Although the ISU softball team opened its Big 12 season with consecutive losses to No. 7 Oklahoma, the team’s competitive nature is set to thrive as it begins its home schedule Tuesday.

The Cyclones kick off their home schedule at the Southwest Athletic Complex in a non-conference contest against North Dakota State, which brings a 15-12 record to Ames. Iowa State is 9-15 overall and 0-2 in Big 12 play.

Despite those defeats, head coach Ruth Crowe said the team isn’t unnerved.

“It was a pretty good start,” she said. “We have a busy week coming up, and we just need to put a few more things together.”

Senior Diana Reuter said the team’s weakness in Friday’s losses was its inability to stay consistent.

“The overall mood of the team was pretty much that we need to compete,” Reuter said. “We’re inconsistent, and once you get into the Big 12, you can’t do that. We competed in that second game, but we knew that we had to change our overall attitude, routine or whatever it takes.”

The Cyclones face a packed week, including matches against Drake and Texas Tech, so consistency may be a challenge as the week wears on.

“It is one of our downfalls, but we’ve acknowledged it,” Reuter said. “Now we just need to find something in us personally and as a team to get us going.”

The first chance for Iowa State to change its ways is Tuesday’s doubleheader against North Dakota State. The Bison are coming off recent defeats at the Hawkeye Classic in Iowa City, including an eight-inning, 1-0 loss to South Dakota State. North Dakota State finished the tournament 1-3 after No. 21 Iowa beat it 2-0.

Sophomore Erin Troup is leading the Bison with a .358 batting average.

Senior Heather Hyatt leads the squad with 26 hits and 16 runs, while Troup has claimed 24 hits and six doubles. Freshman pitcher Allison Bakke is 7-7 on the season, and junior Amber Garrett is 5-2.

This is the first time the Cyclones have played North Dakota State, and their lack of knowledge about the opponent’s program may be a positive in the matchup.

“It’s a team we don’t hear of or see often, but, just like for all the others, we need to come prepared to compete and dominate,” Reuter said. “We seem to play down to other team’s levels, and we need to learn how to dominate a game.”

Crowe said although Iowa State has the more prominent program, North Dakota State will not be intimidated by the Cyclones after facing similar foes already this season.

“We have to expect to win and we need a good frame of mind when we attempt to take that step up,” she said. “We can’t be tentative, and we have to get back to the aggressiveness we had earlier this season. The mentality that we’ve had off and on this season needs to get consistent.”

The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 3 p.m. Tuesday.