Cyclone Softball Heads To Tampa For USF Tournament

AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State softball team is on the road this weekend, traveling to Tampa, Fla., for the USF Tournament. The Cyclones open the tournament on Friday at 1 p.m. CT vs. Wisconsin, followed by a 5:45 p.m. game against USF. Iowa State then plays UMass on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. to finish round-robin play. The tournament semifinals will be played on Saturday evening, while the finals will be played on Sunday.

USF Tournament
Where: Tampa, Fla. / USF Softball Stadium
When: March 6-8
Live Stats: Available here.

CYCLONE NOTEBOOK
1. The Cyclones went 2-3 last weekend, playing five true road games at the I-75 Challenge. Iowa State split with Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State before falling at Georgia State on Sunday.

2. Sophomore Kasey Simpson is coming off one the best weekends of her career at the plate. Simpson went 8-of-15 (.533) with three runs, a double and four RBI at the I-75 Challenge. The native of Keller, Texas had a career-high four hits on four at-bats with two RBI in ISU's 7-4 win over Kennesaw State. Her four hits are the most by a Cyclone in a single game this season.

3. Iowa State has the youngest pitching staff in the nation in 2020, and pitching coach Kate Sinnott has done a masterful job with her bullpen. All 127.1 innings of work in the circle so far this season have been handled by the freshman trio of Karlie Charles, Janessa Jasso and Ellie Spelhaug. The group has a combined ERA of 2.91, and allow opponents to hit just .256. Iowa State has not had a staff ERA lower than 3.25 since 2009.

4. Newcomer Janessa Jasso touts a 4-2 record while leading the team with 31 strikeouts on the year in 37.1 innings of work. The native of Dos Palos, Calif., collected her fourth win of the season at Georgia Tech, 4-3.

5. Senior Sami Williams enters the USF Tournament ranked No. 2 nationally in career hits with 246, trailing only Liberty's Amber Bishop (253). Williams currently holds the top spot among the NCAA's DI active doubles leaders with 64.

6. Williams ranks among the nation's leaders in RBI (No. 9 - 26) and home runs (T-No. 19 - 7) this season. She is the Big 12's RBI leader and ranks No. 2 in the conference in total bases (50).

7. The Cyclones are 2-0 in their last two games vs. top-10 opponents (5-10-19 vs. No. 8 Texas / 2-22-20 vs. No. 8 Michigan). Prior to this stretch, Iowa State had not bested a top-10 team since March 9, 2013.

8. Karlie Charles boasts a team-leading ERA of 2.42 and has been steady in the circle during her freshman campaign. Charles boasts 21 strikeouts to just eight walks and her control has been on display, as she's registered just one wild pitch on the year - the lowest on the staff.

9. Ellie Spelhaug is leading Iowa State's pitching staff in opponent batting average (.219) in 46.2 innings of action. She picked up her third career win in Iowa State's 5-1 triumph over No. 8 Michigan - and also collected a go-ahead 2-RBI base hit in the top of the seventh inning. The freshman has also been Iowa State's go-to in relief situations, already tallying two saves on the year.

10. Williams made school history on Feb. 22 vs. No. 22 South Carolina. The native of Laguna Niguel, Calif. blasted two home runs on the weekend, the second of which broke Iowa State's all-time home run record of 42, previously held by Cyclone great Tori Torrescano (2010-13).

11. Williams was named a Softball America Preseason All-American, and was also ranked the No. 34 player in the country by the outlet. Williams was named an Honorable Mention All-American by Softball America following an outstanding junior campaign, becoming the first Cyclone softball player since Jenny Condon in 1989 to earn All-America honors.

12. Williams finished the 2019 campaign as the NCAA DI doubles leader with 25 on the season. She set Iowa State single-season records for hits (82), doubles (25), home runs (17) and runs scored (59) during her historic 2019 campaign.

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Players Mentioned

Karlie Charles

Janessa Jasso

Kasey Simpson

Ellie Spelhaug

Sami Williams

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics