After a 6-1 start to 2004, the ISU Baseball Club will go head to head with fellow National Club Baseball Association newcomer Iowa Saturday.

Iowa, like the Cyclones last year, is a first-year team in the NCBA.

“We’re assuming they’re a good team. We were a first-year team last year and won the league. I guess we’ll find out on Saturday,” said Jake Reichling, club president and senior in health and human performance.

The Cyclones 6-1 start is largely due to their impressive offensive numbers in their first seven games. Last weekend against Southern Illinois, the Cyclones rattled off an enormous 56 runs in four games to sweep the Salukis.

Iowa State grabbed the lead early in game one with homeruns by Evan Grieme, senior in finance, and Reichling in the first inning, as the Cyclones won the game 7-5. Kurt Boettger, junior in journalism and mass communication got the win.

In game two, Iowa State’s bats exploded. The Cyclones accounted for 15 runs on 12 hits and won the game 15-4. Scott Tinkoff, junior in marketing, led the team, batting 3-4 with a homerun and four runs batted in. Tony Kruse, senior in mathematics, was the winning pitcher.

The first game of the second doubleheaderwas much like the previous game. The Cyclone hitters went off again, clouting the Salukis 19-4.

The Cyclones completed their weekend sweep as they won game four by a score of 16-3. Alex Murma, sophomore in pre-architecture, went 4-4 with a home run and five runs batted in to lead Iowa State.

After their fast start, the Cyclones have very high expectations for the rest of the season. Last year, Iowa State was beat by Wisconsin in the regional playoffs, only one game away from the national tournament in Florida. In order to not come up short this year, the Cyclones need to improve on a few things.

“We must work on getting better each game and eliminate our mental mistakes,” said Michael Zitelman, senior in civil engineering. “I think our team will become stronger as the year goes on.”

The fate of the Cyclones’ season will be known after some key games against Nebraska late in the season, as the Cornhuskers will be some of Iowa State’s toughest competition.

This Saturday at noon at Cap Timm Field, the Cyclones will try to continue their strong season against the rival Hawkeyes. Admission to the doubleheader is free.