Waco, TX – A new era of Indian Hills Softball is set to open up Thursday as the Warriors head to Waco, TX for six games in a three-day span at the Bosque River Ballpark.

DETAILS: Indian Hills Season Opener

Waco, TX  |  Bosque River Ballpark

Head coach Gretta Hartz, making her debut with the Indian Hills Softball squad, will open up the 2026 campaign with a trip to Waco, TX for a series of high-powered matchups against four opponents from the Lone Star State.

LEADING OFF

• For the second consecutive season, Indian Hills will make its season debut in Waco, TX. The Warriors' went 2-2 during its inaugural trip in 2025.
• The Warriors are coming off a 32-16 campaign from a season ago, advancing to the NJCAA Region 11 Championship series.
• Hartz was named the ninth head coach of the modern era of Indian Hills Softball in June, 2025.
• The Warriors return eight members from last year's squad in addition to one sophomore transfer eight incoming freshman.
• The Warriors return two of its top four offensive leaders from a year ago:
  • Cassandra Benberg (.390 AVG, 2nd | 5 HR, 3rd, 33 RBI, 3rd)
  • Mary-Paige Withers (.373 AVG, 2nd | 6 HR, 2nd, 40 RBI, 2nd)
• Thursday's opening matchup is the first of 23 consecutive road games to open the new year for the Warriors.
• Indian Hills ranked 18th in the nation last year with 106 doubles and 29th overall in the NJCAA with a .520 slugging percentage.

HARTZ'S NOTES

Head coach Gretta Hartz will lead the Warriors into its 2026 campaign as the program's first-year head coach. "We're excited to head down south for a few days to kick off our season. We're looking forward to getting outside for some warmer weather to compete."

SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS

Host McLennan Community College enters the new year ranked No. 4 in the nation in the preseason NJCAA DI Softball Poll.

• The Highlanders capped the 2025 season with a 52-8 overall record, advancing to the NJCAA DI Softball World Series for the third time in four seasons and seventh time overall.
• McLennan returns four members from last year's squad, including sophomore Natalie Klenda who posted a 15-3 record in the circle.
• The Highlanders are off to a 3-1 start on the year with two wins over Chipola College (FL) and a win over San Jacinto College-South (TX).
• Through four contests, McLennan is outscoring its opponents 26-20 while posting a .363 batting average and 13 extra base hits.
• Indian Hills is 0-4 all-time vs. McLennan dating back to the 2011 season, including a pair of losses in Waco last season.
• The Highlanders are under the direction of eighth-year head coach Chris Berry.

SCOUTING THE BUCCANEERS

Blinn enters the 2026 season following a 23-23 campaign from a year ago, the team's third consecutive season with a .500 or better record.

• The Buccaneers enter Thursday's matchup with Indian Hills with a 1-1 record on the year following a loss to McLennan and a win over No. 6 ranked Odessa College (TX) on January 29.
• Blinn returns seven members from last year's squad, including three members that batted above .300
  • Halle Scheel - .322 AVG
  • Cadence Wiese - .321 AVG
  • Annie Beckendorf - .304 AVG
• The Buccaneers return three individuals saw action in the circle, including Madisyn Bracknell and Brynn Gallamore who combined for 36 appearances.
• Indian Hills is 1-3 all-time vs. Blinn dating back to the 2011 season, including a win in its most recent matchup, a 3-2 win on Feb. 23, 2023.
• Blinn is under the direction of 27th year head coach Rick Church

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS

A perennial national contender, Grayson enters the new year ranked No. 3 in the preseason NJCAA DI Softball Poll.

• The Vikings posted a 54-9 overall record a year ago while finishing as one of the final eight teams at the NJCAA DI Softball World Series.
• Grayson has posted at least 40 wins in a season in four of the last five years.
• The Vikings return six members from last year's World Series team, including first-team All-American Aniyah Pequeno who posted a .550 batting average.
• Grayson is off to a 3-1 start on the year with wins over No. 6 Odessa and a pair of victories over No. 7 Paris Junior College (TX).
• Indian Hills is 2-0 all-time vs. Grayson dating back to the 2011 season with a pair of wins on Feb. 4, 2018.
• Head coach Michael McBrayer is in his 12th season at the helm of the program.

SCOUTING THE REBELS

Hill enters the weekend matchup on a 58-game losing streak dating back to the 2024 after a season opening loss to start the 2026 campaign.

• Indian Hills is 2-0 all-time vs. Hill, with a win on Feb 15, 2019 and a victory on Feb. 18, 2017, both games being played in Fort Worth, TX.
• Hill is under the direction of second-year head coach Gregory Cary.
• The Rebels will compete in three games this weekend prior to its matchup with the Warriors, including a date vs. ICCAC member Southeastern Community College on Saturday.

WHAT'S NEXT

Indian Hills' road swing to open the year continues as the Warriors will head North on Monday, February 9 to take on Murray State College for a doubleheader in Tishomingo, OK. Action gets underway at 11:00 AM.

NEW YEAR - WHAT TO KNOW

Fans can keep up the Indian Hills Softball squad all year long through a number of ways:

• X (formerly Twitter): @IHCCAthletics  |  @WarriorSoftball
• Facebook: Indian Hills Athletics  |  Indian Hills Softball
• Instagram: @IHCCAthletics  |  @IHCC_Softball
• Youtube: Indian Hills Athletics
• Website: www.indianhillsathletics.com
• Catch up with the history of Indian Hills Softball: Indian Hills Softball Record Book
• Preview the Warriors' 2026 campaign with the official media guide: Indian Hills Softball Media Guide
• Keep up with former Indian Hills Softball standouts and where they are now | Next Level Warriors - Indian Hills Softball
• All home games are played at R.L. Hellyer Field on the Indian Hills - Ottumwa campus

HOW TO WATCH

As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of all Indian Hills Softball home and postseason games. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:

• GoHillsTV App: Download the Iowa Media Network app on your android or ios device and navigate to the GoHillsTV section
• Website: https://www.iowamedianetwork.com/gohillstv to catch all live and archived information
• Roku Streaming Device:  Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!

Looking for Indian Hills Athletics information straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and mobile alerts to receive news, scores, highlights, and more in real-time: INDIAN HILLS ATHLETICS NEWSLETTER