Indiana softball embarks on a new, historic season as they travel to Clearwater, Florida for the National Fastpitch Collegiate Association Leadoff Classic. Team 50 will face off against Auburn University, Howard University, University of South Alabama, University of Pittsburgh and Prairie View Agriculture & Mechanical University.
Indiana will play Pittsburgh at 11 a.m. on Friday, immediately followed by a matchup at 1:30 p.m. against Prairie View A&M. Saturday features another doubleheader; first up is a game with Auburn at 1:30 p.m., and then Indiana plays Howard at 4 p.m. Finally, Super Bowl Sunday sees the Hoosiers play South Alabama at 12:30 p.m.
Indiana will meet Prairie View, Howard and South Alabama for the first time in program history. The Hoosiers are 2-1 all-time against Pitt, with the last meeting ending in a 2-0 victory back in March 2001. Auburn is 4-0 against the Cream and Crimson, with the most recent meeting in 2016 resulting in an 8-7 win in eight innings for the home team.
Indiana finished 2022 with a 27-22 record, going 10-13 in conference play and return 11 players who started 50% of last season.
Eight Hoosiers will be making their debuts tomorrow. Six freshmen and two assistant coaches will begin their tenures. Assistant coach Aaron Clopton has over two decades of coaching experience, with his most recent gig being at the University of Kansas. Graduate assistant Grayson Radcliffe joins the staff having completed her playing career at IU in 2022.
All five games will be televised on the GameChanger app, where live stats can be viewed as well.
Follow reporters Dalton James (.@djames1824) and Austin Platt (.@AustinPlatter) for updates throughout the Indiana softball season.
