Indiana softball traveled to Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend to take on No. 18 Ohio State. Heading into the weekend series, the Hoosiers had not fared well against top 25 ranked opponents, going 0-2 on the season.
In their last outing against a ranked opponent, the Hoosiers faced then-No.12 Texas Tech University in back-to-back games Feb. 22-23. The game was played on the Red Raiders' home field in Lubbock, Texas, in the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic.
Indiana struggled offensively and was unable to control the reigning National Player of the Year, Texas Tech junior pitcher NiJaree Canady. Indiana was shut out in the first game by the run rule and was only able to score two runs in the second game.
The Hoosiers started off the weekend against Ohio State playing like they had in previous matchups against a ranked opponent. Indiana was outscored 19-5 throughout the doubleheader Saturday, with the second game ending in run-rule fashion.
However, after getting the day off from the series Sunday, the Hoosiers offense bounced back in the final game of the series Monday, led by senior pitcher and utility player Brianna Copeland.
Copeland totaled four hits, four runs, three RBIs and three home runs against the Buckeyes on Monday. Her three-home run performance moved her total career home runs to 40, which tied the program record. Her three home runs also tied the most homeruns hit in a single game in program history. Her last game with three homeruns was against Kent State University in March 2022, when the Hoosiers defeated the Golden Flashes 14-11.
In addition to Copeland’s offensive efforts, the rest of the Indiana offense stepped up to finish out the series with a bounce-back performance as well.
In the first game of the series, only two Hoosiers — Copeland and sophomore utility player Alex Cooper — recorded a hit. However, Indiana turned it around in the final game of the series, as eight different Hoosiers recorded at least one hit.
Senior outfielder Taylor Minnick — who leads the team in batting average — was only able to get one hit in the first two games combined. However, in the final game of the series, Minnick knocked two hits.
Redshirt junior outfielder Melina Wilkison also struggled at bat throughout the first two games with zero hits throughout both games, but came back in the final game of the series, totaling four hits on the day.
In the final game of the series, the Hoosiers outhit the Buckeyes 16-7 and won by a final score of 13-7. Indiana displayed a complete offensive turnaround from the first two games of the series where the Hoosiers had only accumulated a combined eight hits and five runs.
Wilkison and Copeland led the team in hits in the final game of the series with four each.
The Hoosiers' win was their first ranked win of the season and snapped Ohio State’s 11-game winning streak. Indiana’s overall record is now 23-10 and 3-5 in Big Ten play.
The Hoosiers will be back in action against Maryland on April 5-7 at Andy Mohr Field in Bloomington. The weekend games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday, and noon Monday. Sunday’s matchup will be streamed on the Big Ten Network.
