Indiana softball went 6-2 during an eight-game homestand in March, improving its overall record in 2026 to 22-6. Now, the Hoosiers are set to travel to College Park, Maryland, for their first Big Ten road series of the season against Maryland.
The three-game series at the Maryland Softball Stadium will begin at 6 p.m. Friday. The second game is slated for 2 p.m. Saturday, and the series will conclude with a matchup at noon Sunday. All games in the series will be televised on B1G+.
While Indiana has won six of its last eight games, Maryland has gone 3-5 during this stretch. The Terrapins have struggled to begin Big Ten play, sitting at 1-5 across six conference games. Maryland went 1-2 in a weekend series against Rutgers from March 6-8, before the Hoosiers won two out of three games over the Scarlet Knights the following weekend.
Indiana leads the all-time matchup against Maryland 19-7. The Cream and Crimson have won seven consecutive games against the Terrapins, dating back to 2021. The two programs last met Apr. 7, 2025, when the Hoosiers claimed a 2-0 victory in Bloomington.
The Terrapins enter the weekend after being swept in a weekend series by Washington, getting outscored 21-4 across the three games. However, they regained momentum heading into their matchup against the Hoosiers, notching an 11-7 extra-inning victory over George Washington University (13-10) on Wednesday. Sophomore third baseman Matti Benson hit a walk-off grand slam in the 10th inning to propel the Terrapins to the win.
Maryland head coach Lauren Karn is in her third season at the helm. Across her first two seasons with the Terrapins, Karn compiled a 42-61 overall record while coaching two All-Big Ten selections and securing three victories over top 25 opponents. In 2024, Karn led the Terrapins to their second ever Big Ten Tournament win, defeating Penn State 3-1.
Maryland’s offense is headlined by senior infielder Sammi Woods, who was named to the 2026 Big Ten Players to Watch List before the season began. This year, Woods leads the Terrapins with a .400 batting average and 36 hits across 90 plate appearances. She also ranks first on the team with 20 runs scored.
Sophomore infielder Anna McGowan has added power to the Terrapins’ lineup. McGowan leads the team with seven home runs and 24 RBIs across 76 at-bats.
In the circle, Maryland ranks ninth in the Big Ten with a 4.09 team ERA. Freshman pitcher Elisea Wiegand has tossed a team-high 50.2 innings in 2026. Across 17 appearances and 10 starts in the circle, Wiegand owns a 3.59 ERA. Senior pitcher Keira Bucher leads Maryland with a 2.75 ERA in 43.1 innings pitched.
But the Terrapins will face one of the most explosive offenses in the Big Ten with the Hoosiers’ lineup on deck. Indiana ranks second in the conference with 252 total runs scored and 266 hits across 28 games played.
Junior utility player Aly VanBrandt anchors the Hoosiers’ top-ranked offense. VanBrandt’s 48 hits ranks second in the Big Ten, and she earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors Monday for the second time this season. From March 10-15, VanBrandt hit .625 at the plate, adding four home runs and two doubles in matchups against Loyola University Chicago and Rutgers.
VanBrandt and senior catcher Avery Parker tie for a team-leading 10 home runs. However, Parker has the chance to make Indiana program history over the weekend. She sits just one home run shy of tying the program’s record of 45 in a career.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
