The Iowa State softball team is looking ahead at a tough 2018 season.

The Cyclones start their season with 36 games away in the warm weather. Playing in six different tournaments. Starting with the Coastal Carolina Tournament in Conway, South Carolina. They will face Saint Francis, Coastal Carolina, Presbyterian and UNCG. The tournament goes from Feb. 9 to 11.

The following week the Cyclones head to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Demarini Desert Classic. There they will face Boise State, Long Beach State, BYU, Nevada and San Jose State.

Next, the Cyclones head south to Gainesville, Florida, for the Aquafina Invitational from Feb. 23 to 25. The Gators are sure to be tough competitors as they ranked second overall in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll at the end of last season. Other teams at the tournament include Georgia Southern, Illinois State and Maryland.

The Cyclones return to Florida the following weekend for the Jacksonville Tournament. They will compete against Virginia Tech, Middle Tennessee, North Florida and Jacksonville.

Next stop, Houston, Texas, for the Houston Tournament on March 9 to 11. They will compete against Lipscomb, Northwestern, Houston and Penn State.

The team will stay in Texas that week taking a break from the tournaments to take on UT Arlington and North Texas. They face UT Arlington on March 13 and North Texas on March 14 for a two-game series. 

The Cyclones head to another tournament in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on March 16 to 18. There they will play in the Wooo Pig Classic against Tulsa, Arkansas, Omaha and Saint Francis for the second time. Tulsa ranked No. 22 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll to end last season.

The softball team takes on Oklahoma State for their last series of their road games. The Cowboys will be the first Big 12 team Iowa State faces in the spring. Oklahoma State finished last season and ranked third in the Big 12 conference with a 12-6 Big 12 record.  

The Cyclones will make their first home appearance on March 29 to 31 to face Texas. The Longhorns finished the season one spot ahead of Iowa State with a 7-10 record in the Big 12 conference. But last year, when the Cyclones took on the Longhorns, Iowa State won the series two to one making it their first ever series win against the team.

Three days after the Texas series, Iowa State will face Drake at home on Wednesday, April 4. Last year, the team lost to Drake 3-2.

The Cyclones finish the home stretch and face Oklahoma on April 6 to 8. The Sooners are back-to-back NCAA champions. This will be a tough matchup for the Cyclones as they haven’t had a win against the Sooners since the 2006 season.

Iowa State then hit the road to take on UNI in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Wednesday, April 11. The Cyclones beat the Panthers 15-4 last season.

Iowa State then returns home to take on Western Illinois University for a two-game series on Saturday, April 14.

Iowa State then leaves the state of Iowa for the first time since March 29 to travel to Lubbock, Texas to face Texas Tech for a three-game series from April 20 to 22. Texas Tech swept the Cyclones last season with an overall score of 28-8. 

As soon as they leave they come back for a four-game home stand. First, they take on the Hawkeyes for the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series on Wednesday, April 25. The Cyclones look to take back the trophy after losing to the Hawkeyes 2-1 last season. Next, they take on the Baylor Bears for a three-game series at home from April 27 to 29. Baylor finished last season ranked second in the Big 12 Conference.

They then hit the road again, this time to Lawrence, Kansas, to take on the Jayhawks for a three-game series on May 4 to 6. Last season, the Jayhawks finished last in the Big 12 Conference. The Cyclones swept the Jayhawks in last season’s series. But, the Jayhawks swept the Cyclones the previous season.

The Cyclones end the season with the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from May 11 to 12. Last season, the team struggled in the tournament leaving without a win.