The ISU softball players finally get to dust off their spikes for the 2015 season. The team will open with its annual Cyclone Invitational tournament against Utah State and South Dakota State on Feb. 6 to 8.

The Cyclones are returning from a 2014 season, which they finished 23-31-1. Despite their record, they put together one of the most prolific offensive seasons in ISU history, where they set new school records for team batting average and total hits.

“I really think we can continue right where we left off with the heart of our lineup having a lot of .300 plus hitters” said ISU coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler.

The team hopes to tune their skills against two sub-.500 teams this weekend, but the team knows not to overlook another team because of its records.

“I never really look into the games too much. I just like to focus on my play and my team, and go do the best we can,” said senior shortstop Lexi Slater. “We work on improving ourselves and that will improve the team.

When asked about if the team was ready to finally play against an opponent other than themselves, the response was unanimous.

“All of us are just itching to go out and play someone other than ourselves,” said Jorden Spendlove. “We all worked really hard this offseason and we just want to get out there.”

With a large returning core, along with some exciting newcomers, the ISU softball team aims to start the season strong at the Cyclone Invitational.

The Cyclones open their season Feb. 6 against Utah State at 5:30 p.m. in the Bergstrom Football Complex. They follow that up with a double-header against Utah State at noon and South Dakota State at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 7. They will finish up with a Sunday game against South Dakota State at 11:30 a.m Feb. 8.