Colorado Classic Primer

Who: Iowa State at Colorado State / Northern Colorado

Where: Ram Field – Fort Collins, Colo. / Gloria Rodriguez Field – Greeley, Colo.

When: March 1 & 3 – 1, 4 p.m. & 12 p.m. / March 2 – 1, 4 p.m.

Leading Off
The Cyclones (7-7) are off to Colorado this weekend for their final nonconference tournament – the Colorado Classic. The tournament features four teams as the Cyclones will face Colorado State (7-8) and Northern Colorado (4-10). The fourth team, Manhattan, will not matchup with ISU.

ISU has participated in three other non-conference tournaments this season, going 2-2 at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, 4-1 at the UNLV Desert Classic and 1-4 at the Rawlings Classic in Virginia.

All three games against Colorado State will be streamed on Mountain West Network. The two games against Northern Colorado will not be streamed.

Quick Hits:

ISU has homered in ten of its first 14 games of the season. Four of those ten games featured multi-homer efforts from the Cyclones.
The Cyclones have used a fifth inning or later comeback in six of its seven wins.
Iowa State has recorded double-digit runs in a game three times so far this season. It had only two such games in 2023.
The team is second in the Big 12 in doubles (23) and first in walks drawn (64).
Senior pitcher Karlie Charles tossed a career-high 8.1 innings last weekend at Virginia, giving up four hits and one run in a nine-inning loss to the Hoos.
Junior Angelina Allen ranks among the best hitters in the conference three weeks into the season.
- Allen leads the league in hits (25), is second in total baes (41), fourth in homers (4) and RBI (17) and seventh in doubles (4).
Milaysia Ochoa tied the program record for most HBP in a career over the weekend with 28. One more would give her the school record.

Leading the Cyclones
Junior outfielder Angelina Allen leads the team in most hitting categories, as she's been on a tear to start the season. Allen leads the team in batting average (.490), at-bats (51), hits (25), doubles (4), home runs (4), RBI (17), total bases (41), slugging percentage (.804) and on-base percentage (.544).

Ochoa has a team-best 16 runs and is the only player to tally a triple so far. She and Ashley Minor lead the team in HBP, while Minor is second on the team in RBI (14). Senior Alesia Ranches has drawn a team-high 13 walks and has belted three homers, tying her with fellow senior Carli Spelhaug for second most on the team.

All six pitchers on staff have taken the circle with senior Saya Swain leading the way. Swain has an early 4-1 record in seven appearances and 24 strikeouts to her name. Lauren Schurman has a 4.44 ERA as a rookie and a 1-1 record with 15 strikeouts of her own – the second most on the team. Karlie Charles has settled in well this season after dealing with injuries off and on last year. Charles has eight strikeouts across her 16.2 innings pitched on the year.

Series History
ISU and Colorado State have met ten times previously, with the Cyclones holding a 6-4 all-time advantage. The two teams most recently met last season for a pair of doubleheaders in some frigid Iowa spring weather. ISU and CSU split last year's four games, with CSU taking the first two and Iowa State taking the second pair. Coach Jamie Pinkerton earned his 500th career win against the Rams last season.

Iowa State and Northern Colorado will meet for the fifth and sixth time this weekend as ISU holds a 3-1 series advantage. The Cyclones have won two straight, and the two teams will be meeting for the first time since 2020 in Honolulu.

On Deck
Iowa State now turns its attention to Big 12 play, as its next time out will be against the defending champion Oklahoma Sooners in Norman. The Cyclones and Sooners will play across the Mach 8-10 weekend and all games will be streamed on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Angelina Allen

Karlie Charles

Ashley Minor

Milaysia Ochoa

Alesia Ranches

Lauren Schurman

Carli Spelhaug

Saya Swain

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics