Since starting the season with a record of 1-4, the Iowa State softball team has begun to turn things around to a record of 13-9.

“Since the first weekend, we’ve won 12 out of our last 17 [games,] so we’re playing pretty good ball right now,” said coach Jamie Pinkerton.

The Cyclones had their best record at a tournament last weekend at the ShareSLO Mustang Classic, as they went 4-1 on their way to winning the classic.

“We did well in all aspects, and there was a lot of team victories,” said junior shortstop Sami Williams. “It wasn’t just one person getting all the hits, it was the entire team.”

First inning problems

While the Cyclones have earned a 7-3 record in their last 10 games, Iowa State suffered from a slow start in two of its losing games.

Those two losses came in the first game of each of Iowa State’s last two tournaments, where the Cyclones allowed 11 runs combined in its first inning.

This weekend, Pinkerton’s squad hopes to right the ship.

“It’s been two weekends in a row that we haven’t played well in the first inning in a tournament, so I’ve got to take a look at our preparation going into the field,” Pinkerton said. “I don’t know if it’s sluggishness, travel, the way we’re prepping going into the field, but I’m definitely going to take a look at that and figure out a way to get us off to a better start in the next tournament.” 

Kasey Simpson stands out

While most starters in the Iowa State batting lineup are juniors and seniors, some underclassmen have begun to make a name for themselves.

One of those underclassmen is freshman second baseman Kasey Simpson.

So far this season, Simpson has played in 17 games, made 15 starts and has started in nine games in a row.

“Whether it’s offensively or defensively, I want to be able to produce for the team,” Simpson said. “I want to be able to produce for my team on offense and make plays for my pitcher so that way they know that I have their back and that I’m able to be there for them.”

In high school, Simpson earned a spot among the top 35 prospects in high school by FloSoftball and a spot on the FloSoftball All-American First Team.

She was a part of the Keller High School that won back-to-back 6A Texas State Championships and earned the 2017 Texas Sports Writers 6A Player of the Year as well as the Dallas Morning News Offensive Player of the Year.

This season, Simpson has a batting average of .283 which is third best on the team, and she has a perfect fielding percentage.

“She’s doing a great job right now hitting the ball, her defense has been exceptional, and she’s made a difference,” Pinkerton said. “It’s not that Sydney [Stites] didn’t do a good job, it’s just that right now we feel that we feel like we’re better with her [Simpson] in the field defensively.”

Big 12 play around the corner

With Big 12 play being less than 10 days away, coach Pinkerton’s squad isn’t focused on sending a message to the other teams in the Big 12.

Instead, the squad is focused on improving their game as Big 12 play approaches.

“I’m not worried about sending messages to other teams but rather us going out and fixing our first inning problems and getting better,” Pinkerton said.