Indiana Softball to Open Big Ten Play with Minnesota Series

Friday, March 6

Bloomington, Ind.

6:00 PM

Indiana University

Minnesota

BLOOMINGTON, IN - April 06, 2025 - catcher\utility player Avery Parker #18 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Indiana Hoosiers at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington, IN. Photo By Maddi Sponsel/Indiana Athletics

Indiana Softball to Open Big Ten Play with Minnesota Series

3/5/2026 8:00:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes (PDF)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. ––– Indiana Softball will make its 2026 home and conference debut this weekend with the Minnesota Gophers coming to Andy Mohr Field.

The three-game set will take place from Friday to Sunday (March 6-8) with the Hoosiers entering the weekend at 16-4 and the Golden Gophers at 7-13.

QUICK HITTERS:

Aly VanBrandt earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for her outstanding showing at the Elon & UNCG Tournament last weekend. VanBrandt hit .500 at the plate with four home runs and two doubles. Against Elon (Feb. 27), VanBrandt was 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double. In the first game against UNC Greensboro (Feb. 28), VanBrandt hit a grand slam as part of a 2-for-3 day.
Alli Gavin hit her first two career home runs in the win over Elon (Feb. 27) before hitting two more home runs the very next day against Charleston Southern (Feb. 28).
Against Portland State in the Littlewood Invitational (Feb. 12), VanBrandt hit for the cycle as part of a 5-for-5 day where she also totaled two home runs.
Indiana led the nation in three statistical categories in 2025: batting average (.365), doubles per game (2.13) and on base percentage (.454).

LAST TIME OUT:

Last weekend at the Elon & UNCG Tournament, Indiana put on a highly dominant display. The Hoosiers went 5-0 and won each game by eight runs or more.
Across the entire five-game stretch, the Hoosiers also outscored their opponents, 59-3, totaled 13 home runs and 18 stolen bases and got five wins from five different starting pitchers.
Taylor Hess was stellar in the circle against UNC Greensboro (Feb. 1). She pitched a complete game in the 11-0 win and totaled seven strikeouts while not allowing a single run.
Three Hoosiers hit multiple home runs in the tournament, including four from VanBrandt and Gavin and Josie Bird also hit three when in the state of North Carolina.
The Hoosiers have four batters who are hitting above .400, including one player hitting over the .500 mark: Aly VanBrandt (.522), Avery Parker (.451), Cassidy Kettleman (.425) and Alex Cooper (.400).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:

After the month of non-conference competition, Minnesota sports a 7-13 record. Most recently, the Golden Gophers were 1-4 at the Hillenbrand Invitational, with a win over Howard in eight innings.
In the weekend prior, Minnesota hosted the Gopher Indoor Classic at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings. The Golden Gophers had a 2-3 showing in the event, taking victories over LIU and Central Michigan.
Scarlett Kuhn leads the Golden Gophers at the plate, sporting a .422 batting average with five doubles and one home run to go along with six RBI. Tara Wolocko is leading the team with 16 RBI and six home runs.
In the circle, Sydney Schwartz and Macy Richardson each have gotten the most usage, both making 12 appearances and sporting a 3.12 and 4.26 ERA, respectively. The duo has combined for 96 strikeouts.
In 2025, Minnesota had a 20-30 record with a 5-17 mark in conference play and did not qualify for the Big Ten Tournament.

SERIES HISTORY:

Indiana and Minnesota have a close series record in the all-time history between the two programs. Minnesota leads it 56-48 with this being the first series meeting since 2024. In that series, Indiana swept the Golden Gophers in April of that year.