The ISU softball team concludes a grueling week of competition, facing another top-shelf Big 12 opponent to cap the weekend.

The Cyclones, still reeling from a doubleheader loss at No. 17 Missouri on Wednesday, travel to play No. 6 Texas A&M in two games at College Station, Texas, this weekend. The Aggies are 34-3 overall and are 5-1 in the conference after a 3-0 loss to No. 4 Texas.

Iowa State (12-20, 0-6 Big 12) couldn’t handle Missouri’s fiery bats despite a first-game home run by ISU first baseman Jessica Quade. The Cyclones fell 9-1 in game one and were pounded 11-1 in the second. These games came one day after an unexpected 5-3 loss to intrastate rival Northern Iowa.

“We have this tendency to dance around in the seventh inning, and we can’t come in expecting to win just by showing up,” said ISU third baseman Diana Reuter. “We have to compete to win and expect more of ourselves.”

Last year, the Cyclones were shut out in both games 3-0. Iowa State said it wants to bring a similar score against the powerhouse, but putting the winning score on their side.

“We have to come out ready against them and bring our A game,” said pitcher Alyssa Ransom. “We played two great games last year and came real close, and we hope to do it again, but come out on top this time.”

The Aggies are second in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma and are blasting opponents with a collective .346 batting average.

A&M freshman Megan Gibson is fifth in the conference with a .416 average and 13 home runs, followed by freshman Amanda Scarborough with a .406 mark. Sophomore Sharonda McDonald has scored 45 runs and stolen 38 bases to lead both categories in the Big 12.

Scarborough is also the leading pitcher for Texas A&M, with a 0.47 earned run average and 110 strikeouts.

She has racked up a 20-1 record thus far.

“They are a very powerful team and are really powered by their pitching and batting,” Reuter said. “They are quick on their feet and are very dominant in all areas of the field.”

Gibson and Scarborough have added to their prestigious resumes by being recently nominated to the USA Softball National Player of the Year watch list.

The Cyclones are batting .208 on the year, and senior Kim Rodgers is tied for first in the conference with four triples. The team is also ranked sixth in fielding percentage at .962.