Iowa State vs. Kansas City Primer

Who: Iowa State (17-17, 7-5 Big 12) vs. Kansas City (4-28, 1-8 Summit)

Where: Cyclone Softball Complex – Ames, Iowa

When: April 9 – 4 pm

Leading Off
After seeing its original opening midweek game postponed due to weather, Iowa State will officially play in its first midweek contest on Wednesday against Kansas City. The Cyclones went 4-2 in midweek action last season and will meet the Roos for a second-straight season.

Over the weekend, Iowa State hosted BYU for its second home conference series of the season. The Cyclones took game one over the Cougars but would drop games two and three and in turn the series.

Kansas City has dropped nine of its last ten outings, with its lone win coming over conference for North Dakota State – a team that bested the Cyclones in Oxford, Miss. earlier this season.

Wednesday Promotions

Cyclone Garage Sale

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.
The Cyclones earned their first road Big 12 sweep since 2019 at UCF in the second week of conference play. The 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.
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
Iowa State's top half of the order has done the majority of the heavy lifting this season and is led by a pair of freshmen at the top. Jessie Clemons and Sereniti Trice lead the team in hits and have done well to start the Cyclones off. Returning All-American Angelina Allen has a team-high 15 walks with two triples to go along with 36 hits and 17 RBI.

Rounding out the top of the order are another pair of newcomers – transfers Sydney Malott and Reagan Bartholomew. Malott has a team-best five home runs, tying her career single-season high. Bartholomew's 22 RBI are the third-most on the team and she is one of eight Cyclones with double-digit hits. After spending last season primarily as a pitcher, Tatum Johnson has also been a threat at the plate, leading the team in batting average with a .348.

In the circle, five Cyclones have seen action. Lauren Schurman leads the way with a team-low ERA of 3.11. Schurman has hurled 85.2 innings, a team-high, and owns 45 punchouts, also a team-high. Jaiden Ralston has six starts in 25 appearances with 33 strikeouts. Freshmen Abby Huhn and Sami Potvin have been solid, as each has multiple wins.

Overall, the Cyclones are hitting .271 and have produced 154 runs on 245 hits. The team has 81 extra-base hits with 139 RBI, while drawing 84 walks. ISU holds a collective 4.55 ERA and has allowed 281 hits in 217.0 innings of work.

Opponent Outlook
Kansas City's offense is led by Grace Batdorf, who leads the team with a .316 batting average. Batdorf also boasts the team's most hits, RBI, home runs and doubles. Derika Castillo is tied with Batdorf for the team-lead in RBI (10) and homers (2).

Four difference KC players have double figure walks, while 11 Roos have notched double figure hits. Collectively, the team has just nine steals.

In the circle, Riley Bebb has a team-high 25 appearances, and 72 total innings pitched. Hannah Burks and Maddy Duvall make up the rest of the main arms that the Roos use. Duvall holds the most strikeouts on the team with 22, while Burks has allowed the lowest opposing batting average (.285).

Overall, the Roos are hitting .227 and have produced 70 runs on 165 hits. The team has 36 extra-base hits with 64 RBI, while drawing 100 walks. KC holds a collective 7.55 ERA and has allowed 295 hits in 183.2 innings of work.

Series History
Wednesday's meeting will be the 18th all-time between Iowa State and Kansas City. The weekday showdown is the return trip from last season's road game in KC. The Cyclones hold the all-time advantage over the Roos, holding a 13-4 record. ISU has won six of the last seven meetings.

On Deck
Iowa State will hit the road for its fifth Big 12 series of the season when it heads to Stillwater to face off with the 17th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowgirls. The weekend action is set to begin on Friday, April 11, with game one starting at noon central and the game being streamed live on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Angelina Allen

Reagan Bartholomew

Jessie Clemons

Abby Huhn

Tatum Johnson

Sydney Malott

Sami Potvin

Jaiden Ralston

Lauren Schurman

Sereniti Trice

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