Cyclones travel to Austin, Texas for their first conference series
Iowa State outfielders Bryn Hanrahan, Kaila Konz and Taylor Nearad high five each other during the Cyclones’ 11-4 loss to Texas.
March 21, 2019
Iowa State Cyclones begin Big 12 play this weekend with a three-game series against the tenth-ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas.
Iowa State has been playing well as of late, as the Cyclones have won eight out of their last ten games. Meanwhile, the Longhorns have won seven out of their last ten games, including a 2-0 victory over the fifth-ranked Tennessee Lady Volunteers.
As it stands right now, Iowa State is in fifth place out of seven teams in the Big 12, while Texas is in third place with a record of 26-6.
Eight of the 26 wins that Texas has this season have come against ranked teams in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll or teams that received votes to be ranked.
In last season’s series, the Longhorns swept the Cyclones in their four matchups and scored seven or more runs in each game.
Texas has dominated against the Cyclones in the past. The Cyclones have a record of 3-53 all-time against the Longhorns. The Cyclones’ most recent against the Longhorns came in 2017, when Iowa State won the season series two games to one.
The Longhorns have had tremendous pitching so far this season, as they have the sixth-best ERA in the country with a 1.47 ERA.
Freshman Shealyn O’Leary has led the way on the mound for the Longhorns with an ERA of 0.38, which is the best in the Big 12 and the best in the country.
In the field, Texas has a fielding percentage of .965 which is fourth in the Big 12 right behind Iowa State who has a .976 fielding percentage.
Inside the batter’s box, the Longhorns are one of the better hitting teams in the Big 12. Texas has a batting average of .339, which is third among the seven Big 12 teams.
This matchup between the Cyclones and the Longhorns will feature two of the best hitters in the Big 12: Janae Jefferson for the Longhorns and Sami Williams for the Cyclones.
Sophomore second basemen Jefferson leads the Longhorns in batting average with an average of .454, the best in the Big 12.
Junior shortstop Sami Williams has a batting average of .414 which leads all Cyclones and is fourth best in the Big 12.
The series begins with a game on Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a game on Saturday at 1 p.m. and concludes with a game at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
