Iowa State vs. Kansas Primer

Who: Iowa State (21-18, 9-6 Big 12) vs. Kansas (18-20, 4-11 Big 12)

Where: Cyclone Softball Complex – Ames, Iowa

When: April 17 – 4 p.m. // April 18 – 4 p.m. // April 19 – 1 p.m.

Leading Off
Winners of 10 of its last 15 and coming off an in-state victory, Iowa State will be back in action this weekend when it returns to the Cyclones Softball Complex to welcome Kansas for the second-straight season. The series is scheduled to be played from Thursday to Saturday (vs. the normal Fri.-Sat. format) to accommodate the Easter holiday.

The Cyclones enter their sixth conference series, sitting in fourth place in the Big 12 standings. ISU has won three of its last four, including a road series win at No. 17 Oklahoma State and a midweek victory over in-state foe Iowa. ISU has seen its RPI steadily climb as it looks to make a push for postseason qualification.

The Jayhawks will look to snap a four-series skid in Ames as they look to earn their first weekend win since the opener against Baylor. Kansas has had to play the top three teams in the standings over the last three weeks, going a combined 1-8 against Texas Tech, Arizona and Arizona State.

Weekend Promotions

Thursday – Mental Health Awareness Game
Friday – Black Out
Saturday – Easter Egg Hunt

As a reminder, admission to the Cyclone Sports Complex is free.

From the Notes:

The Cyclones spent the first seven weeks of the season away from the Cyclone Softball Complex, playing 28 straight games on the road or at a neutral site.
- March 28 was the latest season-opener since 2022. That squad didn't play at home until April 6.
Iowa State went 1-2 in its first Big 12 series, taking the opening game against Houston. For ISU, it was the program's first Big 12-opening win since 2006.
Iowa State earned its first road Big 12 sweep since 2019 in Orlando, defeating UCF in three straight games. The road series sweep also happened to be the team's first since 2021.
Iowa State snapped a seven-game skid to Arizona State in its third conference series, besting the Sun Devils for the first time since 1998, earning a second-straight Big 12 series win.
- For the Cyclones, it was their first back-to-back Big 12 series victory since 2023, when it downed Baylor and Kansas to close the season.
ISU took game one of the conference series against BYU, marking four straight series with a series-opening win.
The Cyclones earned their first road series win over a ranked opponent at No. 17 Oklahoma State, taking the series 2-1.
- The rubber match win over the Cowgirls gave ISU its ninth conference win of the season – setting a new program single-season high.
- The win also gave ISU its third conference series win of the season – the most in a single season in school history.
Iowa State ran its winning streak over in-state foe Iowa to five on April 15, beating the Hawkeyes 9-5. The 14 combined runs were the most in a Cy-Hawk game since 2012.
After having 11 seniors leave, ISU only has two on this year's roster. Over half of the team, 14, are underclassmen.
- Of Iowa State's most-used lineup this season, just one position player started over 50 percent of last year's games (Angelina Allen).
- Only four players are over the age of 21.
Freshman pitcher Sami Potvin hurled a five-inning perfect game against Grambling State, striking out a career-high nine batters.

Leading the Cyclones
The Cyclone offense is led by a pair of freshmen in Jessie Clemons and Sereniti Trice. Clemons leads the team in batting average (.383) and doubles (11), while Trice leads the squad in runs scored (37) and stolen bases (14) as the two are tied for the most hits on the team (49).

Rounding out ISU's offensive attack are returning All-American Angelina Allen, who has the most walks on the team, Sydney Malott, who leads the team in home runs and RBI, and Tatum Johnson, who leads the team in OPS with a .996.

In the circle, five Cyclones have seen action. Lauren Schurman leads the way with a team-low ERA of 2.87. Schurman has hurled 100 innings, a team-high, and owns 52 punchouts, also a team-high. Jaiden Ralston has seven starts in 29 appearances with 39 strikeouts. Freshmen Abby Huhn and Sami Potvin have also seen time, as each has multiple wins on the year.

Overall, the Cyclones are hitting .284 and have produced 186 runs on 296 hits. The team has 98 extra-base hits with 169 RBI, while drawing 103 walks. ISU holds a collective 4.51 ERA and has allowed 321 hits in 249.2 innings of work.

Opponent Outlook
The Kansas offense is led by returning Jayhawks Presley Limbaugh, Aynslee Linduff, Hailey Cripe and Olivia Bruno as each bats above .300. Limbaugh leads the way with a team-high 45 hits with Linduff just behind her with 40. Cripe (26) and Bruno (25) lead the team in RBI as Bruno has a team-best seven home runs.

The Jayhawks lead the Big 12 in strikeouts and have the fewest hits of all 11 teams. Six players have at least 20 hits on the year, showing the depth of the lineup.

A five-player Jayhawk pitching staff boasts a balanced delegation, as each pitcher is within 20 innings of each other. Kaelee Washington has seen the most work, appearing in 19 games and hurling 54.2 innings. Two-way player Olivia Bruno has a team-low ERA of 2.42 and leads the team in strikeouts with 40.

Overall, the Jayhawks are hitting .273 and have produced 168 runs on 277 hits. The team has 82 extra-base hits with 155 RBI, while drawing 107 walks. Kansas holds a collective 4.09 ERA and has allowed 262 hits in 248.0 innings of work.

Series History
Kansas leads the all-time series against the Cyclones, holding a 69-50 advantage. The Jayhawks snapped a four-series losing streak to the Cyclones last year, sweeping ISU in Ames. It's just the second time in the Big 12 era that either Iowa State or Kansas has had to face the opposing side on the road in two consecutive seasons.

On Deck
Up next for Iowa State is a rescheduled doubleheader against South Dakota State on Monday, April 21. The Cyclones and Jackrabbits will meet twice, with game one coming at 1 pm and game two to follow 30 minutes later. Both meetings will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Angelina Allen

Jessie Clemons

Abby Huhn

Tatum Johnson

Sydney Malott

Sami Potvin

Jaiden Ralston

Lauren Schurman

Sereniti Trice

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics