For Indiana Softball, Why Not the World Series?
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- No limits. Let’s start with that when considering Indiana’s softball possibilities.
“Our goal is the World Series,” standout catcher Avery Parker says. “We’ve settled for (the NCAA Regionals) the last three years. I’m excited to see us get to (the super regionals and the World Series), and have a good seed going into the Big Ten tournament. I’d like to end with 40 wins.”
With a 22-6 record, six victories in the last seven games and a month and a half left in the regular season, the Hoosiers are well on their way.
They have a powerful lineup that boasts a team batting average of .375 (second in the Big Ten to UCLA’s .400) with 252 runs scored (also second to UCLA, which has 318).
Every starting position player is hitting at least .328, with two at .400 or better with second baseman Aly VanBrandt (.500, 10 home runs, 38 runs batted in, all career highs) and Parker (.427, 10, 34), and two more nearly there with Cassidy Kettleman (.389) and shortstop Alex Cooper (.380).
VanBrandt, a junior who also has a team-leading 16 stolen bases, just won her second Big Ten player-of-the-week honor after helping IU go 3-1 last week by hitting .625 with four home runs and two doubles while driving in 11 runs.
VanBrandt has gone from zero homers as a freshman to four last year to 10 this season.
“Aly came in as a left slapper,” coach Shonda Stanton says, “and she transformed her body in the weight room.”
As far as pitching, IU’s .259 earned run average is second in the Big Ten behind Nebraska (2.21). Leading the way are Taylor Hess (6-1, 3.77 ERA), Aubree Hooks (5-0, 2.50 ERA), Brooke Mannon (4-0, 1.1438 ERA) and Ella Trout (5-5, 2.56 ERA).
“I’m happy about how everything has gone,” Parker says. “We’re off to a fast start. I love seeing the newbies in the lineup doing a great job, and EVB (VanBrandt) is performing. Getting to hit behind them is fun. We have a good shot of winning the Big Ten and making a run in the NCAA Tournament.”
Stanton has clear goals for producing a consistent contender -- build teams that can steal 100 or more bases, hit 75 or more home runs and are heavy with in-state players.
IU is on pace with 79 stolen bases and 40 home runs, and in-state players all over the roster.
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve had seven of our starting nine from the state,” Stanton says. “In our 2026 class, we have nine recruits and seven are from Indiana. We have great relationships with the travel ball organizations in our state, and in the region.”
Stanton is bullish on the state of Indiana high school softball.
“If we could get every top player in the state of Indiana,” she says, “we’d play for a national championship. That’s how good softball is in our state.”
Parker, an all-state player out of Westfield High School just north of Indianapolis, is proof of that.
“I take such pride in representing Indiana University and being from Indiana. My grandpa is a huge IU fan. Seeing the football team do so well makes me so proud to be a Hoosier. You can see how our program has elevated. We have a new standard for ourselves. It makes it super exciting.”
IU has had fast starts before under Stanton. The Hoosiers opened 14-0 in 2019 before finishing 36-21.
“It’s tough to replicate that (14-0 start), but to be sitting where we are is good,” Stanton says. “We’ve got to keep doing that. Keep winning. You can’t take it for granted. It’s one pitch at a time, stay within yourself, and if you do that, when you look up at the end of the weekend, you get the sweep.”
IU’s impressive play includes a 12-3 victory over then No. 25 Ohio State in Florida, two wins over Minnesota and a 7-6 loss to then No. 22 Arizona.
“It’s great to have a hot start,” Stanton says. “You want to start fast, play hard in the middle -- right now, we’re playing hard in the middle -- and you need a strong finish. Our schedule is set up that way.
“The fast start, we got a good schedule, and won some key games. In the middle, it will heat up.”
Heating up includes an early April three-game series at No. 7 UCLA, which shares the Big Ten lead with No. 17 Washington. Both are 6-0 in the conference. The Hoosiers also will play Purdue and No. 16 Oregon, who are a combined 6-0 in the Big Ten, 43-13 overall.
Next up, this weekend’s three-game series at Maryland (12-14, 1-5).
“We have to stay committed to our process,” Parker says “and not try to overdo it. When you have failure, being okay with that and learning versus beating up on yourself.
“It takes 1 through 9 every game. Our bottom of the lineup does a great job of rotating us around. We’re able to do small ball and hit balls off the wall. We have a good pitching staff that bounces back from mistakes.
“It takes all of us. Consistency is the main thing.”
Adds Stanton: “We want to finish strong. The key is staying healthy. We’re not putting pressure on ourselves. It’s trusting the process. Don’t look into the result, stay completely process oriented.”