Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series Home Primer

Who: Iowa State (20-18, 9-6 Big 12) vs. Iowa (25-15, 7-6 Big Ten)

Where: Cyclone Softball Complex – Ames, Iowa

When: April 15 – 4 p.m.

Leading Off
Fresh off a top-25 road series victory, Iowa State returns to the Cyclone Softball Complex to host in-state foe Iowa as part of the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series. Tuesday's meeting will be the first of two this season, as the Cyclones and Hawkeyes are meeting twice in the same season for the first time since 2012.

Iowa State will look to ride its current momentum into the midweek matchup, as it earned a rubber match victory over No. 17 Oklahoma State on Sunday to secure its second road series win of the season. The Cyclones have now won five of the last seven meetings over OSU, with the Cowgirls being ranked in each instance.

As for Iowa, the Hawkeyes enter the midweek matchup riding momentum of their own. Iowa has won four of its last five games which features a weekend sweep over Maryland in College Park over the weekend. Like the Cyclones, Iowa has a pair of ranked wins (No. 5 UCLA and No. 20 Nebraska).

PLEASE NOTE: With an FFA conference happening just across the street at the Hansen Agriculture Building, overflow parking will now be directed to park in the Towers Recreation Fields, just north of the normal softball parking lot. Event staff will help park cars and point things in the right direction.

Tuesday Promotions

Color it Cardinal – Cardinal Iowa Corn T-Shirt giveaway
Conrad Hawley will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

As a reminder, admission to the Cyclone Sports Complex is free.

From the Notes:

The Cyclones spent the first seven weeks of the season away from the Cyclone Softball Complex, playing 28 straight games on the road or at a neutral site.
- March 28 was the latest season-opener since 2022. That squad didn't play at home until April 6.
Iowa State went 1-2 in its first Big 12 series, taking the opening game against Houston. For ISU, it was the program's first Big 12-opening win since 2006.
Iowa State earned its first road Big 12 sweep since 2019 in Orlando, defeating UCF in three straight games. The road series sweep also happened to be the team's first since 2021.
Iowa State snapped a seven-game skid to Arizona State in its third conference series, besting the Sun Devils for the first time since 1998, earning a second-straight Big 12 series win.
- For the Cyclones, it was their first back-to-back Big 12 series victory since 2023, when it downed Baylor and Kansas to close the season.
ISU took game one of the conference series against BYU, marking four straight series with a series-opening win.
The Cyclones earned their first road series win over a ranked opponent at No. 17 Oklahoma State, taking the series 2-1.
- The rubber match win over the Cowgirls gave ISU its ninth conference win of the season – setting a new program single-season high.
- The win also gave ISU its third conference series win of the season – the most in a single season in school history.
After having 11 seniors leave, ISU only has two on this year's roster. Over half of the team, 14, are underclassmen.
- Of Iowa State's most-used lineup this season, just one position player started over 50 percent of last year's games (Angelina Allen).
- Only four players are over the age of 21.
Freshman pitcher Sami Potvin hurled a five-inning perfect game against Grambling State, striking out a career-high nine batters.

Leading the Cyclones
The Cyclone offense is led by a pair of freshmen in Jessie Clemons and Sereniti Trice. Clemons leads the team in batting average (.384), hits (48) and doubles (11) while Trice leads the squad in runs scored (36) and stolen bases (14) sitting right behind Clemons in batting average and hits.

Rounding out ISU's offensive attack are returning All-American Angelina Allen who has the most walks on the team, Sydney Malott who leads the team in home runs and RBI, and Tatum Johnson who leads the team in OPS with a 1.007.

In the circle, five Cyclones have seen action. Lauren Schurman leads the way with a team-low ERA of 2.86. Schurman has hurled 95.1 innings, a team-high, and owns 49 punchouts, also a team-high. Jaiden Ralston has seven starts in 28 appearances with 38 strikeouts. Freshmen Abby Huhn and Sami Potvin have been solid, as each has multiple wins.

Overall, the Cyclones are hitting .281 and have produced 177 runs on 285 hits. The team has 94 extra-base hits with 160 RBI, while drawing 98 walks. ISU holds a collective 4.50 ERA and has allowed 314 hits in 242.2 innings of work.

Opponent Outlook
The Hawkeye bats are led by the combination of Jena Young and Soo-Jin Berry – each of which have over a .260 batting average. Young has a team-best 47 knocks, while Berry leads the squad in RBI with 26. Berry also brings the most pop to the plate, as she's produced a team-high nine home runs.

In total, Iowa has eight players with at least 20 hits on the year, proving there's not a weak spot in the lineup. The Hawkeyes have the fifth-most walks drawn in the Big Ten and subsequently have the seventh-best on-base percentage of any team in the league. They get on base and don't make many mistakes in the field either, boasting the fifth-highest fielding percentage in the conference.

Iowa's pitching staff has become a two-player rotation, with Jalen Adams leading the way with 144 innings pitched. Both Adams and Talia Tretton have combined to pitch over 93 percent of the team's innings this season. Adams has a team-low ERA of 2.19 and has 104 punchouts to her name.

Overall, the Hawkeyes are hitting .283 and have produced 181 runs on 280 hits. The team has 82 extra-base hits with 168 RBI, while drawing 142 walks. Iowa holds a collective 3.81 ERA and has allowed 248 hits in 251.2 innings of work.

Series History
Iowa State leads the all-time series over Iowa, holding a 46-35-2 advantage. The Cyclones have won the last four meetings and haven't lost to the Hawkeyes in Ames since 2008. ISU coach Jamie Pinkerton has not lost to Iowa in his eight seasons at the helm.

On Deck
Iowa State will be back in action this weekend when they welcome Kansas to the Cyclone Softball Complex for its sixth conference series of the season. With it being Easter weekend, game one will take place on Thursday and is set to begin at 4 pm. As always, all weekend action will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Angelina Allen

Jessie Clemons

Abby Huhn

Tatum Johnson

Sydney Malott

Sami Potvin

Jaiden Ralston

Lauren Schurman

Sereniti Trice

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics