No. 10-seeded Indiana softball is set to compete against No. 7-seeded Washington in the first round of the 2025 Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday at Bittinger Stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Hoosiers are riding high heading into the tournament after wrapping up regular season play with a 10-2 run-rule victory over Purdue on May 3. The Hoosiers’ win capped off a 32-17 regular season with a 10-12 conference record.
Meanwhile, Washington carries its own momentum into the matchup following an 8-0 win against Penn State on May 4. In their first season in the Big Ten, the Huskies earned a 34-16 overall record, while finishing 12-9 in conference play.
Head coach Heather Tarr leads the Huskies. Throughout her 21 seasons at the helm, Tarr led Washington to an 830-313-1 record, becoming the winningest coach of any sport in school history.
Freshman infielder Alexis DeBoer emerged as one of the top hitters in the Big Ten during her first season of collegiate softball for Washington. DeBoer leads the team with a .372 batting average and 55 hits, while her 20 home runs rank her third in the conference and 11th in the nation.
The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native was named the D1 Softball National Player of the Week on March 11. DeBoer collected a .538 batting average, five home runs and eight RBIs to propel Washington to a 5-0 weekend at the Black and Orange Classic.
While DeBoer has provided a spark for the Huskies’ offense, their pitching staff is one of the most effective in the nation with a 2.84 ERA, which ranks 39th in the nation.
Junior pitcher Sophia Ramuno holds a team-low 2.20 ERA. Senior pitcher Stevie Hansen earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors on March 3 for her play at the OUTRIGGER Invitational from Feb. 26 to March 1. During the invitational, Hansen helped the Huskies to a 6-0 record, while owning a 0.00 ERA across 12 2/3 innings.
However, the Huskies’ pitching staff faces a challenge across from the Cream and Crimson lineup that has propelled the Hoosiers to the conference tournament.
The Hoosiers lead the nation with a .373 batting average, 2.12 doubles per game and a .463 on base percentage.
Heading into the matchup, senior outfielder Taylor Minnick and senior pitcher and utility player Brianna Copeland are tied for the most home runs in program history with 43 on the season.
Freshman infielder Josie Bird is becoming a more consistent member of the Hoosiers’ lineup going into the tournament. Across her last four games, Bird has collected six hits and six RBIs.
Dealing with inconsistencies throughout the season, Indiana’s pitching staff allowed just seven runs across a three-game series against Purdue. The unit hopes to continue this trend and string together consistent performances in the circle to support its offense.
The meeting between the Hoosiers and the Huskies will be their first since the two teams played against each other in the NCAA Columbia Regional on May 17, 2024, when Washington defeated Indiana 7-8.
The matchup between the Hoosiers and the Huskies is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday and will be streamed on the Big Ten Network. If Indiana comes out victorious, it will move on to face No. 2-seeded UCLA in the quarterfinal at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
