After picking up its first two Big Ten wins of the 2025 season last weekend against Penn State, Indiana softball faces a premier offense as it travels to Columbus, Ohio, for a weekend series with No. 18 Ohio State.
Ohio State is driven by its high-powered offense, its 289 total runs scored ranks second-best in the nation. It also leads the nation in home runs by a large margin, hitting over two per game, granting them 80 on the season and clearing second-place Nebraska by 16.
In May 2024, Ohio State announced the firing of longtime head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly after the program missed the NCAA tournament for two consecutive seasons.
The school hired Kiran Kumar in June 2024 to replace Schoenly. The two-time Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year had a 174-56-1 record during her time with Miami University and has led the Buckeyes to new heights this season.
After being left out of the preseason rankings, the Buckeyes found a spot in the week six national rankings. A 27-6-1 overall record and a 4-1 conference record has propelled them to No. 18 ahead of their matchup against the Hoosiers.
The Cream and Crimson sit on a 22-8 overall record going into the matchup. This will be just the second ranked team Indiana has faced all season after it lost two games to the then-No.12 Texas Tech University on Feb. 22-23.
A historic performance in a win against Purdue University Fort Wayne on Tuesday added to the Buckeyes’ nation-leading totals. The Buckeye offense hit seven home runs, tying the program single-game record and surpassing the previous program single-season home run mark of 75.
The Buckeyes’ lineup poses many threats at the plate, including sophomore catcher and utility player Jasmyn Burns and graduate student infielder Morgan Frye. Burns was named to the 2024 Big Ten All-Freshman Team and has followed up her successful first year with a team-leading .462 batting average, while adding 12 home runs.
Frye earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors Monday as she led the Buckeyes to five wins last week. The Suwanee, Georgia, native was dominant in the batter’s box during this stretch, hitting .900 at the plate, adding six extra base hits and seven RBIs.
While the Buckeyes’ have experienced explosive performances in the batter’s box this season, the Hoosiers have had success at the plate themselves.
The Cream and Crimson sport a collective .390 batting average as a team, which ranks second in Division I. Senior outfielder Taylor Minnick has been the driving force hitting .506 at the plate.
Ohio State will also see a familiar face in the Indiana dugout this series, as redshirt junior outfielder Melina Wilkison prepares to play against her former team.
After transferring to Indiana from Ohio State during the offseason, Wilkison has spent most of the season as the leadoff hitter for the Hoosiers. The Greensburg, Indiana, native is batting .360 at the plate this season and is third on the team with 36 hits.
The first game of the series is slated to begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Buckeye Field in Columbus, Ohio, and will be followed up by the second game at 1 p.m. Sunday. These two games can be streamed on Big Ten+.
The series finale is set to kick off at 7 p.m. Monday and can be watched on the Big Ten Network.
