Indiana softball returned to Andy Mohr Field on Sunday for the opening game of its fall slate, demolishing opponent Bryant & Stratton College in a 19-1 win.
Most notably, freshman shortstop Alexa Iwema hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning that brought the Hoosiers to an 8-1 lead over the Bobcats. They scored another 11 runs and collected a total of 25 hits. Each player got the opportunity to play in two innings, a contrast to the nine-player lineup of a regular season game. All six pitchers — Ella Troutt, Aubree Hooks, Taylor Hess, Leah Helton, Reese Mosolino and Bria Bosiljevac — pitched during the game.
The team announced nine freshmen as part of its 2026 signing class ahead of this season. Additionally, after four years at Minnesota, outfielder Breezy Burnett signed with the team. Burnett has a career total of 55 runs, 81 hits, including 27 extra base hits, and 53 RBIs paired with her .983 fielding percentage. She is also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Head coach Shonda Stanton said the newcomers have shown significant promise.
“We’ve got a group of returners that are acting like vets, and leading, and teaching,” Stanton said postgame Sunday. “And then we’ve got a bunch of newbies that are being first followers and just getting on board. We’ve been very efficient, and I’m very pleased with how we’re coming together as a group.”
Of the newcomers, standouts include freshman infielder Emma Bruggenschmidt. She was a 2025 Miss Softball finalist and finished her senior year of high school with a .533 batting average, 58 hits, 14 doubles and five home runs. Utility player Aly Vanbrandt returns for a fourth year after earning All-Big Ten Second Team honors while batting over .400 in both 2024 and 2026.
Stanton also said the tactical skill the team exhibited during the game was not limited to offense or defense.
“We scored up and down the lineup, it didn't matter what part of the lineup,” Stanton said. “We had a couple long balls today, we had clutch hitting and then we played well defensively with each of our pitchers.”
Fall ball games do not count toward the team’s official record. These games are 10 innings instead of the regular season’s seven to give the players as much repetition and practice as possible. Stanton said a strong start comes with the caveat of having to pace that success.
“The challenge then, moving forward, will be patience, tactical patience,” Stanton said.
Such patience has served the team well before; Indiana softball has made regionals the last four consecutive years. Last season, the Hoosiers finished with a 43-16 overall record, and a 17-7 conference record. They also led the nation in hit by pitches with a total of 77, the most in the NCAA Division 1. Stanton, who enters her 10th year as head coach, said she understands what it will take to continue that streak.
“It’s all about the process, you know, one game at a time,” Stanton said. “For us [we have to] be hungry, to push and have that confidence of what this program can do and become.”
The Hoosiers will next face off against Indiana Tech at home at 1 p.m. Sept. 20th at Andy Mohr Field.
