hree senior softball players will play the last home games of their Cyclone careers Wednesday against Missouri.

Ariel Coburn, Kristy Olsen, and Amie Ford will take on the Tigers for the final time at the Southwest Athletic Complex before hitting the road for the remaining seven games on the schedule.

“They’re important to our program,” co-head coach Gary Hines said. “They’ve all had their ups and downs [throughout their careers], but the younger kids see them competing and trying and working. These three are still getting after it, and they realize that there are still some things that we can get done and they’re helping us get there.”

Although each of the seniors has shown flashes of brilliance on the field at times this season, Hines believes their ultimate legacy will be the impact they’ve had on the younger players on the team.

“I think they’ve shown that, if you work at things and you try to change and try to improve your game, that you can always do it,” he said. “I think that’s important for the younger players to learn, especially the freshmen. To see somebody like K.O., who has been through this program for three years, and to see what Ariel has done while she’s been here and Amie coming back from injury – it’s important for freshmen to see that. These players are an example of what you can do if you put your mind to it.”

Olsen has produced as the team’s leadoff hitter this season, serving as a spark plug for the rest of the lineup and using her speed to torture opponents on the base paths. With 35 career steals, Olsen has forced teams to keep tabs on her whenever she reaches base.

“She’s one of those kids that bought into what we were trying to teach when we first got here, and players like that have helped us get to where we are today,” Hines said. “We still have a ways to go, but I think we’re building something so that one day the players can say ‘I played at Iowa State,’ and people will know what they’re talking about.”

Head coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler has been impressed with the diligence and dedication Olsen showed after she was asked to switch from batting right-handed to left-handed.

“Kristy was originally a right-handed hitter, but we asked her to switch over to hit left-handed when we first got here,” she said. “We wanted to take advantage of her speed, and we’ve been able to utilize that while she’s been here. She’s stolen a lot of bases for us. I have so much respect for Kristy because we asked a lot of her and she worked hard to do it.”

After joining the team midway through last year, Coburn struggled with the transition to Division I softball. She hit just .183, but instead of dwelling on the season, she spent her summer getting better and has become a dynamic offensive weapon for Iowa State. She has 15 extra-base hits and leads the team with eight home runs. She ranks fourth in the conference with a .708 slugging percentage.

“Ariel was pretty much lost when she got here, but she stayed this summer, worked hard, and was able to become a great player,” Hines said. “There’s no kid academically and athletically that I’ve ever been prouder of than Ariel Coburn. On and off the field, she’s really turned her life around. That’s why you have student-athletes, and that’s why we do what we do.”

Olsen and Coburn have helped the Cyclones set several offensive precedents this season. The ISU offense has hit a record 29 home runs and has four players with 20 or more RBIs for the first time since the Big 12 was created in 1996.

It’s also on the verge of setting two other important records. With 159 RBIs this season, Iowa State needs just six to break the all-time mark set in 1988. Their .264 team batting average heading into Wednesday’s games is just .006 shy of the school record of .270 set in 1995.

After throwing a no-hitter her sophomore year, Ford has fought injuries over the past two seasons. She’s gone 4-5 with a 3.08 ERA this season. Opposing hitters have hit just .252 against her.

“Amie has been a great leader, very smart and works hard on the field and in the classroom,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “For her to come back and try to throw with so many unknowns this season after having surgery, I have a tremendous amount of respect for her for coming back for us. She’s thrown a lot of important innings for us this season.”

Hines agreed.

“She’s a great kid, and you want those kind of people in your program,” he said.

The three players have played a big role in the program’s transition from mediocre to competitive over a three-year span. The team has won more games this season than it has since 1989, when the team went 32-26.

The seniors will leave the program after laying a solid foundation for future generations of Cyclone players to build on.

“They’re nice people with a competitive edge in them. I can’t say enough about what those girls mean to our program,” Hines said.

#15 RF Kristy Olsen

Career highlights

Is hitting .310 in conference play this season.

Her 35 career steals are good for third in ISU history. Last season, she stole 17 bases, one short of the single-season record.

Needs six more hits over the final seven games to reach 100 for her career.

Has not made an error in right field this season in 33 plays.

#1 3B Ariel Coburn

Career highlights

Last season, she went 10 for 10 in stolen base attempts, becoming just the second Cyclone to record 10 steals in a season without getting thrown out.

Is hitting .365 with 8 home runs and 25 RBIs and is 7 of 8 on steals this season. Her 10 walks lead the team.

Ranks fourth in the Big 12 conference with a .708 slugging percentage.

#4 P Amie Ford

Career highlights

Struck out 13 hitters en route to throwing a no-hitter against Vermont, earning her Big 12 Pitcher- of the Week honors as a sophomore. She became the first ISU pitcher to ever receive the award.

Holds a 17-23 record for her career. Her 135 strikeouts during her sophomore year rank ninth in ISU history. Her 268 career strikeouts rank eighth on the school’s all-time list.

She hit a game-winning single against UNC Wilmington in her first at bat as a Cyclone. She also hit an inside-the-park home run against Kansas her junior year.