How Indiana softball is redefining its 'Gold Standard' with third straight NCAA tournament
BLOOMINGTON — This spring, as part of its apparel deal with IU Athletics, Adidas designed special jerseys for the Hoosiers' softball program.
In the NCAA tournament and the Big Ten tournament title game each of the last two years, softball had blossomed into one of the department's recent success stories. To mark said success, the German apparel company turned out Gold Standard jerseys, with gold accents on the script 'Indiana' and gold numbers set inside crimson trim.
The uniforms — which IU announced via a March social media post — became a rallying cry.
'We thought, 'We don't want to just have a Gold Standard uniform. We want to be the gold standard as a team,'' IU softball coach Shonda Stanton said, 'and being the gold standard as a team would be to punch our ticket and chase history and do something that hasn't been done here.'
That ticket was a program record third straight NCAA tournament appearance, and Indiana punched it this week when the Hoosiers were selected into the field as a No. 3 seed in this weekend's Fayetteville Regional.
They open play at 4 p.m. Friday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, against No. 2 seed Oklahoma State.
Stanton's team finished 33-18, and 10-12 in league play. Crucially, the Hoosiers wrapped their regular season and conference tournament appearance (IU reached the quarterfinal this year) with zero Quad 3 or 4 losses.
Now in her eighth season at Indiana, Stanton credited the last two years' success for the efficiency and focus that prompted IU's success this spring. More specifically, she said her team — blessed with a core of players who have been part of all three tournament appearances — innately understand what small details add up to what the Hoosiers now qualify as success.
'They understand the process,' Stanton said. 'When you're aware of what your mission is, and then you understand the gameplan of how you get there, what you need to do to execute it, it helps you take care of your day-to-day business.'
On the field, that's manifested in one of the most potent offenses in the country.
IU leads the country in batting average, on-base percentage and doubles per game. The Hoosiers are ninth in total runs, and 21st nationally in runs batted in.
Taylor Minnick (.470/.579/.973) and Avery Parker (.401/.470/.713) pace one of the most dangerous lineups in the country, while Brianna Copeland finished the season top 10 in the Big Ten in wins, strikeouts and strikeouts per seven innings. Copeland also slugged 13 home runs, second only to Minnick's 16.
It was Copeland who pitched all seven innings of two-hit, shutout softball in a crucial Big Ten tournament win over fellow bubble team Washington last week, a testament to the strength of both talent and experience on the Hoosiers' side.
'When you look at Bri Copeland, from sophomore year to a big, important game like that to pitching against Washington,' Minnick said, 'none of us had any doubt she'd be able to do that.'
Insider: For a decade, IU has prioritized women's sports. Now, it's paying off.
That tested proof of concept is what prompts IU's confidence this weekend.
The Hoosiers will need to get past national seed Arkansas, and an Oklahoma State outfit experienced in the postseason before that. They'll have to do it in one of the best environments they're likely to see this year, and one Stanton looks forward to — it's not lost on her that Fayetteville is roughly 1,400 above sea level, twice Bloomington's elevation and appealing to an offense-minded team like hers.
Whatever comes from this weekend's trip to Arkansas, the season's results thus far have paid off Indiana's preparation beforehand. And the last three years have been affirming for a group of players who committed to a program too rarely familiar with this kind of success, now coming to expect it because of that hard work.
'When I came here, I knew for me I really wanted to get to where this was the normal for us,' Parker said. 'Our first two years, going to (the NCAA tournament), I think it was, 'This is exciting we're here,' but I think now, this is what's expected. Expect victory. Expect to make postseason.
'I think it's pretty cool that this is history, but hopefully we just keep expanding on it.'
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