The Cyclones are far from the sub-500 team that entered Spring Break with a 10–11 record.

Iowa State has been riding high all week long. The Cyclones (18–12) managed an 8–1 record over the break, spanning two tournaments and a pair of mid-week games.

The win streak makes the team six games over .500 as it heads into the Big 12 schedule next week.

The Cyclones final two games were canceled due to weather, but Iowa State salvaged a win in both games at the Billiken Invitational to accompany wins Thursday and Friday over Southern Illinois and Saint Louis.

The Cyclones broke the weekend open with a five-run third inning against host Saint Louis as they cruised to an easy 8–1 victory. In the second game of the tournament, the Cyclones fell behind early, with Western Michigan jumping out to a one-run lead in the first inning.

The Broncos kept Iowa State quiet until the fourth inning when sophomore Dalyn Varela and freshman Tori Torrescano traded doubles to get the Cyclones on the board. Iowa State then added runs in the fifth and sixth innings to bring the final margin to 5–1.

The team has been winning with a mix of offense and defense.

Over the nine-game stretch during Spring Break, Iowa State has outscored its opponents 48–21, including a 20–4 advantage over the last three games this week.

Despite all the senior talent and leadership on the team this year, the Cyclones have been led offensively by their younger players.

Sophomores Varela, Heidi Kidwell and Bianca Lopez and freshman Erica Miller are leading the Cyclones in hitting this season with, averages of .421, .376, .342 and .323.

In addition to the offensive boost the team has gotten from its youth, the Cyclones have found a second pitcher to go along with staff ace, junior Rachel Zabriskie.

Freshman pitcher Torrescano stepped up this week going 3–1, bringing her record up to 3–3 for the season.

Torrescano’s first win as a Cyclone came against UC Santa Barbara. In the game, she allowed five unearned runs to go with her four RBI to help the Cyclones.

Zabriskie, for her part, became the school’s all-time leader in strikeouts, becoming the first Cyclone to reach 500 strikeouts and overtaking alumni Courtney Dully ‘s previous mark of 495 strikeouts.