Iowa State at Sun Devil Classic Primer

Who: Iowa State vs. New Mexico State / GCU / Portland State / Florida

Where: Farrington & GCU Softball Stadiums – Phoenix & Tempe, Ariz.

When: Feb. 21 / 22 / 23 – 2:15 & 7:30 p.m. / 2:15 p.m. / 10 a.m. CT

Leading Off
Iowa State looks to continue its momentum from a 3-1 weekend at the Wilson Invitational, as it heads south to partake in the Sun Devil Classic. ISU will meet four teams between games in both Tempe and Phoenix, including its first ranked opponent of the season in No. 3 Florida.

Last weekend, Iowa State picked up three wins in Long Beach, defeating Oregon State, LBSU and Southern Utah. Sophomore pitcher Lauren Schurman had a productive week in the circle for ISU, as she hurled 15.2 (of a possible 27) innings and recorded a 0.45 ERA.

The Sun Devil Classic is jointly hosted by Arizona State and Grand Canyon. With ISU and ASU set to meet in conference play in March, the two teams will miss each other in the desert. The only other team in the tournament field that ISU will not play is Cal Baptist.

Please Note: Only one of this weekend's games (Grand Canyon) will be streamed. The Portland State game will have an audio option, as the ASU student radio will broadcast the game. All four games will have live stats available.

From the Notes:

ISU will spend seven straight weekends on the road to start the season. That means their first 28 games will all take place away from the Cyclone Softball Complex.
After having 11 seniors leave, ISU only has two on this year's roster. Over half of the team, 14, are underclassmen.
- ISU's most frequently featured lineup has had five newcomers in the fold.
2025 marks the beginning of a new Big 12 expansion, as three new schools – Arizona, Arizona State and Utah – all enter the fray.
Freshman Jessie Clemons had three hits in her collegiate debut over the weekend, making her the first player in the Pinkerton era to have at least three hits in their collegiate debut.

Leading the Cyclones
Freshman Jessie Clemons has been the most productive Cyclone at the plate through two weeks, as the first-year infielder from Bettendorf is slashing .448/.452/.655. She collected her first career homer last weekend and was one of two Cyclones with five hits – a team-high. Fellow newcomers Sereniti Trice, Sydney Malott and Reagan Bartholomew have also had solid starts to the year, while returning All-American Angelina Allen has been productive at the plate too.

In the circle, five Cyclones have seen action. This past weekend, Lauren Schurman handled business, picking up her first two wins of the season. She holds a team-low 1.57 ERA in nine appearances. Jaiden Ralston and Sami Potvin have also seen consistent time for ISU.

Overall, the Cyclones are hitting .249 and have produced 34 runs on 62 hits. The team has 21 extra-base hits with 32 RBI, while drawing 20 walks. ISU holds a collective 4.20 ERA and has allowed 74 hits in 58.1 innings of work.

Opponent Outlook
New Mexico State (8-4) saw the 2025 Troy Cox Classic came to a close on Monday and the Aggies finalized a six-game weekend with a convincing 11-0 drubbing of Montana. The Aggies have three players batting over .400, with first baseman Lauren Garcia leading the way with .609.

Grand Canyon (10-2) enters the weekend coming off a midweek win over Big 12 school Arizona State. GCU sits just behind Arizona (10-1) for best record in the Grand Canyon State.

Portland State (3-7) went 1-4 last weekend in the Cardinal Classic, collecting a win over UC Riverside. PSU pitcher Grace Kimball was named the Big Sky Co-Pitcher of the Week for her outings over the weekend.

No. 3 Florida (13-1) ranks No. 1 in the nation in RBI (105) and runs (114), No. 2 in home runs (22), hits (124) and shutouts (7), No. 3 in walks (59), No. 4 in doubles (25) and No. 5 in stolen bases (34).

Series History
Iowa State and New Mexico State will meet for the 12^th time this Friday, in a series that the Aggies lead, 6-5. The Cyclones and Lopes have met three times prior, with the Cyclones holding a 2-1 edge over GCU. Portland State and ISU will meet for the fifth time in the tournament. Iowa State holds a 3-1 series advantage over the Vikings. In the final game of the tournament, ISU will play Florida for the seventh time. The Gators are 6-0 all-time against ISU.

On Deck
Iowa State will head to Louisiana to participate in the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville next weekend. There, the Cyclones will compete against five schools across three days as the early non-conference slate winds down. The first game, against SFA, is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. CT on Feb. 28.

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Players Mentioned

Angelina Allen

Reagan Bartholomew

Jessie Clemons

Sydney Malott

Sami Potvin

Jaiden Ralston

Lauren Schurman

Sereniti Trice

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics