12 with eight stolen bases on eight attempts. She also has Iowa State's lone triple this season. Iowa State ranks No. 2 in the Big 12 with 20 stolen bases.

8. Senior Logan Schaben put together her best weekend of the season at the Gamecock Invitational. The native of Portsmouth, Iowa, went 5-of-11 at the plate with two RBI, five runs and a double, to go with two stolen bases.

9. Ellie Spelhaug is leading Iowa State's pitching staff in ERA (2.06) and opponent batting average (.183) in 34.0 innings of action. She picked up her third career win in Iowa State's 5-1 triumph over No. 8 Michigan - and also collected a go-ahead 2-RBI base hit in the top of the seventh inning.

10. Iowa State concluded its 2019 campaign with a record of 37-25 overall (7-11 Big 12) and as runners-up in the National Invitational Softball Championship, falling 4-3 to Loyola Marymount in the tournament finals. It was program's winningest season since 1982, and tied for the second-winningest season of all-time.

11. Williams was named a Softball America Preseason All-American, and was also ranked the No. 34 player in the country by the outlet. Williams was named an Honorable Mention All-American by Softball America following an outstanding junior campaign, becoming the first Cyclone softball player since Jenny Condon in 1989 to earn All-America honors.

12. Williams finished the 2019 campaign as the NCAA DI doubles leader with 25 on the season. She set Iowa State single-season records for hits (82), doubles (25), home runs (17) and runs scored (59) during her historic 2019 campaign.

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Players Mentioned

Karlie Charles

Janessa Jasso

Logan Schaben

Carli Spelhaug

Ellie Spelhaug

Sami Williams

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Iowa State University Athletics