Following a two-week road trip, the Hoosiers returned to Andy Mohr Field for a matchup against Ball State University on Wednesday, with the seats filled in anticipation for Indiana softball’s final non-conference regular season game. The home crowd energized senior pitcher and utility player Brianna Copeland to a shutout performance in the circle as the Hoosiers secured a 14-1 victory.
Heading into the matchup between Indiana and Ball State, the Cardinals ranked 30th in the nation, and first in the Mid-American Conference in total runs scored this season with 301.
Ball State’s high-powered offense features redshirt senior McKayla Timmons — a 2023 and 2024 First Team All-MAC honoree. This season, the Lithia, Florida, native leads the MAC with a .462 batting average and a .971 slugging percentage.
After allowing 12 runs in a loss against Nebraska on Saturday, the Hoosiers’ pitching staff was in search of a bounce back performance.
Copeland answered the call.
The Pelham, Alabama, native gave up a single in each of the first two innings but generated soft groundouts, including a double play in the second frame, to get out of the innings unharmed.
Copeland allowed zero walks for the second consecutive outing and just the fifth time this season. The two-way player surrendered three hits and zero earned runs, while adding three strikeouts across 4 1/3 innings. Copeland also held Timmons hitless throughout the game as the Cardinal reached base just once against the Hoosiers.
“She prepares with the best of them, and she invests a lot of hard work,” Indiana head coach Shonda Stanton said about Copeland postgame. “No different than any other time, she had a great game plan and Bri executed it tonight.”
With the Hoosiers holding a 14-0 lead and threatening a run-rule victory heading into the fifth frame, Stanton called in freshman pitcher Jenae Berry in relief of Copeland.
However, Berry struggled to put away the Ball State offensive lineup. The team-leader in ERA loaded the bases and hit three batters, while allowing one to score in the inning.
Copeland re-entered the circle in relief of the struggling Berry, securing the final out and a 14-1 run-rule victory. The win marks Copeland 14th of the season, which leads the team and ranks seventh in the Big Ten.
“Super proud of our group,” Stanton said. “These midweek games when you step out of conference, sometimes you can stub your toe or come out a little bit flat, and our group, they were on a mission today. Copeland, she set the tone. No freebies on the day for her.”
Following the runaway victory in their non-conference finale, the Hoosiers improve to 30-13 on the season.
Copeland and the Indiana pitching staff look to replicate Wednesday’s performance as they make a tournament push. But they have a challenging task on deck as they host No. 7 Oregon this weekend, before heading to West Lafayette to face Purdue.
The three-game series against Oregon is slated to begin at 6 p.m. Friday. The second game is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday, before the Hoosiers’ final regular season home game at 1 p.m. Sunday. All games in the series will be streamed on Big Ten+.
