Indiana Softball will begin the 2025 season at the Felsberg Invitational from Feb. 6-9 hosted by FIU in Miami, Fla.
The Hoosiers will play five games on the weekend with FIU, Stony Brook and Iowa State also competing in the season-opening event.
QUICK HITTERS:
- Team 52 heads into the season on the heels of a 40-20 season with an NCAA Tournament appearance and Big Ten Tournament Final run under its belt in 2024.
- Indiana returns seven of its nine starters in the field from 2024 with a plethora of new talent coming in, including eight new freshmen and two transfer from Power-4 schools.
- Melina Wilkison, a redshirt junior outfielder from Greensburg, Ind. joins the Hoosiers after spending three seasons at Ohio State. Wilkison was a two-year starter for the Buckeyes, including being an NFCA All-Region and All-Big Ten performer in 2023. She missed almost all of 2024 due to injury.
- The eight freshmen make up the No. 28 ranked recruiting class on Extra Innings Softball for the class of 2024.
- Brianna Copeland, Taylor Minnick and Avery Parker were all named to the Big Ten’s preseason Players to Watch List.
LAST TIME OUT:
- Indiana closed the 2024 season out with an appearance in Columbia Regional in the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers were the No. 3 seed and dropped a close, 8-7, game to No. 2 seed Washington in the regional’s opener.
- In the elimination game, Indiana fell to host and No. 1 seed Missouri, 5-1.
- The NCAA Tournament appearance marked back-to-back seasons of tournament appearances for the program as the team was in the NCAA Knoxville Regional in 2023 where it finished runner-up to Tennessee.
- Previous to 2023, the Indiana program had not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2011.
- The 2023 and 2024 seasons were also marked by two trips to the Big Ten Tournament Final. In 2023, Indiana made its way to the final game as the No. 2 seed and falling to Northwestern in a tight 2-1 game.
- In 2024, Indiana got hot as the No. 8 seed before dropping a 3-1 game to Michigan in the final.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
- In 2024, Florida International endured a tough season that saw them post a 21-29 record with an 8-16 mark in Conference USA. The Panthers routinely host the Felsberg Invitational to open the season every year. Last year’s field also featured Stony Brook and included Big Ten opponent Ohio State as well as Southeast Missouri State.
- Stony Brook had a very successful 2024 campaign that saw the team go 35-17 with a 19-8 record in the Colonial Athletic Association.
- To open last year, Stony Brook went 1-4 in the Felsberg Invitational, with their only win coming in a 7-5 victory over Ohio State (Feb. 9). After that, the Seawolves went 34-13 for the remainder of the season. The team got three games deep into the CAA Tournament before being eliminated from postseason contention.
- Iowa State compiled a 20-31 season in 2024 and went 6-18 in Big 12 games. The Cylones did pick up three ranked victories on the season, including two wins over No. 5 Oklahoma State and a road win at No. 23 Baylor.
SERIES NOTES:
- Indiana will face Florida International for the first time since 2008, Stony Brook for the first time since 2003 and Iowa State for the first time since 2017.
