The Cyclones may not be the favorites quite yet, but they feel that after winning the Charleston Southern Tournament, they will at least be getting a longer look from opponents this weekend at the Stetson Tournament in DeLand, Florida.

“I think just seeing how we did last weekend will mean we will probably be more looked at as someone to beat, rather then someone to kind of look past,” said sophomore pitcher Amie Ford.

Iowa State will take on Canisius College and Stetson University this weekend, as well as the University of Florida – twice.

Lately, Iowa State’s previously unknown pitching has started to turn heads.

Amie Ford pushed her overall record to 5-3 and was named Big 12 pitcher of the week – the first ever to accomplish the feat in ISU history. Ford went 3-0 on the weekend, averaged 11.3 strikeouts per game, and threw a no-hitter, while lowering her team-leading earned run average to .91.

“It was just really exciting,” Ford said of the honor. “They should have Big 12 team of the week, because our team did awesome and I just think it’s a reflection of the whole team.”

Ford’s performance has overshadowed the resurgence of junior pitcher Alyssa Ransom. Ransom, who began the season by losing her first three games, is riding a five-game winning streak.

The duo of Ford and Ransom hope to continue their winning ways, however, that may once again rest on the team’s ability to minimize errors. This past weekend they committed only six errors over the seven games, and improved their fielding percentage from .929 in the error-filled Crown Plaza Classic to .969. The improvement in defense is a trend they said they hope to continue in DeLand.

“Anytime you can eliminate errors, it takes pressure off,” said coach Stacy Gemeinhardt. “We’ve worked hard making adjustments, but we have to keep working in order to keep our errors down.”

Pitching hasn’t been the only thing going well for the Cyclones, however. Surging offense by Big 12 player of the week, catcher Ashley Killeen has powered the Cyclones to victory, as well. She batted .542, hit three home runs including a grand slam, and drove in 15 runs on the weekend.

“It’s something you can’t really expect to get, because it depends on how the rest of the Big 12 does,” Killen said. “But it was a really big honor, and I’m definitely kind of humbled by it.”

Her performance helped to propel an offense that hopes to continue performing as they did last weekend when they averaged seven runs a game, and had an astronomical .369 batting average that powered Iowa State to six innings where the Cyclones scored at least four runs over the weekend.

“I think that’s big because you get some momentum,” Killeen said of scoring in bunches. “Especially early in the game if you start off strong like that, it will carry through [the game].”

Riding a current eight-game winning streak and fresh off a tournament win, Iowa State will be full of confidence as they head to Florida.

“The way that the team played has impacted everyone,” Ford said. “Were excited, and we just want to go and win more games, and it just gives us confidence that we can beat anybody.”