Despite recent spurts of snow across the flat landscape of Iowa, the weather is starting to feel more like spring. And it’s just in time for softball season in Iowa.

Wednesday marks the ISU softball team’s return to Ames as it will play No. 23 Nebraska (16-6, 0-0 Big Ten) for its first true home game of the season.

Iowa State has been anxiously waiting to play at home for the first time since Feb. 14. This will also be the first outdoor home game of the season for the Cyclones, as the weather is slowly warming up for Iowa State’s two-week home game stretch.

Being away for five weeks has its advantages when the team gets to go to states like Texas, California and Florida. But a lot of the team is ready to be home and be able to take a break from the rigorous schedule of traveling.

“It’s being able to stay in your own bed, wake up have your own meal and get to the field when you wanna get to the field; not having so much structure,” said senior Aly Cappaert.

But, that doesn’t mean Iowa State softball players have forgotten the biggest factor when playing in Ames.

The fans who come out and support the game are an aspect of home games that the players are looking forward to. Junior Cathlin Bingham said she’s amazed at the Iowa State fans that will come out to games and want their posters signed by the players.

 “It’s awesome when you look up and you see more than just [players] families up there, it feels more like a community support system,” Bingham said.

That doesn’t mean Bingham doesn’t enjoy looking up and finding her family. She says that she wants to play well for them when she locates them in the crowd.

Especially for her sisters, who tell her that they want to play college softball at Iowa State someday.

Those kind of fans motivate senior Brittany Gomez to play to her best ability. Gomez, who is used to having younger siblings looking up to, says she wants to be a role model for the young fans who attend the games.  

Gomez remembers one of her favorite quotes by former American professional soccer player Mia Hamm who tells the reader to “play for her” referring to who the reader was when they first fell in love with a sport.

“I think about that, the little girl who fell in love with the game,” Gomez said. “[I make sure I] still play for that person.”