Cyclones to host Bulldogs in Final Home Game

AMES, Iowa – Winners of eight of its last 11 games, Iowa State will welcome the Drake Bulldogs to the Cyclone Sports Complex on Wednesday for the final home game of the 2023 campaign. ISU and Drake will be meeting for the third time this season, with the Bulldogs earning two wins back in February.

The Matchup: Iowa State (21-28, 4-11 Big 12) vs. Drake (16-30, 9-15 MVC)
Where: Cyclone Sports Complex // Ames, Iowa
When: Wednesday, May 3 – 4 p.m.
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Live Stats: cyclones.com

Quick Hits

The Cyclones earned their first Big 12 series victory of the season this past weekend, taking two-of-three against No. 18 Baylor by earning a rubber match victory on Senior Day.
- Iowa State now has three top-25 wins this season and has played 14 ranked opponents.
Iowa State defeated in-state foe Iowa for the fourth straight time on April 26, punctuating the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series with a win and pushing the school to its largest margin of victory in series history (17-8).
Iowa State has won eight of its last 11 outings and the Cyclones are hitting their stride at the right time as postseason play creeps into view.
- Iowa State can finish anywhere from 4-7 in Big 12 standings heading into Oklahoma City.
The Cyclones have played 10 games in the past 14 days, including a trio of doubleheaders to help make up for earlier games that were canceled due to weather.
ISU defeated No. 3 Oklahoma State on April 16, tying the program record for the highest-ranked team ever defeated - ISU also took down No. 3 Texas in Austin in 2005.
- It is the second-straight season ISU downed a top 10-ranked OSU team. The Cyclone win gave OSU its first Big 12 loss.
ISU is up to 72 in the RPI and is one of four teams in the top 72 to have a losing record (Arizona State, Kansas & Georgia Tech).
Milaysia Ochoa tallied her 100th career RBI against Iowa, bringing four runs across the plate in her two-home run outing, while Mikayla Ramos earned her 150th RBI against Colorado State. Both are in the top 10 all-time in school history.
ISU's Saya Swain (8.8) ranks among the top 50 nationally in strikeouts per seven innings.
Coach Pinkerton earned a milestone victory, number 500, in the April 22 game one win over CSU. He is one of three active coaches leading three teams to the NCAA Tournament (ISU, Montana, Arkansas).
Ten of ISU's losses have come to top ten teams this season, No. 6 Arkansas, No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 9 Texas and No. 3 Okla. State.

Leading the Cyclones
Milaysia Ochoa (.313) and Mikayla Ramos (.299) lead the team in batting average and are the only Cyclones with more than 40 hits on the season. Ochoa has a team-high 11 doubles and 11 home runs while also leading the team in RBI with 25. Carli Spelhaug has earned the most walks and has a team-high 12 stolen bases on the season. Spelhaug has four triples, the second most in the Big 12.

ISU rotates four primary pitchers in the circle, as Karlie Charles (4-2) holds the lowest ERA on the team at a 3.03. Charles has walked just ten players this season, the fewest among Big 12 players. Saya Swain (5-8) has pitched the most innings, 88, of any member of the staff and leads the team in strikeouts, as she currently sits at 111. Freshman Jaiden Ralston and fifth-year senior Ellie Spelhaug round out the main pitching rotation for the Cyclones.

Series History

Iowa State leads, 78-28
Last Meeting: 2/11/23 (L, 3-4)
Last Cyclone Win: 5/4/22 (W, 9-0, 5 Inn.)
Streak: L2
Trends: Iowa State is 4-6 against the Bulldogs in the teams' last ten meetings. The two teams met twice earlier this season in February where Drake earned two wins.
Drake is the only Division I school from the state of Iowa that the Cyclones have yet to beat this season, as they picked up two wins over UNI and defeated Iowa in Iowa City.

On Deck
Following its final home game of the 2023 campaign, Iowa State will be back in action this weekend when it heads to Lawrence for a series with the Kansas Jayhawks. Action will run from Friday, May 5 to Sunday, May 7 with a contest on all three days. Every game will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Karlie Charles

Milaysia Ochoa

Jaiden Ralston

Mikayla Ramos

Carli Spelhaug

Ellie Spelhaug

Saya Swain

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