Iowa State at Drake Primer

Who: Iowa State (18-28, 5-16 Big 12) at Drake (21-23, 12-11 MVC)

Where: Buel Field – Des Moines, Iowa

When: May 1 – 4 p.m.

Leading Off
Iowa State is off to Des Moines for its final road test and midweek game of the year, as it is set to take on the Drake Bulldogs. ISU has won its last four non-conference games and its last three midweek competitions. The Cyclones and Bulldogs met three times last season, with ISU winning the final matchup 12-4 in six innings of work.

The Cyclones enter Wednesday's contest coming off a rough weekend in Austin, as Iowa State was swept by top-ranked Texas across three games. ISU looks to finish the season strong, as the team is looking to win 20-plus games for the fourth straight season. That would be the fifth time in school history the team has won at least 20 games in four straight years.

Drake enters the midweek game winners of its series over UIC in Chicago this weekend. The Bulldogs and Cyclones share four common opponents (UNI, Oklahoma State, Kansas City and Tulsa). Drake is 2-7 against that group while the Cyclones are 3-3. The Bulldogs, like ISU, will be home this coming weekend for the regular season finale.

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 2.4 runs in losses.
Junior outfielder Angelina Allen has been phenomenal this season and is pushing for an all-time single-season performance. She's 23rd in the country in hits (67) which is tops in the Big 12. Her 18 doubles are first in the conference and rank her eighth nationally.
- Allen has 118 total bases on the season, the fourth most in the Big 12. Allen has the fifth-best batting average in the conference (.435) and ranks 16th 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 15 – the 35th 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 12 times this season, the most in the Big 12. Minor is three 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 .319 and has scored a team-best 39 runs.

Olivia Wardlow has really come on strong this season, as she's been given the opportunity to start between second base and DP. This year, Wardlow is hitting .297 with only 13 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 .272/.363/.453 and averages 4.4 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 4.49 ERA and has pitched a team-high 76.1 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 50 strikeouts and opposing hitters bat just .296 against her. As a staff, ISU holds a 5.50 ERA with five complete games and opposing batters are hitting .317.

Opponent Outlook
Drake has three players with at least 40 hits this season, with junior utility player Emma Dighton leading the way. Dighton has a team-best .346 batting average and 47 hits. Her nine doubles lead the squad, and her five homers are the second most on the team. Dighton slashes .346/.433/.537 and has also drawn 20 walks.

Destiny Lewis leads the team in RBI with 28 and has mashed a team-best seven long balls. Overall, Drake's offense slashes .279/.358/.393 and averages 4.2 runs per game.

The Bulldog pitching staff consists of five arms, with three main pitchers. Molly Hoekstra holds a 12-5 record and has made the most appearances (21) of anyone on staff. Hoekstra has hurled 106.1 innings, owns 72 punchouts and has eight complete games.

Jamye Scheck and Dighton are the other two pitchers who see the most time. Scheck has 35 strikeouts and Dighton has 21 in 20 appearances. As a staff, Drake holds a 4.36 ERA with 12 complete games and three shutouts as opposing batters are hitting .309 against them.

Series History
Iowa State holds the all-time edge over Drake, owning a 79-32 advantage. The series has tightened over the last ten meetings, as each side has claimed five wins during that frame. In fact, Drake leads the series 8-7 over the last 15 matchups. ISU averages 4.75 runs per game against the Bulldogs and has won two straight over Drake in Des Moines.

On Deck
Following its final road game of the year at Drake, Iowa State will return to the Cyclone Sports Complex for the regular season finale series against UCF. The Cyclones and Knights will meet three times over the weekend with action beginning Friday at 4 p.m. All three weekend games will be streamed live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

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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

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