Three Observations From IU Softball's NCAA Tournament Game Loss To Missouri

Hoosiers Fall 5-1 To Tigers To Close Season

Andy Mohr Field Where IU Softball Plays Its Home Games

Kleinman Relieves Copeland To Keep Hoosiers In The Game

Missouri surprisingly lost to Omaha in their NCAA opener. This gave the Hoosiers a much tougher matchup than expected against the top-seeded hosts in their first elimination game.

The Tigers boast an elite pitching staff and an offense that has often struggled including versus the Mavericks in their first game. However, IU’s top pitcher Brianna Copeland was torched in just 1.2 innings for a couple of runs against a squad batting less than .270 coming in. This gave the Hoosiers a very tall hill to climb against the best staff in the circle they have seen this season.

However, Sophie Kleinman came in to relieve Copeland and gave Indiana the best chance possible throwing 4.1 innings of just one-run ball. Mizzou did get to Kleinman for a couple of runs in the seventh. However, her performance in the second through sixth innings kept Indiana in the game.

Hoosiers Do Little At The Plate

While it was not a surprise, the Cream and Crimson got very little going against the Tigers at the plate. Missouri came in sporting an elite ERA barely over two and looked every bit of it on Saturday as ace Lauren Krings mowed Indiana down fairly easily.

The Hoosiers managed just two hits on the day and had very few hard-hit balls. The best chance to do damage was a flyout to the warning track by Aliyah Andrews in the fifth inning that was caught. IU did finally strike on a solo shot in the last frame by Cora Bassett but the game was not in doubt at that point.

Indiana’s Successful Season Is Over

No matter what happened this weekend, the last two seasons have been an unmitigated success for Indiana. It has been the best stretch since the 1980s for the program that has seen back-to-back 40-win seasons and NCAA appearances. This is after years of struggles that saw just one postseason appearance in the previous 18 springs.

The Hoosiers finished the 2024 campaign with a 40-19 record and made consecutive regional appearances for the first time since 1985 and 1986. With nearly everyone projected to return, the future of this squad continues to be extremely bright with more winning in 2025 under head coach Shonda Stanton.