Completed Event: Softball versus Wisconsin on February 13, 2026 , Loss , 1, to, 5
Final
Softball
1
Wisconsin
5
Iowa State University Athletics
Friday, February 20
Minneapolis, Minn.
2 p.m.
Iowa State
vs
Central Michigan
Photo by: Wisconsin Athletics / Ashley Steltenpohl
PRIMER: Iowa State at Gopher Indoor Classic
02.19.2026 | Softball
Who: Iowa State vs. Central Michigan // Minnesota // LIU // NDSU
Where: U.S. Bank Stadium (73,000) – Minneapolis, Minn.
When: Feb. 20 – 2 & 7 pm // Feb 21 – 11:30 am & 2 pm // Feb 22 – 9 am
Leading Off
Iowa State will play its penultimate early-season, non-conference tournament this weekend when it heads up I-35 to compete in the Gopher Indoor Classic. The tournament, hosted by Minnesota, will be played at U.S. Bank Stadium – home of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Cyclones will be playing an indoor tournament for the second time this season, with the first coming at the UNI-Dome as part of the Doc Halverson Classic. It's the first time in school history that ISU is playing in two indoor tournaments in a season.
Iowa State, as well as North Dakota State (6-4), are the only teams entering the weekend with a winning record. Tournament host Minnesota is 4-6, while Central Michigan, which has played only one weekend, is 2-3. LIU is 0-10.
Scouting the Cyclones
Through two weeks, Iowa State boasts one of the more prolific offenses in the Big 12. The Cyclones lead the league in batting average (.372) as all nine starters are batting over .300. The team has also scored 79 runs through nine games – the second-most through that span in school history.
Senior Sydney Malott leads the team in batting average (.519), hits (14) and home runs (3). Fellow senior Reagan Bartholomew has a team-best 14 runs scored on 13 hits with six extra-base hits. Mizzou transfer Kadence Shepherd leads the team in RBI with 14.
Lauren Schurman has logged a team-high 22.2 innings through nine contests and is 3-2 on the year. Michigan State transfer Ava Mullen has allowed the lowest opposing batting average (.229) and freshman Liv Palumbo has the team's lone complete game.
The Cyclones own a .372 batting average and have produced 79 runs on 97 hits. The team has 37 extra-base hits with 71 RBI and has drawn 33 walks. ISU holds a collective 5.44 ERA and has allowed 72 hits in 56.2 innings of work.
Opponent Outlook
The Gophers opened their season in San Diego, going 1-4, before competing in El Paso/Las Cruces last weekend and going 3-2. The Gophers have a .271 batting average, have scored 44 runs and notched 68 hits. The pitching staff owns a 5.05 ERA.
North Dakota State spent its first two weekends in Florida, going 3-2 and 2-2 in a pair of tournaments as well as picking up a midweek win against Bethune-Cookman. The Bison own a .285 batting average, have scored 51 runs and notched 82 hits. The pitching staff owns a 3.03 ERA.
Central Michigan opened its season 2-3 in Charleston, S.C., but had last weekend off. Overall, the Chippewas have a .346 batting average, have scored 36 runs and notched 54 hits. The pitching staff owns a 3.91 ERA.
LIU, like NDSU, spent its first two weeks of the season in Florida competing in a pair of tournaments. The Sharks are batting .192, have scored 15 runs and have notched 43 hits. The pitching staff has an 8.38 ERA.
Series History
The Cyclones and Gophers will meet for the 71st time as part of the tournament. Minnesota leads the all-time series, 41-29, and is 17-12 in Minneapolis against ISU. Iowa State and NDSU will meet for the second straight season in a series ISU leads, 8-4. The Cyclones will meet CMU for the fourth time, with each coming at a neutral site, in a series they lead 2-1. Finally, ISU will face LIU twice for the first time in program history.
On Deck
Following the tournament in Minneapolis, the Cyclones will head to Santa Barbara for a five-game tourney at UCSB. The Cyclones will play UCSB three times and LIU twice.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
INF
/ SoftballIowa State Big 12 Softball Virtual Media Day
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SB Replay 2025 B12 Quarterfinal ISU vs BYU
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SB Highlights vs. BYU (Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinals)
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