After 341 days without playing, the Iowa State softball team returns to action in the Doc Halverson UNI Dome Tournament in a weekend stretch Friday through Sunday.

The Cyclones’ last game was played March 8 against USF. Once COVID-19 entered the U.S. at an alarming rate, the season was canceled four days later.

The team will begin play Friday at the Doc Halverson UNI Dome Tournament in Cedar Falls, Iowa. In this tournament, the Cyclones will face South Dakota State at 11:15 a.m., followed by the University of Northern Iowa at 3:45 p.m.

On Saturday, Iowa State will play Butler bright and early at 8 a.m. and Omaha at 12:30 p.m. before ending the tournament versus Drake on Sunday at 11:15 a.m.

Fans attending the tournament must follow all social distancing and mask guidelines.

What does the start of a season look like for a team whose season was cut short because of COVID-19 and continues to be impacted by the same issue today?

Possibilities.

With seven of its nine starters from last season returning, including its entire pitching staff, Iowa State softball has a chance to get to the College World Series since COVID protocols are already in place for the June tournament to be held. 

With so much experience coming back for a redemption season of sorts, the Cyclone offense returns 82.4 percent of its hits, 86 percent of its RBIs, 85.7 percent of its runs scored and all 18 home runs from a season ago.

The biggest name coming back for the 2021 softball season is Sami Williams, who enters the 2021 season as the Big 12’s all-time leader and the NCAA’s active leader in doubles with 64.

She is six doubles away from joining the NCAA’s all-time top-10 leaderboard in the stat.

From last March until now, the team has been practicing in indoor domes and has sharpened their skills for a new season.

With five games in three days, the team will get the opportunity to showcase their skills that have been worked on throughout the course of the pandemic.