Iowa State softball will host Iowa Central on Sunday to open the fall season, with hopes of forming a new identity.

Though the fall scrimmages do not count toward their overall win-loss record, the softball team is coming out with the intent to win.

Head Coach Jamie Pinkerton made it clear that the team will come out and play with the intent to win. They are looking to play a good game but also get in quality practice in the process.

“I mean, obviously we want to win, but I mean there are more things that we want to accomplish and hopefully we can do that and look good in the process,” Pinkerton said.

The softball team is looking to get better and figure out positions for all the players. The fall season will allow the team to try out different combinations of players and get good practice on the defensive side of the ball.

The game on Sunday will be ten innings and will give the team a chance to get in quality reps with their depth. The coaching staff is trying to figure out starting positions and secondary positions for the players, so they will look to move players around during the game.

Pinkerton said the team is getting to know themselves and figure out their identity. The fall season will allow the team to find what works and what doesn’t.

As the new season rolls around, senior turnover has left the team looking for leaders to step up.

“There’s a vacuum there obviously when you have players… that you had for five years… It’s going to be difficult because Logan [Schaben] was a very good leader, Sami [Williams] was a very good leader, and you know we’ve just got to find that new leadership,” Pinkerton said.

A big theme for the softball team during the fall season is finding their identity.

Even though they did lose some key players on defense, the bullpen looks to be an improvement from last year. With all five pitchers back this year, they are looking to improve and grow, as they have over the past few seasons.

“We are another year older, we should be another year wiser and better. So I feel good about the staff, it’s gotten better each year,” Pinkerton said.

Iowa Central displayed great hitting in their conference last year, so it should be good practice for the bullpen to face. Pinkerton seemed confident in the team’s ability to perform well on Sunday.

The game is set to start at 2 p.m. on Sunday in Ames.