Indiana Softball to Host Hoosier Classic

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana will host its first home games of the season in the 2024 Hoosier Classic from Friday to Sunday at Andy Mohr Field.

QUICK HITTERS:

After three weekends spent much farther away from Bloomington, Team 51 gets to host their first home games of the season in the Hoosier Classic from March 1-3.
The event will only feature three teams, including Indiana. In-state foe Valparaiso and Bowling Green will both play against the Hoosiers and against one another.
The tournament opens with just one game on Friday when Indiana hosts Bowling Green. On Saturday, there will be three games with Indiana playing both opposing schools, as well as Bowling Green and Valparaiso facing off against one another. Sunday will close out the weekend with a rematch between Bowling Green and Valparaiso and an Indiana-Valparaiso game.
The Hoosiers own an 11-4 record at this point. Indiana opened its first two weekends with 4-1 finishes in the NFCA Leadoff Classic and Troy Invitational. Most recently, it posted a 3-2 mark at the Hillenbrand Invitational.

LAST TIME OUT:

Last weekend, Indiana went 3-2 in the Hillenbrand Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. The Hoosiers defeated Central Michigan, Drake and Marshall while taking two narrow losses to Arizona.
In the weekend's opening game, sophomore pitcher Sophie Kleiman had her best collegiate performance to date. She was dominant in the circle all game, throwing her first career no-hitter in an 8-0 Indiana win.
Freshman Alex Cooper had her breakout weekend at the plate, hitting her first two career home runs, as well as a total of nine RBI in Arizona.
In addition to Cooper, five other Hoosiers hit home runs in the Hillenbrand Invitational: Brianna Copeland, Cora Bassett, Brooke Benson, Sarah Stone and Chloe Geijer. Copeland and Benson each hit two home runs.
Indiana's second game with No. 17 Arizona was a marathon, going 14 innings in a tight 10-9 loss. The Hoosiers battled all night, working their way out of four bases-loaded jams in a spectacular effort, despite losing.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS:

Bowling Green has opened the season with a 1-3 mark, only playing in one tournament thus far, the Battle at the Beach in Conway, S.C. The Falcons defeated Furman, but drew losses to Coastal Carolina, Louisville and Furman.
The Falcons have had 21 different players make at least one appearance this season, which includes eight of their ten total newcomers this year.
Bowling Green senior Peyton Dolejs is the only returning Falcon who played in all 50 of their games a season ago. She is currently hitting for a .400 batting average.
Valparaiso currently holds a 3-11 record, picking up wins in the Pinnacle PC Invitational and the Frost Classic.
Between both opponents, Indiana is 21-0 all-time against them. The last time Indiana played Valparaiso was 2022, and the last time it faced Bowling Green was 2017.

SERIES NOTES:

Indiana's all-time records against their Hoosier Classic opponents are listed below:
Bowling Green: 10-0, Valparaiso: 11-0.

BIG-TIME BRI:
•Junior Brianna Copeland has been dominant as ever both at the plate and in the circle for the Hoosiers.
•Copeland has posted 43 strikeouts and a 1.78 ERA with 39.1 innings of work. She has a 5-3 record and has only allowed ten earned runs all season.
•At bat, Copeland is hitting for a .340 average with four home runs and 14 RBI.

MINNICK MANIA:
• Junior Taylor Minnick picked up right where she left off from her All-American sophomore season in 2023.
•In the first three weekends, Minnick hit for a .400 batting average with with 18 hits and 18 RBI. The junior has logged two doubles, one triple and 15 singles on the season.

CONTROL IN THE CIRCLE:
•Indiana's pitching staff has been a reliable force for the Hoosiers through the season's early window.
• Copeland is leading the charge with 39.1 innings of work and 43 strikeouts with an ERA of 1.78. She has only allowed ten earned runs all season and is holding opposing hitters to a .225 batting average.
• Sophomore Sophie Kleiman also has a 0.80 ERA and 29 strikeouts while only allowing four earned runs. Opposing hitters are recording just a .201 batting average against her.
• Senior Macy Montgomery made the best start of her career in a six-inning complete game win over FAMU, throwing 10 strikeouts and only allowing four hits while not giving up a run.
• Junior Heather Johnson owns a 1-1 mark and has been a part of some impressive victories. She made the start in the season-opening win against No. 15 Oregon and a run-rule win over Army.

LEADING IT OFF:
•Indiana redshirt senior Cora Bassett has been a sparkplug in the Hoosier lineup, serving as the routine leadoff hitter.
•In the season's early going, Bassett is hitting for a .404 batting average with seven multi-hit games including doing so against No. 15 Oregon and No. 5 Clemson.
•In her first at-bat against Clemson, she hit a lead-off home run to put Indiana up 1-0 right off the bat.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES:
• Juniors Bri Copeland and Taylor Minnick both earned national acclaim entering the 2024 season.
• Each appeared in D1 Softball's Preseason Top 100 Rankings, more commonly called The D100.
• Copeland slotted in at No. 45 and Minnick was at No. 79 in the rankings from D1 Softball.
• Minnick also earned national acclaim from Softball America, claiming the No. 53 spot in their preseason rankings.
•Both Minnick and Copeland experienced breakthrough seasons as sophomores in 2023.
• Copeland was a stud in the circle and at the plate. She was the pitching staff's ace with a 22-4 record and 148 strikeouts.
• At the plate, she hit for a .318 batting average at the plate, logging a team-high 15 doubles and 14 home runs to go along with 48 RBI.
• Minnick brought a lot of offensive power to the team, she hit 14 doubles, one triple and 12 home runs and 55 RBI.
• The Bloomington, Ind. local reached base in 35 consecutive games in 2023.
• Minnick also ranked second in the conference in slugging percentage (.717) and OPS (1.239).
•The top-level play from the junior duo earned both of them NFCA Third Team All-American status in 2023 as sophomores.
• Indiana is the only Big Ten team that returns two All-Americans into the 2024 season.

HOOSIER DEBUTS:
•All five of Indiana's freshmen have made their collegiate debuts.
•Alex Cooper and Aly VanBrandt have each established themselves as consistent starters for the Hoosiers.
•Cooper has started every game thus far at either second or third base. VanBrandt has made ten starts and 14 appearances, while also leading the team in batting average with a .433 mark.
•Tristian Thompson has made six starts as the designated player and ten total appearances.
•Ella Carter has made three appearances in pinch hitting scenarios. Savannah Oden has made one plate appearance, charting a hit against Florida A&M.

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Players Mentioned

Cora Bassett

Brooke Benson

Ella Carter

Alex Cooper

Brianna Copeland

Chloe Geijer

Sophie Kleiman

Taylor Minnick

Savannah Oden

Sarah Stone

Tristian Thompson

Aly VanBrandt

Indiana University Athletics