Iowa State at No. 1 Texas Primer

Who: Iowa State (18-25, 5-13 Big 12) vs. Texas (38-6, 17-4 Big 12)

Where: Red & Charline McCombs Field – Austin, Texas

When: April 26-28 – 6, 1 & 12 p.m.

Leading Off
Iowa State will hit the road for its final away series of the season this weekend, as it heads to Austin to square off with the top-ranked Texas Longhorns in a three-game, Big 12 series. It's the second series ISU will play against the top team in the country, as the Cyclones had a three-game stint at No. 1 Oklahoma to kick off conference play.

The Cyclones have won two straight heading into the weekend series, as the team has downed both Utah Valley and St. Thomas in their last two outings. Iowa State is 3-8 against ranked teams this season but in their last series against a ranked foe, No. 5 Oklahoma State, Iowa State came away with a series win. No. 1 Texas has only lost one conference series this year – to Oklahoma State. ISU has never beaten the top-ranked team and is 0-29 in such games.

The Longhorns have been dominant across the board this season. They're second in the Big 12 in hits, batting average and RBI. Once on base, Texas steals at the highest clip in the league and averages 1.59 swiped bags per contest. Not only is the offense productive, but the pitching staff has been consistent too. UT owns the second-lowest ERA in the conference with the second-most strikeouts and the second-fewest hits allowed.

Quick Hits:

Iowa State has recorded double-digit runs in a game five times so far this season. It had only two such games in 2023.
Iowa State earned its third win over a ranked team when it played Oklahoma State. It's the second straight year that ISU has earned at least three ranked wins.
The Cyclones have been a bit feast or famine early in the season, as the team averages 7.6 runs scored a game in wins but just 2.6 runs in losses.
Junior outfielder Angelina Allen has been phenomenal this season and is pushing for an all-time single-season performance. She's 13th in the country in hits (66) which is tops in the Big 12. Her 17 doubles are first in the conference and rank her ninth nationally.
- Allen has 116 total bases on the season, the second most in the Big 12. Allen has the best batting average in the conference (.452) and ranks eighth nationally.
- Allen was awarded the Big 12 Player of the Week award on March 5, making her the first Cyclone to earn the award since Sami Williams in 2021.
Milaysia Ochoa broke the program record for most HBP at Oklahoma in the Big 12 opening weekend, being struck by her 29th pitch.
- Ochoa is just behind Allen for the most doubles in the conference, as she currently sits at 14 – the 38th most in the country.
Senior Saya Swain recorded her seventh career save in Vegas earlier this season. She needs two more to break the all-time program record.
- Swain has been sidelined since the third week of the season due to injury.
Sophomore Ashley Minor has been hit by a pitch 11 times this season, the most in the Big 12. Minor is four HBP away from tying the single season school record.

Leading the Cyclones
The Cyclone offense both literally and statistically starts with a pair of lefties in Ochoa and Allen. Allen leads the Cyclones in most every offensive category outside of runs, triples and walks drawn. Ochoa, a fellow team captain, has complimented Allen nicely at the top of the order. From the leadoff spot, Milaysia is hitting .311 and has scored a team-best 38 runs.

Olivia Wardlow has really come on strong this season, as she's been given the opportunity to start. This year, Wardlow is hitting .311 with only 11 strikeouts and has been a perfect 6-6 on steals. Alesia Ranches, Ashley Minor, Tiana Poole and Carli Spelhaug all have over 25 hits and help power the Cyclone offense. Overall, ISU's offense slashes .275/.367/.461 and averages 4.7 runs per game.

All six players on the Cyclone pitching staff have seen the circle this season, with senior Karlie Charles leading the way. Charles holds a 3.92 ERA and has pitched a team-high 75 innings. Fellow senior Saya Swain, who has the lowest ERA on the team with a 2.07, hasn't pitched since mid-February due to injury.

Lauren Schurman, Jaiden Ralston, Aziza Rodriguez and Tatum Johnson make up the remainder of the staff, with all being either a sophomore or freshman. Ralston has a team-best 49 strikeouts and opposing hitters bat just .293 against her. As a staff, ISU holds a 5.23 ERA with five complete games and opposing batters are hitting .309.

Opponent Outlook
A prolific offense, Texas has nine players batting over .350, with both Ashton Maloney and Mia Scott both hitting over .400. Reese Atwood has a team-high 66 RBI which not only leads the conference but is the second most in the nation. Atwood also boasts the 21st-most homers in the country, 15, which is the third most in the league.

Five different Longhorns have at least 40 hits, with Atwood leading the way with 55. Atwood, Joley Mitchell and Viviana Martinez each have nine doubles on the season to lead the team. Third baseman Mia Scott has five triples this year, the most in the Big 12 and the 17th-most in the country. Overall, Texas's offense slashes .363/.445/.583 and averages 7.5 runs per game.

The Longhorn pitching staff consists of five arms, with four main pitchers. Both Citlaly Gutierrez and Estelle Czech have a team-low 1.66 ERA while both Teagan Kavan and Morgan Mac have a 1.87 ERA. Gutierrez is a perfect 8-0 and has pitched 67.2 innings of work, the second-most on the team.

Freshman phenom Teagan Kavan has toed the circle for a team-high 82.1 innings and owns 82 punchouts on the year. As a staff, UT holds a 1.66 ERA with 14 complete games and 14 shutouts as opposing batters are hitting .190 against them.

Series History
Texas holds the all-time edge in a lopsided series, as ISU has only defeated Texas four times. Three of Iowa State's four wins against the Longhorns have come in Austin and the last Iowa State win came in a Big 12 Tournament meeting in 2019 in Oklahoma City.

On Deck
After its final road series of the season, ISU will wrap a four-game road trip in Des Moines on Wednesday night, taking on the Drake Bulldogs in its final scheduled midweek game of the season. The Cyclones and Bulldogs are scheduled to begin Wednesday's game at 6 p.m. and the game will be livestreamed on ESPN+.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Angelina Allen

Karlie Charles

Tatum Johnson

Ashley Minor

Milaysia Ochoa

Tiana Poole

Jaiden Ralston

Alesia Ranches

Aziza Rodriguez

Lauren Schurman

Carli Spelhaug

Saya Swain

Olivia Wardlow

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics