Indiana softball’s season ended Saturday after they lost to Virginia for the second day in a row in the elimination round of the Knoxville Regional of the 2026 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament.
Indiana began the day crushing Northern Kentucky 8-0 in five innings, as the Hoosiers took an early lead and never looked back. Sophomore infielder Josie Bird started the scoring with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to give Indiana a 2-0 advantage.
Sophomore infielder Madalyn Strader and junior utility player Brooke Mannon hit RBI singles to give Indiana a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning. Senior outfielder Cassidy Kettleman hit a two-RBI single up the middle later in the frame to increase Indiana’s lead to 6-0.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, senior outfielder Ellie Goins hit an RBI double into center field to increase Indiana’s advantage to 7-0, threatening a five-inning run-rule victory.
That became a reality in the bottom of the fifth inning, as junior utility player Aly VanBrandt crushed a home run into deep right field to give the Hoosiers the 8-0 win in five innings.
On the mound, sophomore pitcher Ella Troutt silenced the Norse’s offense, as Troutt surrendered just three hits and no earned runs all game.
Indiana seemingly ran out of gas in its second matchup with Virginia in as many days. The Cavaliers jumped out to an early lead in the opening inning when junior infielder Bella Cabral hit an RBI single to open the scoring. Redshirt freshman catcher Reagan Hickey, playing as the designated hitter, then hit a two-run home run to increase Virginia’s lead to 3-0.
Indiana got on the board in the bottom of the frame when VanBrandt reached home on an errant Virginia throw to give the Hoosiers their first run of the game.
Bird hit a two-run home run to center field to tie the game at three apiece after the first inning.
However, Virginia sophomore infielder Alex Call snatched the lead right back for the Cavaliers, hitting a grand slam in the top of the third inning to give Virginia a 7-3 advantage.
Indiana made a dent in the deficit in the bottom half of the inning, as Goins hit an RBI single to second base to cut Virginia’s lead down to three runs. Sophomore outfielder Hannah Haberstroh hit a two-RBI double into right-center field to bring the Hoosiers within one run.
Kettleman then reached home in the bottom of the fourth inning thanks to a throwing error by the Cavaliers, tying the game at seven.
But Virginia sophomore utility player Madison Greene broke Hoosier hearts when she hit a two-run home run into left field to put the Cavaliers back on top 9-7 in the top of the fifth inning, a home run that would ultimately prove to be the game-clinching score. Indiana failed to get any runs across home plate in the fifth and sixth innings.
Virginia then put freshman right-handed pitcher Taylor Smith in the game to attempt to close out the Hoosiers in the bottom of the seventh inning. Coming into the game, Smith held a 2.66 ERA and a 7-2 record in 28 appearances and 16 starts.
Smith successfully recorded the final three outs to clinch Virginia’s trip to the Knoxville regional final, culminating in Strader grounding out to first base to end the game and Indiana’s 2026 season.
The Hoosiers finished the season with a 43-16 overall record and a 17-7 record in Big Ten Conference play in head coach Shonda Stanton’s ninth season at the helm in Bloomington.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Joe Elms (@JoeElms1 and jpelms@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
