PRIMER: Iowa State at BYU

Who: Iowa State (25-17, 5-10 Big 12) at BYU (15-26, 5-10 Big 12)

Where: Gail Miller Field (2,100) – Provo, Utah

When: April 16 – 1 pm // April 17 – 7 pm // April 18 – 1 pm

Leading Off
Iowa State is set to face BYU in its penultimate road conference series this week in Provo. The Cyclones will look to capture their second Big 12 series win of the season and snap a three-game series skid, which included three series in a row against ranked foes. ISU will look to win its first-ever game(s) in Provo as it is currently 0-6.

The Cyclones enter the weekend series coming off their fifth midweek win in a row, downing South Dakota on Tuesday, 8-0 in five innings. ISU will look to carry the midweek momentum into a pivotal Big 12 series for postseason standings.

Owners of the longest winning streak in the conference, BYU will aim to keep the train rolling. The Cougars are coming off a weekend sweep of Houston and a midweek win over Utah Tech. Both BYU and ISU are tied at 5-10 in the Big 12 standings.

Scouting the Cyclones
Iowa State's offense is led by senior standout Reagan Bartholomew, who leads the team in batting average (.434), runs (44), hits (56), homers (12) and walks (23). Bartholomew is seventh in the Big 12 in batting average and sixth in hits.

Tatum Johnson has scored the second-most runs (41), owns the second-most hits (50) and leads the team in RBI with 43. Kadence Shepherd is the only other Cyclone with double-figure long balls (11) and is second in RBI (39), while Jessie Clemons is tied with Johnson for the second-most hits.

In the circle, four Cyclones have seen the majority of action. Lauren Schurman leads the way with a team-low ERA of 3.81. Schurman has hurled 110.1 innings, a team-high, and owns 64 punchouts, also a team-high. Freshman Liv Palumbo (6-3), senior Jaiden Ralston (2-5), and Michigan State transfer Ava Mullen (3-4) round out the staff for ISU.

The Cyclones own a .329 batting average and have produced 290 runs on 372 hits. The team has 148 extra-base hits with 270 RBI and has drawn 163 walks. ISU holds a collective 4.87 ERA and fields the ball at a .971 clip.

Opponent Outlook
Four Cougars are batting over .300 on the year, with Danica Acosta leading the way with a .346 average. Acosta's 37 hits lead the team. Lily Owens has a team-high 32 runs scored, while Ilove'a Brittingham leads the team in RBI (32).

The Cougar pitching staff consists of three players, with Gianna Mares leading the team in innings pitched with 93. Mares' 92 punchouts also lead the team, as do her six wins. Hailey Shuler (5-7) and Jada Villegas (4-9) round out the staff.

The Cougs own a .271 batting average and have produced 182 runs on 272 hits. The team has 86 extra-base hits with 167 RBI and has drawn 122 walks. BYU holds a collective 7.70 ERA and fields the ball at a .958 clip.

Series History
BYU leads the all-time series against Iowa State, 10-3, and is a perfect 6-0 in games played in Provo. This will be ISU's second trip to Provo as members of the Big 12 conference – the team was swept in Utah back in 2024.

On Deck
The Cyclones will be back in action on Tuesday, April 21, when they return to the friendly confines of Cyclone Sports Complex to host Iowa in the second game of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. Tuesday's game is set to begin at 4 pm and will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Reagan Bartholomew

Jessie Clemons

Tatum Johnson

Ava Mullen

Liv Palumbo

Jaiden Ralston

Lauren Schurman

Kadence Shepherd

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics