AMES – After an unfortunate end to their historic 2025 spring softball season that ended with the Cyclones losing in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals to Arizona 6-3, Iowa State finished with a 31-23 overall record and 15-9 Big 12 record.
The Cyclones were left out of the NCAA Tournament field despite the program’s best-ever Big 12 finish.
Filling the gaps
With the departures of senior captain Angelina Allen and Angelita Fuentes, along with transfers Sereniti Trice and Abby Huhn, the Cyclones enter the fall with holes to fill. Iowa State head coach Jamie Pinkerton acknowledged the challenge but emphasized a “next person up” approach.
“[Allen’s] going to be hard to replace,” Pinkerton said. “She was a big leader for us for four years and did a great job. You’re just not going to have anybody walk in and do that right away. That’s going to be a process of trying to see who steps into that leadership void.”
Key returners
Despite the roster turnover, Iowa State returns multiple core players. Sophomore Jessie Clemons, a unanimous First Team All-Big 12 selection last season, hit .367 with 65 hits and 36 RBIs.
Senior Tatum Johnson, also an All-Big 12 honoree, slashed .354/.507/.593 while leading the team in slugging and on-base percentage.
Clemons said she knows there is added responsibility at the top of the order following the departures of Allen and Trice.
“Those were two big bats for us,” Clemons said. “Not only me, but a lot of other girls will have to step up just a little bit more. But we’re ready for the challenge.”
In the circle, the Cyclones will once again rely on junior Lauren Schurman and senior Jaiden Ralston. Schurman appeared in 48 of 54 games last year, leading the nation in appearances, while Ralston set career highs in innings and strikeouts.
“I started in a senior bullpen and now I’m the only senior in the bullpen,” Ralston said. “It’s about taking what I’ve learned and passing it down to the younger pitchers.”
New faces
The Cyclones add seven newcomers to their roster, including five freshmen and two transfer portal additions: Michigan State junior pitcher Ava Mullen and Missouri sophomore infielder Kadence Shepherd.
“We have five freshmen and two portal transfers,” Pinkerton said. “It’s like preseason in baseball. I don’t care if we win or lose; it’s about getting the innings and at-bats in. Winning is fine, but that’s not my objective this fall.”
Clemons said she’s excited to see the group come together.
“Even though we only had two seniors graduate, we have seven new faces,” Clemons said. “It’s going to be a completely new team, so I’m really excited to see where everybody ends up.”
Fall slate ahead
The Cyclones open their fall schedule at 4 p.m. Wednesday against DMACC at the Cyclone Sports Complex.
Iowa State will host Kirkwood on Sept. 20 and Iowa Central on Sept 21. before playing in the Big 4 Classic against Drake in Ames, then UNI and Iowa in Cedar Falls.
The team will close the fall season with a doubleheader against Minnesota and North Dakota State in Minneapolis.
“I just want to see us get better and figure out what we have,” Pinkerton said.
