Iowa State softball is set to face Baylor in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament after earning the highest seed of any team in school history.

The Cyclones needed help from fellow conference opponent Texas after defeating Kansas in the series-clinching game. The Longhorns defeated Baylor to propel Iowa State into the four seed for the upcoming single elimination tournament.

Iowa State softball has not earned a four seed or higher for the conference tournament in the 27-year history of the Big 12. Pinkerton’s team is set to face Baylor at 1 p.m. Thursday at the USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex.

The winner of Thursday’s game will face No. 1 Oklahoma in the second round on Friday.

Iowa State earned its first Big 12 series win against Baylor in Waco, Texas, on May 1. The Cyclones carried the momentum from an emotional rivalry game into the road trip and won the final two games of the series.

Overall, Baylor is 28-23 during the 2022 season and 6-12 in Big 12 games.

Iowa State will enter the Big 12 tournament having won six of its last eight games. Iowa State’s end of season push earned the Cyclones an above .500 record.

The winning record is the third for Pinkerton in his five seasons at Iowa State. Iowa State had one winning season between 1996 and 2017, when Pinkerton joined the program.

In 2022, Iowa State earned the first back-to-back winning season since the 1988 and 1989 seasons.  

On the final weekend of Big 12 play, however, Iowa State lost positioning on the national ratings power index. The national rating system is used to decide which teams receive the 32 at-large bids and tickets to the NCAA tournament. 32 teams automatically qualify by winning their conference tournament.

With Iowa State seeking the first back-to-back NCAA tournament appearance in program history, the Cyclones sit at 62. Iowa State was positioned at 58 entering the final series of the regular season.

The status of Carli Spelhaug

Iowa State earned its final Big 12 series win in the absence of a key contributor.

Left-fielder and leadoff hitter Carli Spelhaug has been a leader for Iowa State both in the batter’s box and on the base paths. Spelhaug’s batting average of .324 and OPS of 1.022 both rank second on the club.

Spelhaug sports a near perfect stolen base percentage with 15 stolen bases on 16 attempts for 2022. Spelhaug’s 52 runs scored from her leadoff position in the order ranks in the top-20 nationally.

The junior for Iowa State suffered an ankle injury in Iowa State’s trip to Waco, Texas. She was sidelined for Iowa State’s final four games following the injury.  

Pinkerton said Spelhaug was “day-to-day” after Iowa State’s win against Kansas on Friday. Then, speaking after Iowa State’s double header with Kansas on Saturday, Pinkerton said Spelhaug was available but was sidelined to receive an extra day of rest.

A freshman’s hot streak

Iowa State has received a late season push from the bat of freshman first basemen Angelina Allen.

Allen now leads Iowa State hitters with a batting average of .324 on the season. In the last eight games, the Moreno, California, native has produced a .444 batting average, along with two home runs and seven RBI.

In game two of Iowa State’s double header with Kansas, Allen batted three-for-three to help Iowa State clinch the series win.