LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawks (22-12-1, 7-5 Big 12) head to Ames, Iowa, to take on the Iowa State Cyclones (13-18, 3-6 Big 12) from April 5-7 at Cyclone Sports Complex in KU’s fifth Big 12 conference series of the season.
Last week, Kansas dropped a three-game series to No. 1 Oklahoma (1-6, 0-17 and 3-7). Before that, the Jayhawks swept No. 13 Baylor from March 15-17 at Arrocha Ballpark for the program’s first sweep in a three-game series against a ranked conference opponent all-time. In the following week, Kansas swept Houston on the road.
After sweeping Houston, Kansas earned distinctions in three nationals polls last week. KU was ranked No. 18 in the Softball America poll, No. 21 in the D1Softball Poll and No. 24 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. Kansas is also receiving votes in the NFCA coaches poll. In the latest polls, Kansas received votes in the NFCA coaches poll, the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and the D1Softball poll.
Kansas currently has an RPI ranking of 30 this week, with its most notable wins this season at No. 18/17 Texas A&M, when KU handed the Aggies their first loss of the season, and No. 19/13 Baylor (three times). Kansas has won 19 of its last 26 games, with its only losses in that stretch coming at UCF, in KU’s first Big 12 Conference series of the weekend, No. 16 Missouri, No. 1 Oklahoma and Nebraska.
Sophomores Presley Limbaugh, Campbell Bagshaw and Hailey Cripe hold three of the top-four batting averages on the team. Limbaugh leads the team with an average of .414 and an on-base percentage of .500. Cripe leads the squad with seven doubles and 31 hits, including her first career multi-home run game at Houston on March 22 and her first grand slam at Belmont on March 2. Bagshaw has come into her own this season after only seeing a few innings last season. She has solidified herself in the starting lineup and has amassed a batting average of .304. She hit her first home run, a grand slam, against Wichita State on March 12 and hit her second career home run in the very next game against Baylor. She scored Kansas’ lone run against Oklahoma on March 28 with a solo blast to right center.
Lyric Moore has also had a stellar season, as she has already matched her home run total from a year ago with five and is tied for first in the Big 12 with nine runners caught stealing. She has led the way in conference play this season, as she has amassed a .313 batting average in 32 at-bats.
This season, Kansas has been led by its stellar pitching staff, specifically left-handed pitcher Kasey Hamilton and right-hander Katie Brooks. After getting tough matchups to start the season, Hamilton has bounced back with five shutouts and has thrown 15 complete games, the most in the NCAA, in 18 starts this season. Hamilton leads the team with 78 strikeouts in 119.0 innings pitched, the most in the Big 12. Her five shutouts rank second in the Big 12 and 10th in the country. This season, she has allowed 48 earned runs and an opponent batting average of .229.
In her junior season, Brooks has earned a 10-3 record in 77.1 innings pitched. One of her best performances came against UTSA on Feb. 23, when she struck out 10 batters in just five innings of action. She has the best ERA (2.35) among qualified pitchers and has struck out 55 batters while allowing just two home runs this season. After picking up three wins against Wichita State and Baylor, Brooks was selected as the D1Softball National Pitcher of the Week (3/19).
Kansas and Iowa State have met 108 times and the Jayhawks currently hold a 61-47 all-time series advantage. Last season, Kansas prevented the series sweep against the Cyclones with a walk-off to win the third game of the series, 3-2.
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can catch every pitch as all three games will be streamed via Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Fans can also follow play-by-play action with live statistics and are encouraged to follow the official Kansas Softball X Account for live updates throughout each contest.
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks will travel to their second-straight Big 12 conference series on the road as they take on Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, from April 12-14.
