Indiana University Women’s Basketball Adds USC Guard Malia Samuels from the Transfer Portal IU women’s basketball landed a commitment from USC transfer guard Malia Samuels on Wednesday afternoon. Samuels is a 5-foot-6 guard from Seattle. She has played in 88 career games, all with USC, with 21 starts. She has a year of eligibility remaining. An athletic, fast and physical guard nicknamed “Pit Bull,” Samuels has career shooting splits of 34.8% overall, 28.3% from three, and 69% from the free throw line. She has 90 career steals in 15.3 minutes per game.
As a junior in 2025-26, Samuels played in 30 games with 19 starts and averaged 23.8 minutes per contest. She averaged 3.4 points 2.4 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. She had a four-steal performance against Indiana. In her 2024-25 sophomore season, Samuels appeared in all 35 games with one start. She averaged 2.3 points, 1.3 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game. As a freshman in 2023-24, Samuels appeared in 23 games with one start. She averaged 1.5 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.6 steals per game. Samuels was named the 2021-22 3A Washington State Player of the Year as a junior at Garfield High in Seattle, winning 3A State Championships in 2022 and 2023. She averaged 16.5 points, 6.3 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.4 rebounds per game.
Here is the IU women’s basketball offseason roster summary after the addition of Samuels: RETURNING-Lenee Beaumont, Maya Makalusky, Zania Socka-Nguemen and Sydney Fenn. INCOMING TRANSFERS-Alisa Williams, Iowa State, Kenzie Hare, Iowa State, Jess Petrie, Nebraska and Malia Samuels, USC. INCOMING FRESHMEN-Zoe Jackson (Australia), Ashlinn James (top-100, 4-star), GiGi Battle (top-100, 4-star)and Addison Nyemchek (top-100, 4-star.
DEPARTING (ELIGIBILITY)- Shay Ciezki and Jerni Kiaku. DEPARTING (TRANSFERS)-Nevaeh Caffey-Missouri, Edessa Noyan-Nebraska, Chloe Spreen-Illinois State, Phoenix Stotijn-Auburn, Faith Wiseman-Western Michigan and Jade Ondineme.
Indiana University Softball Dominates Valparaiso with 12 Extra Base Hits In its return back to Andy Mohr Field on Wednesday (April 22), Indiana defeated Valparaiso in five innings, 14-1, at Andy Mohr Field. The win pushes Indiana to 35-12 on the season after its second to last midweek game of the season. Valparaiso’s Mack Gallagher homered to left center in the top of the first to put them up 1-0. That lead would be brief as Indiana responded immediately in the bottom of the frame. Aly VanBrandt doubled to left center followed by a bunt single by Alex Cooper before Avery Parker homered to right field to put the Hoosiers up 3-1. The excellent hitting continued in the bottom of the second as VanBrandt and Cooper put up back-to-back triples before Parker homered for a second time to make the game 7-1.
The third inning ended for Valpo with a diving catch and double play from VanBrandt as she immediately threw back to first after the catch to end the top of the third. Brooke Mannon got in on the home run fun for the Hoosiers in the bottom of the third to bring the score to 8-1. Cooper added her second triple of the game in the bottom of the fourth before Josie Bird hit Indiana’s fourth home run of the game to extend the lead to 10-1. An RBI double from Cassidy Kettleman and an RBI single from Alex Cooper pushed the lead to 14-1 through the end of the fourth. The Hoosier defense put together a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fifth to quickly close the door and make it a five-inning run rule victory.
After breaking the program’s career home run record at Iowa on Sunday, Parker hit two more homers today to put her career total at 48. It was Indiana’s 19th win by run rule this season. Twelve of Indiana’s 14 hits were extra base hits (five doubles, three triples and four home runs). The win marked Indiana’s eighth straight at Andy Mohr Field. Alex Cooper hit a career high two triples. Pitcher Aubree Hooks added another win to increase her record to 10-2.
Mannon’s home run marked back-to-back games with a homer. Indiana and Michigan will face off this weekend for a three-game series starting this evening through Sunday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Indiana University Women’s Tennis Earns Two Honors from the Big Ten Conference Freshman Alessandra Teodosescu was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and freshman Hi’ilani Williams earned Indiana’s Big Ten Sportsmanship award in the annual postseason awards, announced on Wednesday. In her first collegiate season, The Ventimiglia, Italy native boasted a 10-9 overall record in singles play, including three conference wins while appearing in all matches for the Hoosiers. Going 8-5 from the second position, Teodoescu’s standout debut season was highlighted by gritty work in ranked matchups. Most recently, she took the first set against No. 22 ranked Jana Hossam of USC to give herself the edge before the court was abandoned. Against No. 4 Teah Chavez of Ohio State, she forced the match to a third set after taking the second, holding the edge in the finale before the court was abandoned.
In doubles play, Teodoescu went 15-7 from the first position alongside Hi’ilani Williams. The pair split conference play, going 5-5 on the season. She added two ranked doubles victories to her record. In mid-season conference play, she aided in the defeat of No.27 ranked Erica Jessel and Margot Phanthala of Northwestern. Additionally, the freshman added to the effort to take down No.25 Lily Fairclough and Krisha Mahendran of USC. Williams was named IU’s recipient of the Sportsmanship Award, wrapping up her rookie season with a 19-7 overall record and a 10-7 finish at No. 5 singles. She partnered with Teodosescu at No. 1 doubles finishing with a 15-7 overall record at No. 1 doubles.
Indiana University Men’s Tennis Knocks Off Oregon in the First Round of the Big Ten Tournament The No. 9 seed Indiana Hoosiers defeated the No. 8 seed Oregon Ducks 4-0 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. Indiana got on the board first by securing doubles wins at courts No. 1 and No. 3. At No. 1 doubles, Indiana’s No. 33-ranked duo of Michael Andre and Matteo Antonescu defeated Oregon’s Declan Galligan and Vlad Breazu 6-3, and at No. 3, Indiana’s No. 46-ranked duo of Sam Landau and Braeden Gelletich secured the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Cameron Burton and Sam Olszakowski. Oregon’s Pierre Mouesca and Lachlan Robertson defeated Jip van Assendelft and Facundo Yunis 6-2 at No. 2 doubles.
In singles, Indiana swept all three completed matches to clinch the victory. Facundo Yunis defeated Lachlan Robertson 6-4, 6-4 at No. 4; Braeden Gelletich topped Russell Soohoo 6-3, 6-4 at No. 5; and Aidan Atwood closed out the match with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Cameron Burton at No. 6. Three matches were left unfinished after the team result was decided. At No. 1, No. 78 Sam Landau led Vlad Breazu 6-4, 3-3; at No. 2, Jip van Assendelft split sets with Pierre Mouesca, 6-3, 5-7; and at No. 3, Michael Andre split sets with Sam Olszakowski, 6-1, 2-6 and the match was tied 2-2 in the deciding set. The Hoosiers will now turn their attention to the quarterfinals, where they will play No. 1 seed Michigan State. The Spartans defeated the Hoosiers 4-3 in East Lansing less than a week ago, on April 17.
Bloomington South Officially Joins the Hoosier Hills Conference The new neighbors are old friends. The lease has been signed, and Bloomington South can pack up and move in. The Hoosier Hills Conference announced on Wednesday its acceptance of the Panthers as the eighth member of the well-established league beginning with the 2027-28 school year. South already schedules many HHC members in volleyball, basketball, tennis, baseball and softball so all parties were familiar with each other. Still, South athletic director JR Holmes put together a comprehensive presentation for their mid-April meeting and won the day. “We told them, ‘We play you all in a bunch of things already,” Holmes said. “And we know the distances. Football will be the major thing as far as scheduling. The rest, we’ll just be adding a few teams. (For boys basketball), We just have to add Seymour, Jennings County, and Jeff.
“Soccer, baseball, softball, won’t be major blowing up of schedules.” South had a brochure put together for the presentation, breaking down the sports South offers, a list of it’s IHSAA Mental Attitude winners and academic achievements, a breakdown of the athletic department staff which sports each AAD is in charge of; a breakdown of enrollment trends; the community support and long list of athletic accomplishments; a virtual tour of the facilities with the turf fields, new bleachers in the gym, re-done floor in the auxiliary gym; remade pool; then a list of the postseason events South has hosted and examples of the school’s involvement in the community.
“We feel we’re a lot like them,” Holmes said. And they apparently agreed. “Bloomington South and JR Holmes have been synonymous with competitive excellence and displaying ideal core values since I was an athlete back in Bloomington during my college days,” AJ Moye, Jeffersonville AD said in the HHC press release. “Add to South being known as a first-class academic institution, the Panthers embody the spirit of what the HHC was founded on many years ago.” South’s long-time rivalry with BNL just took another step up. “It is exciting to add Bloomington South to the HHC,” HHC commissioner and former BNL AD Jeff Callahan said in the release. “I have been involved with the HHC as an athlete, coach, athletic director, and a fan. The HHC is a great athletic conference and it just got better.”
The overall stability of the HHC is a big calling card for South. The league was formed in 1972 and began play in 1973 with founding members Columbus East (in its first year as a school), Bedford North Lawrence, Jennings County, and Madison. Bloomington North joined in 1976 (leaving in 1982) with Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, and New Albany coming on in 1979, and then Seymour in 1997. Madison left in 2021-22 while Jennings County pulled its football team after the 2024 season, leaving the HHC with only six football-playing schools. Size-wise, South (1,784) would be the second-largest school. According to the most recent IHSAA enrollment numbers, Jeffersonville (2,147), which competes in 6A in football, is the biggest. New Albany (1,753), Floyd Central (1,752), and Seymour (1,644) compete in 5A. In 4A are Columbus East (1,278), Bedford North Lawrence, which slipped to 1,185 — dropping the Stars to Class 3A in classed sports other than football — and Jennings County (1,159).
Football scheduling was the main driver for South seeking shelter in a new conference since the upcoming breakup of Conference Indiana, which was formed in 1998. South, Columbus North and Southport were left dry for the 2026-27 school year after Bloomington North left Conference Indiana for the Mid-State Conference and then Terre Haute North and South bolted for the Sagamore Athletic Conference. South still has only seven games on next year’s football schedule, with Weeks 4 (Sept. 11) and 7 (Oct. 2) open. The Panthers will play Bloomington North, Martinsville, and Terre Haute North in Weeks 1-3. There’s a possibility of picking up a Week 4 game, Holmes said. That will be followed by a long trip to Ironton, Ohio, in Week 5. Columbus North at home Week 6 and Brebeuf Jesuit and Center Grove in Weeks 8-9.
Membership in the HHC will alleviate all that headache moving forward. Holmes wants to keep North and Martinsville on the schedule, given the large crowds that rivalry games generate. Same with Columbus North, which has not announced any new affiliations. Having six locked-in games is a godsend given the difficulty coach Gabe Johnson has had in filling up the schedule as an independent and a three-time defending regional champ. “It gives you direction to know when you’re going to set games,” Holmes said. “Before, you were in limbo. You didn’t know who to schedule or extend contracts to in case you had to buy them out.” South should certainly help raise the level of football competitiveness. BNL, Floyd Central, and Jeffersonville have never won a regional title; New Albany has one, and Seymour two (the last in 1999). Only Columbus East, which dominated the league in the 2010s, winning state titles in 2013 and ’17, has had long-term postseason success.
The HHC is currently working on a master scheduling list for football, to balance home and away and keep special rivalry games (Seymour-Brownstown, Floyd Central-Providence) in specific spots on the docket. South will have to adjust its schedules to figure in different dates for conference cross country and for separate boys and girls track and swimming meets, as well as tournaments in boys and girls ‘ tennis and baseball. The HHC cross-country meet was on the first weekend of October last year, which conflicts with the Nike Twilight Meet that South regularly attends. The conference track meets take place on Tuesday (girls) and Thursday (boys) before sectional, which would conflict with the Panthers running at the North Invitational. The HHC holds its girls swimming championships the Thursday and Saturday before sectionals, the boys meet was held the last week of January. Wrestling and golf hold one-day tournaments. Softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball champions are decided by regular season play. The boys basketball schedule will also see one big change, with the boys North-South game next season moved up to the Friday of the week of Christmas and the day following the North-South girls game.
Every 2026 Indiana Fever Regular Season Game will be Nationally Televised Wednesday, the WNBA announced the complete national broadcast schedule for the 2026 season, with the Indiana Fever featured on national television in each of their 44 games, marking a franchise high for most national TV games in Fever history, as well as the most for a single team in WNBA history. Additionally, the Fever are the only team across the league to have 100 percent of their games on national broadcast this season. With increased broadcast partners, Fever games will be aired across the league’s portfolio of broadcast partners including four games on ABC, six games on ESPN, two games on NBC, three games on Peacock, seven games on ION, eight games on Prime Video, four games on CBS, nine games on USA, and one game on NBA TV. Tip off times for four games were also updated as part of the announcement, with May 13 now scheduled for 7:30 p.m., June 8 now at 7 p.m., June 24 now at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 8 now at 2:30 p.m., and June 15 now at 5 p.m. (all times ET.) Single-game and group tickets for the 2026 Fever season are now available, with more information at FeverBasketball.com/Tickets. The Fever’s 2026 local broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date.
Complete 2026 Indiana Fever Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (ET) | Broadcast |
| Sat., May 9 | Dallas Wings | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 1 p.m. | ABC |
| Wed., May 13 | Los Angeles Sparks* | Crypto.com Arena | 10:30 p.m. | USA |
| Fri., May 15 | Washington Mystics | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 p.m. | ION |
| Sun., May 17 | Seattle Storm | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 6 p.m. | Peacock |
| Wed., May 20 | Portland Fire | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7 p.m. | USA |
| Fri., May 22 | Golden State Valkyries | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 p.m. | ION |
| Thurs., May 28 | Golden State Valkyries | Chase Center | 10 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Sat., May 30 | Portland Fire | Moda Center | 8 p.m. | CBS |
| Thurs., June 4 | Atlanta Dream (cc) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Sat., June 6 | New York Liberty (cc) | Barclays Center | 8 p.m. | CBS |
| Mon., June 8 | Washington Mystics (cc) * | CareFirst Arena | 7 p.m. | Peacock |
| Thurs., June 11 | Chicago Sky (cc) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Sat., June 13 | Connecticut Sun (cc) | Mohegan Sun Arena | 6 p.m. | Peacock |
| Tues., June 16 | Toronto Tempo (cc) | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7 p.m. | USA |
| Thurs., June 18 | Atlanta Dream | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Sat., June 20 | Atlanta Dream | Gateway Center Arena | 1 p.m. | ABC |
| Mon., June 22 | Phoenix Mercury | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 8 p.m. | USA |
| Wed., June 24 | Phoenix Mercury* | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 p.m. | USA |
| Sat., June 27 | Los Angeles Sparks | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 8 p.m. | CBS |
| Sun., July 5 | Las Vegas Aces | T-Mobile Arena^ | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Wed., July 8 | Los Angeles Sparks | Crypto.com Arena | 10 p.m. | USA |
| Thurs., July 9 | Phoenix Mercury | Mortgage Matchup Center | 10 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Sun., July 12 | Las Vegas Aces | Michelob ULTRA Arena | 9 p.m. | NBC |
| Wed., July 15 | Golden State Valkyries | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 8 p.m. | USA |
| Fri., July 17 | Seattle Storm | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 p.m. | ION |
| Sat., July 18 | New York Liberty | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 8 p.m. | CBS |
| Wed., July 22 | Connecticut Sun | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 8 p.m. | USA |
| Tues., July 28 | Seattle Storm | Climate Pledge Arena | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri., July 31 | Portland Fire | Moda Center | 10 p.m. | ION |
| Sun., Aug. 2 | Minnesota Lynx | Target Center | 1 p.m. | ABC |
| Thurs., Aug. 6 | Las Vegas Aces | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Sat., Aug. 8 | Chicago Sky* | United Center^ | 2:30 p.m. | ABC |
| Tues., Aug. 11 | New York Liberty | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Fri., Aug. 14 | Dallas Wings | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 p.m. | ION |
| Sun., Aug. 16 | Atlanta Dream* | Gateway Center Arena | 5 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tues., Aug. 18 | Toronto Tempo | Scotiabank Arena^ | 7 p.m. | ESPN |
| Thurs., Aug. 20 | Dallas Wings | American Airlines Center^ | 8 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Sat., Aug. 22 | New York Liberty | Barclays Center | 7 p.m. | Prime Video |
| Sun., Aug. 23 | Chicago Sky | Wintrust Arena | 7 p.m. | NBC |
| Fri., Aug. 28 | Connecticut Sun | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 7:30 p.m. | ION |
| Fri., Sept. 18 | Toronto Tempo | Coca-Cola Coliseum | 7:30 p.m. | ION |
| Sun., Sept. 20 | Washington Mystics | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 4 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Tues., Sept. 22 | Minnesota Lynx | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Thurs., Sept. 24 | Minnesota Lynx | Target Center | 8 p.m. | USA |
Home games in BOLD * Time Change ^Indicates game moved to different venue (cc) Indicates Commissioner’s Cup Game
Illinois House Passes Bill to Keep the Chicago Bears from Moving to Northwest Indiana but the Team is Looking for More A key piece of legislation aimed at keeping the Chicago Bears in Illinois passed the Illinois House Wednesday. According to NBC Chicago, the bill would lock in property tax rates for the Bears on the Arlington Heights property that would be used for a new stadium, moving the team out of 102-year-old Soldier Field in downtown Chicago. But the team released a statement after Wednesday’s vote, saying the bill doesn’t do enough. “We welcome the progress made on the House’s version of the mega project bill; however, additional amendments are necessary to make the Arlington Heights site feasible for our stadium project. We support Illinois leaders as they determine the path forward to making the essential changes to the mega project bill and aligning on infrastructure funding,” the team wrote.
The battle over the Arlington Heights project has had the Bears searching for a new home, including a location in Hammond, Indiana. Lawmakers in Indiana have passed their own measures to make that move more attractive. The latest move was the State Budget Committee’s approval of semi-annual increases on the Indiana Toll Road they say would raise $700 million for road and infrastructure around the proposed stadium site in Hammond. If the Bears do not come to Indiana, the $700 million would be spent on road and infrastructure improvements in the seven northern counties (Lake, Porter, Elkhart, LaGrange, LaPorte, Steuben or St. Joseph) along the Indiana Toll Road. Senators in Illinois are expected to vote on the bill next week, though State Sen. Bill Cunningham told NBC Chicago they “feel no real pressure to take a vote next week.” The Bears have said they hope to make a decision on the location of their new stadium by early summer.