The goals of the ISU baseball team this year are very simple.Win 35 games and make the Big 12 Tournament.ISU head coach Lyle Smith said he is confident that they can accomplish their feat. “We want to win some games,” he said. “They want to become the best players they can be.”He said, however, that in order for a team to be successful, the starting pitchers need to be top-notch. Smith said that the three main starting pitchers will be Charly Bigwood, Lincoln Mincks and Alan Bomer.Bigwood, who is among 13 returning seniors and was mainly in the bullpen last year, will start for Iowa State this year. Despite an ankle injury that sidelined him for more than a month, Bigwood, whose teammates call him “Biggy,” still led the team in saves with three and had a 5.26 earned-run average in pitching 49 2/3 innings.Sophomore Mincks, who is the lone returning starting pitcher, had 27 strike-outs in pitching 58 2/3 innings last season. “It’s a long season, and we need to be mentally strong the whole year,” Mincks said. “We need to all work together as a team.” Returning to the line-up is sophomore Bomer. Having been stricken with tendonitis, Bomer was out for almost the entire season last year. “It was really hard, just not being able to compete with the other players,” he said.Smith said he is confident and optimistic that these three starters, as well as the fielders, can do just that. “You have to have the ability to contain the opponent’s offense,” Smith says. “If you contain an opponent’s offense, they will give you a chance to win.” Four junior college transfers, who are all newcomers, will play a significant role on the defensive side. Jake Brown will play at shortstop, and John Zeller, Mike Wilcox and T.J. Bohn will play outfield from left to right.On the offensive side, senior Ryan Wickham, an all-Big 12 Conference honorable mention last season, returns to the catching position. In that position, he threw out 30 runners, and has a .318 batting average (including a .386 average at Cap Timm Field) with six home runs. Wickham had 61 hits overall, 40 home runs and 29 runs batted-in. He also had a 12-game hitting streak from March 21 to April 4, and he said he has been working very closely with the assistant coaches to improve his game. “We need to trust in the coaches and do what they say,” Wickham said. “We need to gel [as a team].”Senior Beau Hampton, who is also a starting hitter for Iowa State, said getting to the Big 12 Tournament is a big thing. “I don’t care if you’re the eighth seed or the first seed; anything goes then,” he said. “From there, there are so many things that can happen.”Senior Rob Conway also returns after a strong year. He batted .298 last year, and led the team in home runs (10) and runs batted-in (54). The team also has freshmen Brian Furlong, Brent Jackson and Sean Johnson – a trio that Smith says have future mound possibilities. Freshman Jay Lavender also enters as a potential future outfielder.The Cyclones finished last season with a 19-37 record and had a 7-23 standing in the Big 12 Conference. The Cyclones have their first outings Saturday and Sunday when they travel to Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo. Iowa State’s first home game is March 9 when they host Baylor in Big 12 Conference action.