Iowa & Drake Midweek Primer

Who: Iowa State (28-20, 13-8 Big 12) at Iowa (31-17, 12-7 Big Ten)

Where: Pearl Field – Iowa City, Iowa

When: April 29 – 5:30 pm

Who: Iowa State (28-20, 13-8 Big 12) vs. Drake (21-28, 12-12 MVC)

Where: Cyclone Softball Complex – Ames, Iowa

When: April 30 – 4 pm

Leading Off
Iowa State aims to maintain its unblemished midweek record this week, as the Cyclones will start by heading to Iowa City for the second part of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series before returning to Ames to welcome fellow in-state program Drake on Wednesday.

The Cyclones have been hot over the last month of play, as ISU is 17-6 in its last 23 games of action. Iowa State is coming off a week that saw the team play six games in seven days and exit with a 5-1 record which included a road series win over Utah.

Since falling to the Cyclones in Ames two weeks ago, Iowa has gone 6-1. The Hawkeyes are 5-1 in conference play during that stretch, sweeping Penn State at home and taking two games from Michigan State on the road. The team's sixth win of the stint came over Drake.

Speaking of Drake, ISU will wrap its non-conference slate against the Bulldogs on Wednesday as part of the Bark at the Park promotion. Drake is 10-8 in the month of April and enters the midweek against the Cyclones coming off of a series loss at Valparaiso.

Wednesday Promotions

Bark at the Park

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 they 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.
ISU took two of three games on Easter weekend to claim its fourth conference series win of the season.
In its penultimate week of the regular season, Iowa State played six games in seven days, earning a 5-1 record. As part of the five win week, ISU claimed its fifth conference series win of the season and third on the road.
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 (.389), hits (61) and doubles (13), while Trice leads the squad in runs scored (44) and stolen bases (14). Clemons has a team-high 61 hits, with Trice following right behind with 60.

Rounding out ISU's offensive attack are returning All-American Angelina Allen, who has the most walks on the team (27), Sydney Malott, who leads the team in home runs (11) and RBI (36), and Tatum Johnson, who leads the team in OPS with a 1.161.

In the circle, five Cyclones have seen action. Lauren Schurman leads the way with a team-low ERA of 3.41. Schurman has hurled 123.1 innings, a team-high, and owns 62 punchouts, also a team-high. Jaiden Ralston has 11 starts in 38 appearances with 49 strikeouts. Freshmen Abby Huhn and Sami Potvin have also seen time, as each has multiple wins on the year.

Overall, the Cyclones are hitting .295 and have produced 250 runs on 378 hits. The team has 122 extra-base hits with 228 RBI, while drawing 146 walks. ISU holds a collective 4.62 ERA and has allowed 393 hits in 307.2 innings of work.

Opponent Outlook: Iowa
Overall, the Hawkeyes are hitting .276 and have produced 216 runs on 323 hits. The team has 96 extra-base hits with 200 RBI, while drawing 189 walks. Iowa holds a collective 3.62 ERA and has allowed 289 hits in 305.1 innings of work.

Iowa State leads the all-time series against the Hawkeyes, holding a 47-35-2 advantage. The Cyclones have won seven of the last eight meetings with Iowa, including the first part of the home-and-home two weeks ago in Ames. Under Coach Pinkerton, ISU has outscored Iowa 27-17.

Opponent Outlook: Drake
Overall, the Bulldogs are hitting .257 and have produced 186 runs on 329 hits. The team has 96 extra-base hits with 167 RBI, while drawing 157 walks. Drake holds a collective 3.75 ERA and has allowed 373 hits in 317 innings of work.

Iowa State leads the all-time series against the Bulldogs, claiming a 80-32 advantage. The Cyclones are just 6-4 in the last ten meetings against Drake, though, as the Bulldogs have given the Cyclones trouble in the 2020s.

On Deck
Following the pair of midweek contests, Iowa State will host the Baylor over the weekend to cap the regular season. The Cyclones will face the Bears in a three-game series with game one starting at 4 pm on Friday, May 2. All the action this weekend 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