For the first time since 2019, Indiana baseball returns to the NCAA Tournament, earning an at-large selection Monday. Indiana was placed in the Lexington Regional, hosted by No. 12 national-seed University of Kentucky. It marks Indiana's second postseason berth under current head coach Jeff Mercer, whose first season with the Hoosiers began in 2019.
“I was obviously really excited for the guys,” Mercer said following Monday’s Selection Show. “For most of the guys, this is their first time going. For so long, you're trying to explain to the guys what it's like and the process and what you have to do to be able to go through it."
The four-team regional is double-elimination format. Kentucky is the No. 1-seed, West Virginia University is the No. 2-seed, Indiana is the No. 3-seed and Ball State University is the No. 4-seed. Kentucky plays Ball State Friday in the regional-opener at 1 p.m. EST. Indiana will play against West Virginia in Friday’s second game at 7 p.m. EST at Kentucky Proud Park.
Following Indiana's first 40-win season since 2018, this year marks Indiana's 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Hoosiers are 13-15 all-time in NCAA Regional play, with at least one win in six of their previous nine appearances, dating back to 1949.
All-session tickets will be available for purchase Tuesday, May 30, at 9 a.m. EST. All-session tickets include entry for every regional tournament game. All-session reserved tickets in Sections 101-111 costs $90, while all-session general admission tickets cost $60.
Based upon availability, single-game tickets will go on sale Thursday, June 1 at 9 a.m. EST. Single-game reserved tickets cost $15, whereas general admission tickets cost $10.
Tickets may be bought at UKBaseballTix.com or by calling the UK Ticket Office: (800) 928-2287, option 4. If tickets remain, they will be sold on-site at Kentucky Proud Park, starting two hours before the first game each day. The regional schedule is listed below in Eastern time.
Friday, June 2
Game 1 – Ball State vs. Kentucky – 1 p.m. – ESPN+
Game 2 – Indiana vs. West Virginia – 7 p.m. – ESPN+
Saturday, June 3
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 1 p.m. – TV TBD
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 7 p.m. – TV TBD
Sunday, June 4
Game 5 – Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 – 1 p.m. – TV TBD
Game 6 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 4 – 7 p.m. – TV TBD
Monday, June 5 (If Necessary)
Game 7 – same teams as in Game 6 – 7 p.m. – TV TBD
