The Iowa State softball team opens the home schedule on Tuesday against North Dakota State and the home field will have a new look this spring. Cyclone coach Ruth Crowe says several improvements have been made to the Southwest Athletic Complex. She says they upgraded the bleachers to give permanent seating and they also upgraded the backstop. Crowe says it makes it feel more like a stadium instead of just a field. Crow says the improvements will benefit not only the fans but the program as well, especially in terms of recruiting. She says that’s important because the other schools they recruit against, such as Iowa and the other Big 12 schools, have stadiums. Coming off a 13-31 record in 2004 Crowe expected to field a more competitive team this season. ISU is 9-15 overall and opened the Big-12 with a pair of losses at Oklahoma over the weekend. Tuesday’s doubleheader begins a stretch of six straight at home for the Cyclones.
