Iowa State softball pitcher Mandy Loushin said her team won’t be looking past today’s doubleheader with Minnesota, even with the commencement of the Big 12 Tournament looming on Thursday.

The Cyclone team travels to No. 16 Minnesota for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. It will be the last regular season games for the Cyclones, who have a 15-23 record.

“I think we need to get ready for the Big 12 Tournament, so traveling to Minnesota will help us prepare,” Loushin said.

ISU has wrapped up the eighth seed for the Big 12 Tournament at Oklahoma City. The Cyclones will play ninth-seeded Missouri in the first round at 5 p.m. on Thursday. The winner of that game will play face top-seeded Nebraska, which is ranked seventh nationally.

The sluggers split a doubleheader with the 15th-ranked Tigers on April 19, the only time the two teams have played this season. Missouri won the first game, 2-1, and the Cyclones won the second game, 4-1.

“I think we’ll definitely be underdogs going into the tournament,” Loushin said. “But if we can put everything together, as far as hitting and pitching, we can do some good things.”

ISU lost a doubleheader at No. 12 Oklahoma State on Saturday and lost, 3-0, at No. 5 Oklahoma on Sunday.

Loushin struck out six batters in six innings in the first game against Oklahoma State on Sunday, a 4-0 win by the Cowgirls.

The Cyclones had gone 4-1 the weekend before, including wins over No. 22 Iowa and No. 15 Missouri.

“The season has had its ups and downs, but hopefully we’ll peak at the right time going into the tournament,” Loushin said.

Outfielders Missy Danilson, Jamie Kahler and Renae Hunting are the only seniors on the ISU team.

“We’re a very young team, but I think we’re also very competitive,” said Loushin, a sophomore. “I think it’s just a matter of putting it all together for one game in the tournament, both offensively and defensively, and advancing.”

Minnesota (39-16) has three batters with at least a .400 batting average, led by Amber Heglands’s .453 average. Gopher Shannon Beeler is hitting .429, and Steph Midthan is batting .400.

Wendy Logue and Steph Klavitar have shared the starting-pitching duties for the Gophers. Logue has a 17-6 record and a 1.89 ERA, and Klavitar has a 14-9 record and a 2.00 ERA.