Indiana University Athletics
Thursday, February 12
Tempe, Ariz.
2:45 PM
Indiana University
vs
Portland State
Indiana Softball to Compete in Littlewood Invitational
2/12/2026 9:30:00 AM | Softball
TEMPE, Ariz. ––––– Following a 4-1 showing at the Paradise Classic to open the season last weekend, Indiana is in Tempe, Ariz. to play in Arizona State's Littlewood Invitational (Feb. 12-15).
The Hoosiers will play Portland State (Feb. 12), Arizona State (Feb. 12), Pacific (Feb. 13) and Nevada (Feb. 14 and 15) over the course of the weekend.
QUICK HITTERS:
LAST TIME OUT:
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
SERIES HISTORY NOTES:
The Hoosiers will play Portland State (Feb. 12), Arizona State (Feb. 12), Pacific (Feb. 13) and Nevada (Feb. 14 and 15) over the course of the weekend.
QUICK HITTERS:
- Indiana led the nation in three statistical categories last season: batting average (.365), doubles per game (2.13) and on base percentage (.454).
- Indiana returns five of their top nine bats in the lineup from a year ago, including two of the top three: Madalyn Strader (.413), Avery Parker (.392), Aly VanBrandt (.372), Josie Bird (.311) and Alex Cooper (.311).
- Indiana's Avery Parker, Alex Cooper, and Aly VanBrandt were all named to the Preseason Big Ten Players to Watch List entering the 2026 season.
- In Indiana's win over No. 25 Ohio State, Taylor Hess threw nine strikeouts and pitched all five innings in the 12-3 run rule over the Buckeyes.
- Avery Parker and Josie Bird each hit two home runs in the opening weekend at the Paradise Classic (Feb. 5-7).
LAST TIME OUT:
- In Indiana's first weekend, they played in the Paradise Classic hosted by FAU in Boca Raton, Fla. The Hoosiers went 4-1 on the weekend with wins over Army, No. 25 Ohio State, Delaware and Stonehill.
- The only loss on the weekend came to FAU on opening night. After that, Indiana went 4-0 with three run rules, including the 12-3 run rule over No. 25 Ohio State.
- The Hoosiers outscored their opponents 44-15 on the weekend, hit .422 at the plate and was 21-of-24 on stolen base attempts.
- Indiana closed the 2025 season out with an appearance in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional where the Hoosiers went 1-2 with a win over Saint Louis and two losses to Oklahoma State.
- The team went 34-20 in 2025 and reached the quarterfinal of the Big Ten Tournament. The team went 14-6 in home games and 14-3 in neutral site games.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
- Arizona State hosted a tournament the previous weekend and went 4-1. The Sun Devils run ruled Northwestern, 8-0, in five innings and won close games over Memphis (4-3) and Texas State (3-2) in that stretch. The only loss came to No. 3 Oklahoma in a 2-1 game.
- Last season, Arizona State reached the Big 12 Tournament Semifinals and were in the NCAA Los Angeles Regional where they went 0-2.
- Pacific went 1-4 in the Paradise Softball Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii last weekend. Their only win came against Seattle in an 8-6 win.
- In the Easton Classic, Portland State had a 2-3 mark with wins over Cal State Fullerton and a win over CSUN.
- Nevada was 3-2 at LSU's Tiger Classic and claimed a 9-0 win over Illinois (F/5), beat NC State, 1-0, and run-ruled Lamar (F/5).
SERIES HISTORY NOTES:
- Indiana's record against the field in the Littlewood Invitational is as follows: Arizona State; 1-8 (last meeting: 2018), Nevada; 1-1 (last meeting: 2016), Pacific; 0-3 (last meeting: 2013) and Portland State; 1-1 (last meeting: 2014).
Players Mentioned
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