Confidence is at an all-time high as the Cyclones (22-13, 1-1 Big 12) are off to one of the best starts since coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler took over.

But with the Cyclones’ recent success and upcoming games against Big 12 powerhouses Oklahoma (27-8, 1-1) and Oklahoma State (30-7, 2-0), never before has mental focus been so important.

“We know we have to play our best and that everyone has to do their job,” said senior infielder Courtney Wray. “You have to get mentally ready more than you would against other teams who aren’t ranked or don’t have a really good record. Everyone has to step up their mental game and bring a lot more focus to the field.”

Led by a senior class that has never beaten Oklahoma, the team’s focus during Friday’s doubleheader against the Sooners will be just as important as how the team plays on the field.

Oklahoma is currently ranked 13th and has once again demonstrated why its program has been one of the Big 12’s best over the past decade.

“I’m not looking at previous games against Oklahoma,” said senior catcher Alex Johnson. “Yeah, they’ve beaten us and we haven’t beat them, but it’s just like Iowa. We hadn’t beaten them until this year, so this is the year to make that happen. We almost beat [Oklahoma] last year, so that proves that we can compete with them.”

Since the beginning of March, the Cyclones have lost only four games. With conference play just now beginning, the Cyclones are in a strong position to make a name for themselves in the Big 12.

How this weekend’s series against the Sooners goes could be a strong indication of what the rest of the season will be like for Iowa State.

If the Cyclones can pick at least one win against the Sooners, it would mark the team’s first win of the season over an opponent in the top 25.

“Honestly, I think a lot of us do a really good job at not paying attention to rankings,” said senior outfielder Kelsey Kidwell. “I didn’t even know they were ranked. I think we play a lot better when we’re expecting to come out and play our best and get a win or two and not even know really what kind of team we’re playing.”

One of the biggest factors to Friday’s game will be how well the pitching staff performs against the powerful OU offense.

As a team, the Sooners are hitting .290 with 47 home runs and 200 RBIs. Freshman catcher Jessica Shults leads the team in homeruns with 12 while junior outfielder Haley Nix ranks second with eight. Both hitters rank in the top six in the conference in homeruns and will be a consistent threat to go deep whenever they are up to bat.

The matchup between Shults and ISU junior pitcher Rachel Zabriskie will be interesting as Zabriskie has allowed 23 homeruns this season. After allowing 31 homeruns last year, Zabriskie is on pace to give up more homeruns than she did last season.

“I think if you ask coach [Gary Hines] he’ll say he doesn’t want to see the ball leave the park,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “I think that’s been one of [Zabriskie’s] Achilles’ on and off. But the main thing is that she competes and comes back no matter what happens or what the score is.”

While the Cyclones currently rank ninth in the conference in pitching, the Sooners’ pitching staff ranks first. Oklahoma leads all teams with a 1.65 earned run average and is holding opponents to a combined batting average of just .194.

Freshman pitcher Keliani Ricketts ranks second in the Big 12 behind Zabriskie in wins and innings pitched. The lefty also ranks third in strikeouts and first in appearances.

With statistics such as those, there is no question Oklahoma can both hit and pitch well. While it would be easy for teams to look at the numbers the Sooners have posted and be intimidated, the Cyclones are refusing to let those statistics get inside their head as they believe they can keep up with the Sooners.

“We know [Oklahoma] can hit the ball,” Johnson said. “I’ve been here three years and they’ve hit the ball every year. But we can hit the ball, too; we’ve proved that. We might not hit it out of the park as much as everybody else, but our small game, our hard work and our speed lets us play with anybody. [Oklahoma’s] a good team, but we’re a good team as well.”