Indiana Softball Set for Road Series at No. 18 Ohio State

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana Softball will return to action this weekend at No. 18 Ohio State from Saturday through Monday (March 29-March 31).

The Hoosiers are coming off of a series win over Penn State and own a 22-8 record and 2-3 mark in conference play.

QUICK HITTERS:

Indiana leads the nation in three stat categories: batting average (.390), doubles per game (2.27) and on base percentage (.484).
The Hoosiers have won 10 of their last 13 games with seven of the wins being by run rule.
The series win over Penn State was the team's first in Big Ten play this season and avenges last year's series when the Hoosiers were swept at Happy Valley.
Five Hoosiers have a .400 or better batting average. Taylor Minnick (.506), Madalyn Strader (.456), Aly VanBrandt (.425), Kinsey Mitchell (.410) and Avery Parker (.407) all are hitting the mark.
Brianna Copeland is leading the team's pitching staff in strikeouts with 80 in 21 appearances. Copeland also has a 7-3 record in the circle with a 4.18 ERA.

LAST TIME OUT:

Last weekend, Indiana took the home series victory over Penn State (March 21-23) and earned its first two conference wins of the season.
On the Friday night, the Hoosiers lost a wild game to the Nittany Lions, dropping the contest, 14-13. Indiana had a runner on third with two outs in the bottom of the seventh before Penn State caught a line drive at second base to end the game.
After that, the Indiana bats kept their momentum while limiting Penn State's offensive production as the team bounced back with two wins in the doubleheader on Saturday. The Hoosiers won 7-5 in the first game while dominating in the second, winning 17-14 in five innings.
Indiana had five different players hit a home run over the weekend: Brianna Copeland (2), Avery Parker (1), Taylor Minnick (1), Alex Cooper (1) and Aly VanBrandt (1). VanBrandt's was the first of her career.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:

Ohio State's season has been off to a roaring start in the first year of Kirin Kumar as head coach of the program. The Buckeyes are 26-6-1 with a 4-1 Big Ten record to start conference play.
They have picked up a handful of notable wins, including a 7-2 victory over Missouri (Feb. 14) in the Shriners Children's Hospital Clearwater Invitational, a 7-0 victory at Georgia and a series victory over Nebraska (March 14-16), taking two of three from the Cornhuskers.
The Buckeyes are currently on an eight-game winning streak dating back to their Nebraska series. Ohio State will look to make it nine straight with a home game on Wednesday night against Akron (March 26).
Previous to Ohio State, Kumar coached at Miami (OH) from 2021-24. She was a two-time MAC Coach of the Year winner and had a 174-56-1 record in Oxford. She led the RedHawks to the NCAA Tournament in each of her four seasons at the helm.

SERIES HISTORY NOTES:

Indiana leads the all-time series against Ohio State, 71-51-1. The two programs have not played since 2023 when the Hoosiers swept the Buckeyes at home.

Indiana Softball Set for Road Series at No. 18 Ohio State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alex Cooper

Brianna Copeland

Taylor Minnick

Kinsey Mitchell

Avery Parker

Madalyn Strader

Aly VanBrandt

Indiana Softball Set for Road Series at No. 18 Ohio State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alex Cooper

Brianna Copeland

Taylor Minnick

Kinsey Mitchell

Avery Parker

Madalyn Strader

Aly VanBrandt

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