Iowa State returns one of softball’s most stable rosters, but an intriguing group of newcomers will compete for time as the Cyclones try to return to the NCAA tournament.

Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo made history, Texas miscues threaten to sink the season and Iowa State makes a last minute trip to the nation’s capital. All in the Big 12 notebook.

The reigning D1Softball Catcher of the Year, Kinzie Hansen, headlines the preseason catcher power rankings.

Iowa State doesn’t have Sami Williams, but the Cyclones do have Mikayla Ramos and just about everyone else who helped the program reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1988.