Indiana softball led the country in batting average last season. But entering 2026, the Hoosiers lost two of their most productive hitters from 2025, graduating Brianna Copeland and Taylor Minnick.
Without Copeland and Minnick, Indiana looked like a shell of itself from the season prior in its 2026 season opener against Florida Atlantic University on Thursday. The Cream and Crimson collected just three hits across five innings, as the Owls struck out eight Indiana batters en route to an 8-0 victory.
But Indiana settled in offensively following the shutout loss.
The Hoosiers would go on to score 44 runs across their next four games of the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Florida, finishing the classic with a 4-1 record.
Indiana faced the U.S. Military Academy West Point in the first leg of a doubleheader Friday in search of redemption after the Hoosiers’ opening game loss to Florida Atlantic.
After totaling just three hits Thursday, Indiana strung together nine hits Friday against Army West Point, notching an 8-2 victory.
During open practice Feb. 2, Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton said “a lot of the attention and focus” of opposing teams will be on senior catcher Avery Parker this season. In 2025, Parker’s 11 home runs finished third highest on the team behind Copeland and Minnick, leaving the catcher with more responsibilities at the plate in 2026.
Parker registered just one hit in Indiana’s opening game, but notched the Hoosiers’ first home run of the season in the bottom of the third inning against Army West Point, which brought in two runs.
While Parker is expected to take on much of the power hitting role left by the two graduated seniors, junior utility player Alex Cooper led the team with three RBIs against Army West Point.
Stanton described Cooper as a “great performer” in the past for the Hoosiers during open practice Feb. 2. As a freshman in 2024, Cooper blasted a walk-off grand slam against the University of Notre Dame.
This season, Cooper has a chance to shine in a larger role. In the second leg of the Cream and Crimson’s doubleheader Friday against then-No. 25 Ohio State, Cooper tied for the team lead with three RBIs. Cooper’s offensive efforts powered Indiana to a 12-3 win in five innings.
Saturday presented another doubleheader for the Hoosiers, and an opportunity to build upon successful offensive outings on Friday.
Indiana did just that.
The Cream and Crimson produced their highest scoring output of the weekend against the University of Delaware on Saturday, securing a 14-2 victory.
Cooper led the Hoosiers with three hits, while sophomore first baseman Josie Bird and sophomore infielder Madalyn Strader each contributed three RBIs.
Senior outfielder Ellie Goins, who transferred to Indiana from North Carolina State University during the offseason, also made an impact against Delaware. Goins went 2-3 at the plate and drove in a pair of runs –– her first game with multiple RBIs as a Hoosier.
Indiana closed the Paradise Classic strong with a 10-0 shutout win over Stonehill College on Saturday. Eight different Hoosiers picked up a hit in the victory. Parker hit her second home run of the classic against Stonehill, while Bird and freshman outfielder Jada Ellison each recorded two RBIs.
Indiana will return to action at the Littlewood Invitational on Thursday in Tempe, Arizona. The Hoosiers are set to play five games at the invitational. Their weekend slate kicks off at 2:45 p.m. Thursday against Portland State University and will end with a contest at noon Feb. 15 against the University of Nevada, Reno.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
