July 29, 2026
By Adam Ruffner

Success doesn’t come overnight. In fact, for the retooled and inexperienced Indianapolis AlleyCats— a franchise that had won just 10 total games over two seasons—it didn’t come for the first month and a half of play in 2026. Despite one of the most aggressive offseason signings sprees in league history, Indianapolis struggled to a 1-4 record and a last place start to begin the season.

Strange as it may sound, that was all a part of the plan. 

“We as a group have to learn how to win in close games,” said AlleyCats Head Coach Nathan Bussberg, coming off of the team’s second one-goal loss to Madison in their first five games. 

“We don’t have the absence of talent or tools, so that’s super encouraging. Our real potential shows when we learn when, where, and how to use the tools we all collectively have.”

At the time, while the sentiment from their first-year head coach was encouraging, the “tools” and vision for their usage were still very much in development as the ‘Cats racked up losses. The team’s star was a 20-year-old coming off the rigors of a long college season and joining a new team. Their primary goal scoring option, while a living legend, turns 38 later this year. Their highest volume deep shooter is the most turnover-prone thrower in league history. And while a vast majority of their offseason free agency additions are certifiable vets, they are not a group composed of established playoff winners—not yet, at least.

But since that June 14 defeat, Indy has gone 6-2, including a first round playoff road win. Elliot Hawkins has transformed from hyped prospect to outright MVP finalist, and the AlleyCats defense is continuing to produce takeaways at an elite rate despite the injury and absence of team blocks leader William Wettengel. And now Indy has a date with Minnesota in the division championship for the second time in four seasons. 

How exactly did this turnaround happen, and so quickly?

Let’s start with the supernova ascent of Hawkins. Madison Radicals color analyst and my former broadcast booth partner has been staked out on “Hawkins Hill” for the MVP for the past couple of weeks, and I’m inclined to join him up there. With all due respect to the reigning MVP in Boston Tobe Decraene and New York’s Alex Atkins, Hawkins has shown higher highs in 2026 as both a passer and a receiver, and his dynamic play has literally redefined a franchise that didn’t make the postseason last year. Hawkins led the league in assists and receiving yards during the regular season, and tied with teammate Jake Felton in completed hucks; currently, there’s no player in the league showcasing more range on his playmaking abilities than the younger Hawkins brother.

Hawkins has been fantastic, but don’t sleep on the value Felton has provided for this offense, too. Yes, he’s completing an abysmal 85 percent of his passes on the season. Yes, he’s going to lead the league in throwaways for a third straight season. And yes, he may be a bottom-five defender following turnovers, too, which really compounds the aforementioned throwing errors, and has led to a mid-game benching in recent weeks. But man, Felton can just sling it, and his in-rhythm power passing has lifted the attack ability of this ‘Cats offense to new levels, while also reinforcing Hawkins’ off-ball abilities as a receiver. What Felton lacks in precision he makes up for in creativity and full-field vision, and it’s that “wild card” flair that has provided Indy a necessary edge in attacking defenses; Cameron Brock caught his 700th career goal on a seemingly wide-open route, but the score was really set up by Felton’s no-hesitation, crossfield dime that gave zero chance for the defensive coverage to react; Hawkins is a great vertical field stretcher, which opens up lots of lanes and space for Felton to slash and dissect defenses with his mobility and audacious throws.

The results have still been mixed, there’s no doubt about that. Indy was always destined to be a high variance team in 2026, after all. But digging into the numbers a bit deeper reveals that this team is actually starting to limit turnovers, and find an offensive identity beyond “launch the longball”. The AlleyCats committed a season-worst 33 turnovers just 11 days ago in Toronto, which is auspicious as it gets entering the playoffs. But aside from that performance, Indianapolis has four games with 17 or fewer mistakes in their last six outings, including just 12 turnovers in Madison last Sunday in the opening round. Not only did the ‘Cats limit turnovers, they were virtually flawless inside the red zone, with Hawkins continually running point in close quarters possessions with great effect. 

Similarly, the AlleyCats defense isn’t anywhere near the elite realm of a New York or Minnesota in terms of coverage. But Indy can apply pressure—for the first time since 2018, opponents are converting less than 50 percent of their offensive possession against Indianapolis—and produce turnovers, which provides a nice complementary balance with the O-line that can be overly aggressive with their shot-taking. In lieu of experience and lacking a true “shutdown” option without Wettengel in the lineup, the D-line has been an effective patchwork of young contributors eager to get more starting reps, with homegrown players like Joel Close, Jack Galle, and Jason Kempe all contributing critical blocks in recent weeks. Offseason signing Nate Little has been a great canopy at the end of quarters with his size and instincts in space as a defender, and rookie Kai Creed has shown flashes of star potential in the air and on the counterattack. Most notably, perhaps, is that this team has become especially smart at identifying matchups over the last month, and putting their players in a position to succeed; Detroit transfer Connor Concannon produced three blocks in his first-ever playoff start in Madison, while Galle came up with the game-clinching end zone denial in the fourth quarter. 

Minnesota maintains a considerable advantage heading into their Central Division title bout against the AlleyCats. But Indianapolis has already shown effectiveness with the longball at Sea Foam Stadium in 2026, and could have their best frisbee of the season still in front of them.