Indiana softball has been 'on mission' to reach fourth straight NCAA regional
BLOOMINGTON Indiana softball coach Shonda Stanton delivered her mission statement in August for the coming season to her team.Forty and four, she told them: 40-plus wins, and a top-four seed in the Big Ten Tournament.For a program with just two NCAA Tournament appearances in the 22 years before Stanton arrived in Bloomington, such expectations would once have seemed ambitious to the point of unrealistic. Not anymore.As a coach, Stanton said during a Zoom call Wednesday morning, I didnt blink an eye. That was a realistic expectation, and our group went to work on that.Having realized those preseason aims already, Stantons Indiana team travels to Knoxville this weekend, to compete in Tennessees regional pod. The Hoosiers (42-14) open play against No. 7 Virginia at 8 p.m. Friday.It marks the Hoosiers fourth straight regional appearance, and their third 40-win season in four years. And it reflects a culture Stanton said now entrenched into her locker room, one where winning habits and the success that follows have become self-perpetuating.This group was on brand, she said. They were on mission. Theyre refreshing.IU set the tone for its season in its first half, winning 16 of its first 20 games. The Hoosiers swept Illinois, Maryland and Purdue, won a series at Michigan and beat another NCAA team, Washington, 9-2 in the conference tournament. They were one of just four Big Ten teams to finish with 17 or more league wins, and they finished with 18 wins at home, tied for second most in the conference.Three players Taylor Hess, Aubree Hooks and Ella Troutt finished with more than 10 wins. And as a team, IU finished second in the Big Ten in hits, runs scored and OPS, as well as third in slugging.Now, they prepare for another regional trip, an experience that once might have seemed foreign to Indiana softball but has become familiar to the point of instinct in Bloomington.When you can just focus on your game prep and not worry about the logistical things, that gives you a leg up, Stanton said. When you have fond memories and familiarity, that helps. The expectation isnt, youre happy to be in. Your expectation is to go down and win a regional. Your expectations are elevated.That starts with the Cavaliers on Friday night. Virginia finished 38-13, on the back of a top-three pitching staff in the ACC in ERA and strikeouts.After falling out of the Big Ten Tournament in a 5-0 loss to No. 1 seed Nebraska that saw IU strike out 12 times in 23 at-bats, Stanton said reemphasizing plate discipline Indiana finished with the sixth-fewest strikeouts in the Big Ten in 2026 will be key to this weekends results.Weve got to do a good job of playing clean, not give them extra outs, not give them extra bases, Stanton said. Thats going to be key for us, because we do have the pitching staff to do that. Weve got to be disciplined hitters and make better swing decisions than we did against Nebraska. And I think we will.Such confidence has defined Stantons team since their earliest meetings last summer. The Hoosiers goals were never in doubt. In their own minds, neither was their collective ability to achieve those goals. Winning has become a habit for IU softball, one Stanton is confident can continue into this weekend.They care about winning at a high level, Stanton said, they care about each other, and they care about the Indiana Hoosiers. I think thats huge.Want moreHoosierscoverage?Sign up for IndyStar's Hoosiers newsletter.Listen to Mind Your Banners, our IU Athletics-centric podcast, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.Watch the latest on IndyStar TV: Hoosiers.This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana makes fourth straight NCAA softball bracket, will play Virginia
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