Iowa State at Mardi Gras Mambo Primer

Who: Iowa State vs. SFA / Southeastern / Southern / HCU / Grambling

Where: Youngsville Sports Complex – Youngsville, La.

When: Feb. 28 – March 2 – 2 & 4 p.m. / 3 & 5 p.m. / 10 a.m. CT

Leading Off
Iowa State heads to Youngsville, Louisiana, this weekend for its penultimate non-conference tournament. The Cyclones will face off with five teams, highlighted by 2024 regional qualifier Southeastern, across three days as part of the Mardi Gras Mambo.

The Cyclones enter the tournament coming off of a weekend where they went 2-2. ISU run-ruled both Portland State and New Mexico State but lost at Grand Canyon and to No. 3 Florida – its first ranked opponent of the season.

The Mardi Gras Mambo takes place from Feb. 28 to March 2 and features 10 teams. All ten teams will play simultaneously at the Youngsville Sports Complex in Youngsville, Louisiana. All teams are set to attend a Mardi Gras parade Saturday morning as part of the tournament festivities.

Please Note: None of this weekend's contests will be streamed. You can follow along with the action at the stat links provided or by following @CycloneSB on Twitter (X).

From the Notes:

ISU is in the middle of spending seven straight weekends on the road to start the season.
- That means their first 28 games will all take place away from the Cyclone Softball Complex.
After having 11 seniors leave, ISU only has two on this year's roster. Over half of the team, 14, are underclassmen.
- ISU's most frequently featured lineup has had five newcomers in the fold.
2025 marks the beginning of a new Big 12 expansion, as three new schools – Arizona, Arizona State and Utah – all enter the fray.
Freshman Jessie Clemons had three hits in her collegiate debut over the weekend, making her the first player in the Pinkerton era to have at least three hits in their collegiate debut.
Freshman Abby Huhn tossed a one-hit shutout in her first career start, falling two outs shy of a perfect game against Portland State.

Leading the Cyclones
Iowa State's offense begins literally and statistically with the start of the order. Returning All-American Angelina Allen finds herself sandwiched between a pair of standout freshmen, Sereniti Trice and Jessie Clemons, in the batting order. Clemons has a team-high .442 batting average with a team-best 19 hits. Allen leads the team in homers, walks, OBP and SLG, while Trice has scored the most runs and has the most stolen bases.

Transfers Reagan Bartholomew and Sydney Malott have also been solid at the plate. Malott is batting .381 and had a pair of home runs over the weekend, while Bartholomew is tied for the second-most RBI on the team.

In the circle, five Cyclones have seen action. Lauren Schurman leads the way with a team-low ERA of 3.10 in 12 appearances. Jaiden Ralston owns a team-best 21 strikeouts in 25 innings. Freshmen Sami Potvin and Abby Huhn are both 1-0, while sophomore Aziza Rodriguez has seen 2.2 innings of work.

Overall, the Cyclones are hitting .276 and have produced 61 runs on 97 hits. The team has 33 extra-base hits with 56 RBI, while drawing 25 walks. ISU holds a collective 5.34 ERA and has allowed 113 hits in 78.2 innings of work.

Opponent Outlook
SFA is 4-10 through the first three weeks of the season. Stephen F. Austin has dropped its last four contests before seeing its midweek game against UT Arlington get canceled. The 'Jacks are led by Kaylee Paul who's hitting .457 with a team-high eight RBI.

2024 Regional Finalist Southeastern (11-6) has had quality losses to start the season. The Lions have faced four ranked foes (LSU, FSU twice and TAMU), falling just short of claiming a ranked win. The Lions fell to undefeated LSU 3-2,No. 8 Florida State 5-4 (and 5-0) and by one to Texas A&M 3-2. The Lions like to run and already have 60 stolen bases.

Southern (4-7) has already lost four games to weather this season, but has earned wins over SFA, Fort Valley State, Howard and Coppin State.

Houston Christian (3-9) is coached by Mary-Ellen Hall, a veteran of the sport. Hall has over 900 career victories, making her one of just 35 coaches ever to reach the threshold. HCU saw three players earn Preseason All-Conference honors.

Grambling (5-6) saw Erin Gibbs and Kamryn Broussard earn preseason Second Team All-SWAC honors. The Tigers won two of their three contests last weekend, taking games from Mississippi Valley State and Tuskegee University.

Series History
Iowa State will face off with Stephen F. Austin for the fourth time ever this weekend, as the Cyclones are 2-1 all-time against the Lumberjacks. ISU and Southeastern will meet for the third time, with the Cyclones holding a 2-0 all-time advantage. Iowa State will face off with Southern, Houston Christian and Grambling State for the first time ever.

On Deck
Following the Mardi Gras Mambo, Iowa State will be back in action next weekend, as it heads to Houston to open up conference play against the Cougars. ISU will play UH three times over three days, with action starting on March 7 at 6 pm.

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Players Mentioned

Angelina Allen

Reagan Bartholomew

Jessie Clemons

Abby Huhn

Sydney Malott

Sami Potvin

Jaiden Ralston

Aziza Rodriguez

Lauren Schurman

Sereniti Trice

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