Iowa State enters a three-game series against SEC-bound, No. 1-ranked Texas on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for its last out-of-state trip of the season.
The Cyclones have won their last two games, the most recent being a 12-7 victory against St. Thomas at home Tuesday. The game against the Tommies showcased some impressive Cyclone performances, including a five-RBI game from Ashley Minor and three-hit performances from Angelina Allen and Carli Spelhaug.
The win Tuesday improved the Cyclones’ record to 18-25 overall, giving them their seventh home win of the season.
Iowa State has not matched up well with the Longhorns in the past, holding a 4-66 record all-time. The last time the Cyclones beat the Longhorns was in 2019 in Oklahoma City 2-0. Since then, Iowa State has lost 10 straight to the Longhorns.
This series will be the last time Iowa State will play in Austin, Texas, as Big 12 opponents. Despite the tough recent history against Texas, head coach Jamie Pinkerton is optimistic about the series.
“The last two times we’ve been there, we haven’t come away with a win, but we’ve played well,” Pinkerton said. “Two years ago when we were there, we blew a lead in the seventh inning in all three games.”
Despite the 0-3 series against BYU, the Cyclones pulled off an impressive series win against No. 5 Oklahoma State, and Minor and her teammates hope to do the same in Austin, Texas.
“We know they are tough, but we see that they are a good matchup for us too,” Minor said. “But we feel like we play pretty well in Texas.”
The Longhorns, who are on a nine-game win streak, will be a tough test for the Cyclones. The nine-game win streak includes series sweeps against Kansas and Baylor and two wins against then-No. 1 Oklahoma.
Texas is led by power-hitting sophomore Reese Atwood, who plays both catcher and first base. Atwood has put up an impressive .399 batting average and hit 15 home runs on the year. If that was not enough, Atwood has a team-high 66 RBIs, the next closest being Mia Scott with 33.
The bullpen for the Longhorns makes them even stronger as well. No pitcher for Texas has an ERA above two, and one of five pitchers has allowed an opponent batting average of over .200.
Freshman Teagan Kavan, from Des Moines, Iowa, has started 16 games and pitched 82.1 innings. Kavan leads Texas in strikeouts with 82, which is also eighth in the Big 12.
In order for Iowa State to have success against the Longhorns, the bats will need to be hot just like they were Tuesday against St. Thomas.
Iowa State starts its three-game series against the Longhorns at 6 p.m. Friday in Austin, Texas.
