Indiana softball loses young players, adds new faces in offseason
After an early exit in the NCAA tournament regional in mid-May, Indiana softball has experienced changes in the roster for next season. The transfer portal is playing a significant role in reshaping the team.
To start off the Hoosiers’ offseason, head coach Shonda Stanton saw significant losses to some of the team’s younger players. The most notable name is rising junior pitcher Sophie Kleiman.
Last season, Kleiman’s performance was commendable. She started 23 games in the circle, maintaining a 2.69 ERA and a 14-5 record. Her 87 strikeouts and consistent pitching made her a key player in the Hoosiers’ bullpen. Her departure to Virginia Tech is a loss for the Indiana softball program.
Other players entering the portal are upcoming sophomore infielders Tristian Thompson and Ella Carter and upcoming junior infielder Chloe Geijer.
Thompson had 31 at-bats last season with a .226 average in 24 games played. Her most memorable moment in a Hoosiers jersey was against Valparaiso University during the Hoosier Classic on March 3. When Thompson came in to pinch hit, she struck the ball to dead center field to give the Hoosiers a 10-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The home run was her first and only as a Hoosier, and Stanton had nothing but praise for her post-game.
“Every game we’re like, ‘How do we insert Tristian in the lineup?’” Stanton said March 3. “My message to her is just to stay patient. You can have a huge future in this program, and I know it’s hard to stay ready on the bench, but not if you are ready for the right things. I thought she did an exceptional job today, staying ready, getting in there, shining, and staring in her moment.”
Now Thompson recently announced that she will be taking her softball talents to Oklahoma State University with three years of eligibility.
Carter, however, saw the field less often this past season, with only five at-bats and one RBI. Many times, Carter would be coming onto the field if catcher Avery Parker wasn’t on the field, which was rare this past season. While she will be transferring for her sophomore season, she has yet to announce where she is headed.
Geijer, in her two seasons for Indiana, played 40 games with 33 at-bats. She had seven hits, nine RBIs, and a batting average of .152. She recently announced she is transferring to East Carolina University to continue her softball career.
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