Indiana softball has not won a Big Ten title since 1994, and despite reaching the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons, the Hoosiers repeatedly fall short in the Big Ten Tournament.
In 2024, Indiana came just one win shy of ending this drought, as the Hoosiers lost to Michigan 3-1 in the Big Ten Tournament title game.
With the expansion of the Big Ten in 2025, adding UCLA, Oregon and Washington to the conference’s softball competiton, winning a Big Ten title has become increasingly difficult. In 2025, the Cream and Crimson finished conference play with a 10-12 record, before losing its second game of the Big Ten Tournament to UCLA.
But Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton’s eyes remain on ending a 32-year conference title drought.
“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 during open practice Feb. 2.
This mindset trickles down to Indiana’s three-member senior class, which is determined to leave a lasting mark on the program. For seniors like catcher Avery Parker, time to accomplish this is limited.
“I want a Big Ten title before I leave here, and that's kind of our motivation going into practice every day,” Parker said.
The Hoosiers’ pursuit of this goal begins at 6 p.m. Friday against Minnesota at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. Friday’s game will be followed by a matchup at 2 p.m. Saturday, and the series will conclude at 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games will be streamed on Big Ten+.
Indiana enters the weekend after dominating at the Elon & University of North Carolina Greensboro Tournament in North Carolina. The Hoosiers finished the tournament undefeated, improving to 16-4 on the season and sitting tied for the second-best win percentage in the Big Ten heading into conference play.
Meanwhile, Minnesota currently owns the worst record in the Big Ten, losing six of its last seven games. However, the Golden Gophers faced a tough nonconference slate, competing against three top-25 teams, including the now-No. 4 University of Oklahoma, per ESPN and USA Softball rankings.
Sixth-year head coach Piper Ritter leads the Golden Gophers. Across the last six seasons, Ritter has guided Minnesota to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
Before earning the head coaching job, Ritter spent 13 seasons as the Golden Gophers’ pitching coach, helping former Minnesota pitcher Amber Fiser earn 2019 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors. That same year, Minnesota advanced to its first ever Women’s College World Series in the NCAA softball era.
But the Golden Gophers have struggled to generate offense through their first 20 games of 2026, scoring 10 or more runs just once and ranking 16th in the Big Ten with 76 total runs scored.
Scoring will not come easy against Indiana, which ranks 13th in the nation with a 2.08 ERA. The Hoosiers dominated in the circle last weekend, surrendering just three runs across its five contests in North Carolina.
In addition to struggles at the plate, Minnesota has encountered inconsistencies in the circle. The Golden Gophers own a 4.91 ERA as a team –– the second highest mark in the conference.
Despite those challenges, Minnesota senior pitcher Sydney Schwartz has been a bright spot for the Golden Gophers’ pitching staff.
Across 49.1 innings pitched this season, Schwartz owns a 3.12 ERA and 56 strikeouts, which ties for fifth in the Big Ten. As a junior in 2025, the Victoria, Minnesota, native was named the pitcher of the Big Ten All-Defensive Team.
Schwartz earned Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors on Feb. 16 for her performances at the Dr. Diana Natalicio Memorial Tournament and the Troy Cox Classic. Schwartz posted a 1.31 ERA across four appearances, including a complete-game performance against Idaho State University on Feb. 13, where she struck out 10 batters in seven innings.
But Schwartz and the Golden Gophers’ pitching unit face potentially their toughest matchup of the season yet. The Hoosiers’ 192 total runs scored currently ranks seventh in the nation. Indiana also ranks ninth in the country with a .384 batting average.
Last season, the Big Ten sent eight teams to the NCAA Tournament –– a testament to the strength of the conference. With a strong slate of Big Ten opponents on deck, the Hoosiers believe the key to success is focusing on what they can control.
“I would say not focusing on what others are doing,” Parker said about conference play Feb. 2, “but just focusing on what we can do.”
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
