Riding a three-game win streak, Indiana softball returns to Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington this weekend, looking to carry momentum into its three-game series against Rutgers. The series will run Friday through Sunday.
After dropping its first game against Minnesota on March 6, Indiana softball swept the remainder of the series, before earning a 14-6 run-rule win over Loyola University Chicago on Tuesday.
Indiana enters the weekend 19-5 overall. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights take a 13-10 record into Bloomington. Rutgers recently won two of three games in its Big Ten series opener against Maryland, before notching back-to-back wins over Saint Peter’s University on Tuesday.
Rutgers is led by head coach Kristen Butler, who is in her eighth season at the helm. In 2023 and 2024, the Scarlet Knights captured their first back-to-back seasons with more than 30 wins. As a player, Butler earned 2006 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year honors with the University of Florida.
After her collegiate career, Butler joined the Akron Racers of the National Pro Fastpitch league, where she played under now-Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton in 2007-08.
The Hoosiers’ offense ranked seventh in the nation with 192 runs entering their weekend series against Minnesota. But uneven performances in the batter’s box generated just 11 runs across the series’ three matchups.
Indiana’s offense returned to its usual productive form against Loyola Chicago –– momentum the Cream and Crimson look to carry into the weekend series against Rutgers.
However, Indiana’s bats will face a tough test across from the Scarlet Knights’ pitching staff. In the circle, Rutgers is led by sophomore Kelsey Hoekstra, who owns a team-low 1.66 ERA –– the sixth-best mark in the Big Ten.
During Rutgers’ Big Ten opener against Maryland on March 6, Hoekstra accumulated 17 strikeouts, which tied for most by a Division I softball pitcher this season and led the Scarlet Knights to a 6-5 victory in extra innings.
The right-handed pitcher also secured Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors Feb. 9 for her performance at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic, where she finished 2-0 in the circle and threw her first career no-hitter.
As a team, Rutgers ranks fifth in Big Ten strikeouts with 145. The combined efforts of the pitching unit, with strong scoring outputs on offense, have powered the Scarlet Knights to three consecutive wins. Across this three-game span, Rutgers totaled 37 runs.
In addition to her pitching performances, Hoekstra has been effective as a two-way player. Across 56 plate appearances, she has collected 16 hits and two home runs.
But most of the Scarlet Knights’ offensive production has stemmed from the trio of sophomore infielders Riley Hwang and Addie Osborne and junior infielder Sam Rohwer.
Hwang leads the team with 24 hits. In a 16-8 win over Saint Peter’s on Tuesday, Hwang contributed six RBIs –– the most by a Scarlet Knight since 2017. The sophomore is hitting .414 at the plate, adding three home runs and 14 RBIs.
Osborne leads the Scarlet Knights with 19 runs scored and sits tied with Rohwer for a team-high 15 RBIs. Across 60 plate appearances, Osborne owns a .283 batting average and leads Rutgers with five home runs. Rohwer has collected 21 hits and four home runs in 67 at-bats.
Indiana leads the all-time series against Rutgers 19-11, with the last matchup occurring in 2023, when Indiana swept a three-game weekend series.
The series is set to begin at 6 p.m. Friday. The second game is slated to kick off at 2 p.m. Saturday, and the series will conclude with the final game at noon Sunday. All games over the weekend will be televised on B1G+.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and @jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
