Do You Believe – Surging IU Eyes Big Ten Softball Tourney Opportunity
By Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For Shonda Stanton, it starts with belief.
“Your belief precedes your behavior,” Indiana’s softball head coach says. “What are we believing? We believe we are on a mission to get to the postseason. We want to be special for our actions on the field. We’re making believers.”
Stanton reflects from in her Andy Mohr Field office. The Hoosiers have just wrapped up batting practice, and if you’ve seen them hit, you know what that means.
Opposing pitchers are about to get rocked.
“We drive in runs at such a high rate,” Stanton says. “If we stay true to our identity, good things happen.”
For IU, good things start with great offense. It’s the main reason Indiana finished with a 40-15 record, 18-5 in the Big Ten. That was good for a conference runner-up finish to No. 16 Northwestern (35-11, 20-3) and a No. 2 seed in this week’s Big Ten tourney at Illinois.
No Hoosier team before -- and there have been 49 previous squads -- has thrived offensively like this. It leads the Big Ten with 72 home runs and is second with 98 stolen bases. Maryland has 105.
“That’s tough to do,” Stanton says. “You’re usually a really fast team or a power team. We’ve got production both ways. That speaks to recruiting. It takes time.”
The Hoosiers also led the Big Ten in batting average (.319), runs (378), runs batted in (354) and doubles (93). No other conference team scored more than 297 runs.
“The cool thing is, when we took this job,” Stanton says, “we wanted to build a program that could swipe 100 bags and drop 75 bombs, and we’re sitting here at 98 stolen bases and (72) home runs. It’s fun to build and see that happen.”
Building includes impressive young talent such as freshman sensation Taryn Kern (.438 average, school-record 22 home runs, school-record 67 runs batted in), sophomore Taylor Minnick (.413, 11, 52), sophomore Kinsey Mitchell (.362), sophomore Brianna Copeland (20-2 pitching record, .333 average, 11 home runs, 44 runs batted in), junior Cora Bassett (.331, 18-for-19 stolen bases) and freshman Avery Parker (.326).
It reflects national recruiting that has brought in players from California to New Jersey, from Nebraska to Alabama. Stanton and her staff of associate head coach Chanda Bell and assistant coaches Gabbi Jenkins and Grayson Radcliffe are big reasons. So are state of the art facilities that include $19 million Andy Mohr Field, major NIL opportunities and all the other academic and athletic advantages affiliated with a Big Ten institution.
Oh, yes. A lot of hard work.
“Great players make great coaches which make great coaching,” Stanton says. “We’re seeing the fruits of that recruiting labor.”
IU softball is in its 50th year, which is why this group is known as Team 50. This season’s success has created a buzz in a program that once generated plenty of national acclaim. Indiana played in the College World Series in 1979, ’80, ’83 and ’86. It won Big Ten regular season titles in 1983, ’86 and ’94. It also produced 14 All-Americans.
That consistent success faded. The Hoosiers haven’t made the NCAA tourney since 2011. Stanton was hired in 2018 after a strong 18-year run at Marshall that produced 560 wins and two NCAA regional appearances.
“We’re bringing a sleeping giant to life,” Stanton says. “We have such a storied history.”
Last fall, program alumni returned for a Team 50 celebration. They attended last month’s sweep of traditional Big Ten power Michigan. That included ex-coaches Gayle Blevins and Ann Lawver, who each guided the Hoosiers to World Series appearances.
“Some hadn’t seen each other in 40 years,” Stanton says. “They came in their Indiana swag. They were so proud. That was the coolest thing. We’ve given a shot in the arm to our alumni base, our fan base. People are excited about Indiana softball.”
Stanton’s first Hoosier season produced a 17-6 Big Ten record, good for third place. IU had winning overall records in each of the next four seasons, but nothing at this pace.
“We’ve done some amazing things this year,” Stanton says.
Still, there was adversity. The Hoosiers got an early season reality check in a 9-0 loss to then-No. 9 Auburn, and then an 0-5 record in the ESPN Clearwater Invitational, with losses to four ranked teams -- No. 22 Louisiana (4-1), No. 15 Arizona (10-1), No. 10 Alabama (10-0) and No. 4 Arkansas (7-0).
Disappointed?
Sure.
Broken?
Not even close. A school-record 23-game winning streak soon followed.
“I know the outside world always looks at wins and losses,” Stanton says, “but as a coach I don’t ride that wave. I explained that to our team. When we were 0-5 in Clearwater Invite, I told them, ‘Hey, stay the course.’”
They did.
“I’ve won all different ways and lost all different ways in 25 seasons,” Stanton says. “They haven’t. Some have four years’ (college) experience. Some have just one year. As a coach, you’re setting that edge and reminding them to celebrate all the little things along the way.”
A season full of celebration includes their best conference finish in decades, Kern’s six Big Ten freshman-of-the-week awards and a nine-game winning streak entering conference tourney play.
“You have a vision, and when you see that vision become a reality, it’s a great feeling,” Stanton says. “It’s almost the same joy as watching freshmen come in as kids and leave as women. They learn to understand what it means to make good decisions and how to manage their time. As a coach, there’s no better job. It’s so fun.”
Fun now focuses on the Big Ten tourney. The champion receives an automatic NCAA tourney bid. Unranked IU, which opens Thursday against the winner between Michigan (26-24) and Penn State (30-15), is not guaranteed an at-large bid in the 64-team field.
A sweep of then No. 22 Maryland helps, as does its No. 32 RPI given 32 at-large bids are awarded. Another major victory could clinch it. That could happen against Northwestern, which is the only ranked Big Ten squad. The teams didn’t play in the regular season.
“Our job is not done,” Stanton says. “We haven’t accomplished anything yet. We have to have a good Big Ten tourney run.
“We’ve talked about our destiny being in our hands for the last month. Our athletes continue to step up, do their job and take care of business.
“I want to see this team in the (NCAA tourney). That would be super exciting. I want everybody to see us on a national stage.”