In 2025, Indiana softball reached the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year for the first time in program history. But the Hoosiers’ run in the tournament did not last long. The Cream and Crimson dropped two games to Oklahoma State University at the Fayetteville Regional, ending their season.
With a new-look roster in 2026, the Hoosiers look to build on last season’s success, beginning at the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Florida, with a matchup against Florida Atlantic University at 6 p.m. Thursday.
Here’s what to know ahead of Indiana’s regular season opener.
Early tests
Indiana will face an early challenge in their opening weekend at the Paradise Classic. FAU finished last season with a 45-12 overall record and an NCAA Tournament Gainesville Regional appearance.
FAU is the “best mid-major in the country,” Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton said during open practice Monday.
Following its game against the Owls, Indiana will play U.S. Military Academy West Point in the first leg of a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Friday. The Black Nights finished 2025 with a 35-22 record but lost in the Patriot League Tournament Championship Game.
The Cream and Crimson will also face their first Big Ten opponent this weekend with a contest against No. 25 Ohio State at 8 p.m. Friday. Last season, the Buckeyes won two of their three matchups with the Hoosiers, before advancing to the NCAA Tournament Knoxville Regional.
The Hoosiers will conclude the Paradise Classic with a doubleheader Saturday. The first leg begins at 11:15 a.m. against the University of Delaware –– a team that finished 38-16 in 2025.
The second game is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, when the Hoosiers will face Stonehill College. Stonehill struggled last season, accumulating just a 16-34 overall record.
With no home games until March 6 and tournaments in Florida, Arizona and North Carolina before then, the Hoosiers have a lot of traveling early on.
“For us, and I'm not complaining about it,” Stanton said Monday. “You know, we've been able –– I've been doing this my entire career. But you're on the road, and so winners adjust, you just do it.”
Replacing production
After leading the nation in batting average and boasting one of the most prolific offenses in the nation in 2025, the Hoosiers graduated Brianna Copeland and Taylor Minnick following the season.
Copeland and Minnick combined for 31 home runs and 111 RBIs last season. The duo propelled Indiana to a 145-80 overall record across their four years with the program.
Despite losing two significant offensive contributors, Stanton remains confident in her team’s ability to remain a hitting threat.
“Even though we've graduated a couple All-Americans, we hope to stay true to that identity, have the hit tool be there, put pressure,” Stanton said during an open practice Monday.
To help with this lost offensive production, Stanton and her coaching staff brought in seven freshmen and four transfers over the offseason.
While the Hoosiers brought in a large group of newcomers, Stanton is relying on returning players such as junior utility player Alex Cooper, sophomore infielder Madalyn Strader and sophomore outfielder Hannah Haberstroh to step up in bigger roles.
“We've got the goods, we've got the stuff,” Stanton said Monday. “It’s how does it look now? You were batting five, six or nine. Now you're batting one, two, three. And so, you're just in a different spot of the lineup.”
Reloaded pitching staff
With redshirt junior pitcher Taylor Hess and sophomore pitcher Jasmine Reyes as the only returning members of the pitching staff, Stanton reloaded the unit in the offseason. The Hoosiers brought in freshman pitcher Aubree Hooks, along with transfers in sophomore pitcher Ella Troutt and junior pitchers Megan Gregory and Brooke Mannon.
Hess returns after pitching to a 3.39 ERA in 2025, while Reyes pitched three complete games and a 5.20 ERA in the circle last season.
Hooks was named to D1 Softball’s D100 Freshman Watch List on Jan. 5. She joins Indiana after pitching a 1.20 ERA in four seasons as a four-year varsity starter at Thompson High School in Alabaster, Alabama. Hooks’ pitching efforts in high school earned her First Team All-State honors in 2025 and Second Team All-State in 2024.
“She throws gas, and she's gonna be somebody we'll be dependent on at times, which is great,” Stanton said Monday. “It's gonna be exciting to get her some game reps.”
With added depth to the pitching rotation entering 2026, Stanton emphasized the importance of pitching as a collective Monday.
“We need to pitch by committee and get the job done,” Stanton said.
Elevated Standards
Indiana has made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. But it has still not made it past the NCAA Regional round in these last three seasons, and it has not won a Big Ten title since 1994.
Despite the Hoosiers’ lack of success in the NCAA Tournament and the Big Ten Tournament, Stanton believes her team is “there” with the upper echelon of conference teams.
“You can only win the games on your schedule or lose the games on your schedule, and so for us, we want to fight for a Big Ten title,” Stanton said. “So, yeah, we want to finish higher, always.”
Reaching this new level of success requires a higher standard –– something that is achieved through practice, senior catcher Avery Parker said Monday.
“I feel like we have put so much work in compared to, like, past years,” Parker said. “I think because our standard has been raised, our standard at practice has been raised. So, we practice like we play, and I hope that really translates onto the field.”
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
