Cyclones Prep For Wooo Pig Classic In Arkansas

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State Softball team closes out its spring break trip this weekend at the Wooo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, Ark. The Cyclones open the tournament on Friday vs. Tulsa (12 p.m.) and Arkansas (5 p.m.). On Saturday, Iowa State will once again battle Tulsa (9:30 a.m.) and Omaha (12 p.m.). The final game of the weekend with pit ISU against Saint Francis on Sunday at 12 p.m.

Wooo Pig Classic
Where: Fayetteville, Ark.
When: Friday, March 16 – Sunday, March 18
Live Stats: Live stats will be available on the schedule page here.
Live Updates: Follow @CycloneSB on Twitter for live in-game updates from the field.

Cyclone Headlines
-The Wooo Pig Classic will pit ISU head coach Jamie Pinkerton against two programs he previously coached. Pinkerton previously coached at Tulsa (2001-04) and Arkansas (2005-09). This will also be among the strongest tournament fields Iowa State faces this season, with four of five games being against 2017 NCAA Regional squads.

-Taylor Nearad made history in Wednesday's 7-3 victory over North Texas, tying a single-game school record with three doubles in the contest. Nearad went 3-of-4 at the plate and scored a run while becoming the fourth Cyclone ever to record three doubles in one game.

-Sami Williams was on fire at the plate during Iowa State's eight-game swing through the state of Texas. The sophomore went 15-of-29 (.517) at the dish with five home runs, nine RBIs, four stolen bases on four attempts and 11 runs scored, all of which were team-highs. She went 3-of-3 with two solo home runs to lift the Cyclones to the 2-1 win over UT Arlington. It was the second multi-home run game of her career. Williams also notched a career-high four base hits with a double and a home run in ISU's 6-1 win over Lipscomb.

-Williams is once again powering the Cyclone offense, leading Iowa State in hits (37), runs (20), home runs (7), RBIs (17) and total bases (65). As a freshman, Williams was named to the 2017 All-Big 12 First Team. She was one of three freshmen to garner first team accolades and is just the second newcomer in program history to be named to the first team. She is also a finalist for the 2017 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year.

-The Cyclone pitching staff was phenomenal in Houston, allowing just four runs (three earned) in five games at Cougar Softball Stadium. Emma Hylen led the way, going 2-0 on the weekend with a 0.39 ERA in 18.0 innings of action. Her wins came over Lipscomb and Penn State.

-Iowa State has won four of its last five true road games after opening the season 0-5 when playing in an opponent's ballpark, with wins at Jacksonville, Houston, UT Arlington and North Texas.

-First-year head coach Jamie Pinkerton has the Cyclones playing their best in tight games. With a 3-2 eight-inning victory over Jacksonville on March 4, Iowa State improved to 3-0 in extra-inning games, and is now 6-2 in games decided by one run. Last season, Iowa State was 1-2 in extra innings and 8-7 in games games decided by one run.

-Senior pitcher Brianna Weilbacher was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week following a dominant weekend at the Osprey Classic. On the week, Weilbacher recorded a 0.00 ERA in 15.0 innings pitched with 22 strikeouts for a league-leading 10.27 strikeouts per seven innings. Weilbacher notched her third complete game shutout of the season vs. Virginia Tech, and her first save of the season vs. Jacksonville. Weilbacher now has a 1.83 ERA this season to rank No. 7 in the Big 12.

-Iowa State now has three pitchers on its roster (Emma Hylen, Savannah Sanders and Brianna Weilbacher) that have won Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors during their career. That's tied with Oklahoma for the most in the Big 12.

-Iowa State bolstered its roster with the addition of three transfers: 2016 Big Sky Freshman of the Year Sydney Stites (Montana), two-time Junior College National Player of the Year Taylor Nearad (Kirkwood) and NSAA Co-Newcomer of the Year Hannah Carter (Bellevue). Nearad and Stites have started every game this season and have been featured prominently in the ISU batting order, while Carter has 26 starts. Nearad and Stites are tied for first on the team in triples (2) while Nearad is No. 1 in doubles (10). Stites is second in runs (14) and Carter has assumed the No. 3 spot on the team with five stolen bases.

-2018 marks Jamie Pinkerton's debut season as Iowa State's head coach. Pinkerton returned to Ames after serving as an assisant coach with the Cyclones from 2010-2013, during which Iowa State's offense excelled under his tutelage. The 2013 Cyclones set schools records for runs (284), home runs (40), RBI (253) and walks (166). Pinkerton left to start Montana's softball program from scratch following the 2013 season.

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Players Mentioned

Hannah Carter

Emma Hylen

Taylor Nearad

Savannah Sanders

Sydney Stites

Brianna Weilbacher

Sami Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics