The ISU softball season officially begins Feb. 9 when the team travels to Fargo, N.D., to face Wisconsin-Green Bay. Forty-five days and 34 games later, the Cyclones will finally play their home opener against Western Illinois.

“I think most of our recruits know what they are getting themselves into when they visit,” said Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler, who is entering her third season as head coach for the Cyclones. “Every team in the north has to travel to start the season. You do what you have to do to play.”

The team has faced similar circumstances in previous seasons, playing 41 away games to start last year and 25 the year before that. Assistant coach Gary Hines thinks the heavy amount of travel time will be beneficial to the team’s chemistry.

“The travel is always an adjustment, but that’s part of becoming a team,” he said. “I think spending that much time with your teammates really helps with bonding. When you have that much time on your hands, you can really work some things out.”

Sophomore Alex Johnson thinks the veterans have adjusted accordingly.

“I think we’ll be fine, because last year was the same way,” Johnson said. “It’s Iowa, and it’s still cold here. Playing indoors has helped us prepare.”

There are five players from Texas on the ISU roster. Jacquelyn Beatty, a junior college transfer from Austin, Texas, had a tough time adjusting to the change in climate at first.

“It’s definitely been a big adjustment,” she said. “We have to travel like other teams, but not because of weather like we do here.”

Due to the winter weather conditions, the team must practice indoors for nearly a month until the snow is gone. This year is the first year they’ve practiced at the Bergstrom Facility, the 92,000-square-foot practice facility built in 2004 and primarily used by the football team. In previous seasons, the softball team has been forced to practice in the unfriendly confines of the Lied Recreational Athletic Center, where routine pop flies turn into black eyes and unsuspecting joggers are forced to duck and cover.

“It’s a lot harder to catch pop flies at the Lied because the lights are directly above you,” said senior outfielder Kristy Olsen. “The Bergstrom Facility is great, and we don’t need to worry about hitting a runner on the track with a ball. I love it here.”

The extra space has allowed the team to work on multiple drills simultaneously without fear of interference. The transition has allowed the team to see more live pitching, and Hines believes the extra hitting has improved their preparation for the season.

“The Lied has been good to us, but the benefit of using the Bergstrom facility is that we get to be by ourselves,” said Hines. “It helps our concentration. We’re grateful we’ve been able to use it.”

Junior second baseman Amanda Bradberry agrees with her coach.

“We don’t feel as confined,” she said. “We feel confident entering the season, and being alone in the Bergstrom building has helped with that. In scrimmages you can tell that we’re hitting the ball so much better.”