Indiana Softball to Host Indiana Invite

Saturday, March 9

Bloomington, Ind.

3:00 PM

Indiana University

Oakland

BLOOMINGTON, IN - March 05, 2024 - pitcher Sophie Kleiman #28 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the game between the Western Kentucky Hill Toppers and the Indiana Hoosiers at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington, IN. Photo By Dalton Wainscott/Indiana Athletics

3/8/2024 6:00:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes (PDF)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– After an alteration to the schedule the Indiana Invite will now take place from Saturday March 9 to Monday March 11 with the Hoosiers hosting Oakland, IUPUI and Dayton throughout the weekend.

This will be the second home weekend in a row for Indiana after holding the Hoosier Classic at Andy Mohr Field last weekend.

QUICK HITTERS:

Inclement weather has caused plenty of schedule changes for the Indiana Softball team this week. Tuesday's midweek game against Western Kentucky was called off midgame due to lightning in the area.
Moreover, the Indiana Invite pushed back its start time for the weekend, originally being scheduled for a Friday start, the tournament will now take place from Saturday to Monday.
Regardless of any schedule changes due to weather, the Hoosiers are riding a five-game winning streak heading into the Indiana Invite.
The Indiana Invite games will make eight consecutive home games, excluding the WKU cancellation.
Indiana has recorded a winning record in each weekend and tournament of the season thus far, bringing the season record to 15-4. Prior to the 4-0 Hoosier Classic weekend, Indiana went 4-1 at both the NFCA Leadoff Classic and Troy Invitational and 3-2 in the Hillenbrand Invitational.

LAST TIME OUT:

It was a highly successful weekend for Indiana in the Hoosier Classic as it defeated both Bowling Green and Valpo twice. Indiana defeated both teams by a combined score of 35-9.
Two of Indiana's wins came by run-rule, as it beat Bowling Green, 8-0, in six innings on Saturday and beat Valparaiso 10-0 in five innings on Sunday.
Over the course of the weekend, Indiana hit a combined nine home runs. Cora Bassett, Brooke Benson, Taylor Minnick and Avery Parker each hit two. Freshman Tristian Thompson hit the first one of her career in Sunday's win over Valpo.
In the second game against Bowling Green, Brianna Copeland was very impressive in the circle, throwing a complete game and earning the win, while striking out 11 and only giving up two hits and no runs.
Parker went 8-for-11 (.727) at the plate in the Hoosier Classic with two home runs and eight RBI.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:

Indiana's first opponent on the weekend ––– Oakland ––– is off to a 6-4 start on the season, playing all of their games in either the state of North or South Carolina thus far. Oakland owns wins over Coastal Carolina and College of Charleston, among others.
Redshirt senior Jen Krizka is hitting for a .533 batting average through ten games with 11 RBI for Oakland.
IUPUI enters the Indiana Invite coming off an 8-7 win over city rival Butler. The Jaguars carry a 4-16 record on the season after playing in four separate tournaments in addition to the Butler game.
Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton was previously the head coach of IUPUI. Stanton only coached the Jaguars for one year, in 1999 when she led the team to a 27-25 season.
The Dayton Flyers are 7-6 thus far in 2024. The team got off to a hot start, going 7-2 in their first two tournaments.

SERIES NOTES:

Indiana's all-time records against their Indiana Invite opponents are listed below.
Dayton: 2-0, IUPUI: 4-1, Oakland: 1-0.

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 63 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA with 51.0 innings of work. She has an 8-3 record and has only allowed ten earned runs all season.
At bat, Copeland is hitting for a .333 average with four home runs and 15 RBI.

MINNICK MANIA:

Junior Taylor Minnick picked up right where she left off from her All-American sophomore season in 2023.
In the first four weekends, Minnick has hit for a .375 batting average with 21 hits and 22 RBI. The junior has logged two doubles, one triple and two home runs.
Minnick hit home runs on back-to-back days in the Hoosier Classic.

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 51.0 innings of work and 63 strikeouts with an ERA of 1.37. She has only allowed ten earned runs all season and is holding opposing hitters to a .200 batting average.
Sophomore Sophie Kleiman also has a 0.85 ERA and 34 strikeouts while going 4-0. She threw her first career no-hitter against Central Michigan on Feb. 23.
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 and the ignition to the offense.
Bassett is hitting for a .393 average with 24 hits and 10 RBI. In the Hoosier Classic, she had two home runs, including one inside the park home run.