The Big 12 Conference is one of the elite conferences in the nation.

And according to ISU head softball coach Ruth Crowe, softball is becoming a dominant sport in the Big 12.

“It’s very tough. I’ve been saying it all along — the Big 12 is tough in all the sports, but in softball, it’s one of the premiere conferences right now,” Crowe said, whose team is 13-19 overall and 1-4 in the conference. “Anytime you have a team ranked in the top 10, it’s just not that easy. For us, we have to show up with our A-game every time we play and hope that they show up with their C- or D-game.”

After losing to No. 7 Nebraska on Wednesday 3-0, the schedule doesn’t appear to get easier for the Cyclones, who face No. 4 Oklahoma this weekend in Norman, Okla.

Oklahoma (31-5, 7-2) is coming of a big 2-1 win over in-state rival Oklahoma State on Wednesday as the Sooners’ Heather Scaglione hit a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift Oklahoma to the victory.

The Sooners have a four-game winning streak and have outscored their opponents 12-2 in that stretch. As of March 31, Oklahoma’s seniors Leah Gulla and Erin Evans were second and third in conference in batting with a .393 and .361 averages, respectively. As a team, the Sooners are second in the conference in batting with a .291 average.

The team is led in pitching by sophomore Kami Keiter and freshman Dana Askins. As of March 31, Keiter had a 0.75 ERA and Askins had a 1.68 ERA. The team has produced a team ERA of 1.40, which ranks third in the conference.

It appears the Cyclones will be shorthanded again this weekend as senior pitcher/outfielder Erica Martinez will likely rest her right arm, which recently suffered a stress fracture. She did not play Wednesday in the loss to Nebraska.

Crowe doesn’t know what pitcher is going to start both games, but she is relying on all of her pitchers to carry the team to a conference sweep.

“We have to have great performances from our pitchers whoever is out there,” Crowe said. “Along with that, the defense has to play great because the pitchers that we put out there aren’t a strikeout pitcher like Erica. So we will always have to play good defense and hopefully we can get some key hits.”

One of the things Iowa State will try to accomplish is getting effective offensive production. As of March 31, the team is ranked last in the conference in team batting with a .219 average.

In the Nebraska game, the Cyclones managed to produce just two extra base hits and left four runners in scoring position. In the five conference games the Cyclones have played, the team has produced 29 hits and have scored only one run.

Crowe said driving home some runs is something the team will have to do.

“We’ve been trying to get out of an offensive hole for a long time and get some people on track,” Crowe said. “With where we are right now offensively, we have to get a key hit. We’re not going to get 10 or 14 hits in a game. If we get people on base, we have to get a key hit. Last year, we scored runs like crazy and this year, it’s not happening.”

After traveling to Oklahoma the team will host in-state opponent Drake on Tuesday at the Southwest Athletic Complex. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.