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Indiana Baseball Lands in Lexington Regional of NCAA Tournament

Indiana baseball earned the No. 3 seed in the Lexington Regional of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where they'll face No. 2 seed West Virginia on Friday. No. 1 seed Kentucky and No. 4 seed Ball State round out the regional field.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Inside the Spirit of '76 Club at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, the Indiana baseball program celebrated hearing its name called during Monday's NCAA Tournament selection show for the first time since 2019.

The Hoosiers earned the No. 3 seed in Lexington Regional, where they'll face No. 2 seed West Virginia on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. Kentucky, the regional's No. 1 seed and No. 12 seed overall, begins the weekend with a matchup against No. 4 seed Ball State on Friday at 1 p.m.

Kentucky enters postseason play with a 36-18 overall record, 16-14 in SEC play and a 25-6 mark on its home diamond. West Virginia finished in a three-way tie for the Big 12 regular season title, going 39-18 overall and 15-9 in conference play. Ball State finished second in the Mid-American Conference, posting a 36-21 record and a 19-11 mark in conference play.

For coach Jeff Mercer, Monday spoke to Indiana's growth from a 27-32 record in 2022 to a 41-18 record in 2023, plus a second-place finish in the Big Ten.

"I was just really excited for the guys," Mercer said. "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. Essentially, last year, we kind of struggled with a whole new group, but now we're growing those guys up. To have them be able to now experience it and see it and to know the satisfaction that that brings – I went as a player and I know how hard you work to get there – and now to have the satisfaction of getting to go do it yourself, it's just very rewarding. It was a lot of fun to watch their excitement and hear their voices, and now they get to go do it themselves, which will be a lot of fun for them."

Indiana reached the 40-win mark this season for the first time since 2013, when the Kyle Schwarber-led Hoosiers made the program's lone run to the College World Series. 

Seven Hoosiers received All-Big Ten honors this season, highlighted by right fielder Devin Taylor earning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a spot on the first-team All-Big Ten. Taylor enters the NCAA Tournament batting .317 with 16 home runs, 57 RBI and a 1.100 OPS in 51 games.

Sophomore relief pitcher Ryan Kraft also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and the trio of senior Phillip Glasser, sophomore Luke Sinnard and sophomore Brock Tibbitts each earned second-team honors. Sophomore Josh Pyne landed on the All-Big Ten third-team, while Tyler Cerny joined Taylor on the All-Big Ten Freshman team.

Indiana is largely a young team this year, with no players remaining from its 2019 NCAA Tournament squad, providing a special opportunity in postseason play.

"What I get excited about as a coach now is they get to go experience it first hand," Mercer said. "They're going to get to do into a big environment, play really good baseball, and you're going to have a chance to go compete for a national championship."

Here's the full schedule for the 2023 NCAA Baseball Lexington Regional at Kentucky Proud Park (all times Eastern):

Friday, June 2

  • Game 1: Ball State vs. Kentucky at 1 p.m.; TV: ESPN+
  • Game 2: Indiana vs. West Virginia at 7 p.m.; TV: ESPN+

Saturday, June 3

  • Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 at 1 p.m.; TV: TBD
  • Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 at 7 p.m.; TV: TBD

Sunday, June 4

  • Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 at 1 p.m.; TV: TBD
  • Game 6: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 4 at 7 p.m.; TV: TBD

Monday, June 5 (If Necessary)

  • Game 7: same teams as in Game 6; 7 p.m.; TV: TBD

Here is the ticket information, provided in a release by Indiana athletics:

All-session tickets will go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, May 30 at 9 a.m. ET. All-session tickets include admission for all six/seven games of the regional tournament. Each session consists of a single game, and the stadium will be cleared between each game. Fans are encouraged to purchase all-session tickets to secure the best seat locations, as all chairbacks will be reserved. Based on availability, single game tickets will go on sale Thursday, June 1 at 9 a.m. ET.

Tickets may be purchased online at UKBaseballTix.com or by calling the UK Ticket Office at (800) 928-2287, option 4. The Joe Craft Center ticket office will be open this week Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. If tickets remain, they will also be sold on-site at Kentucky Proud Park beginning two hours prior to the first game each day.

Ticket Prices:

  • All-Session Reserved Seats (Sections 101-111) - $90
  • All-Session General Admission* - $60
  • Single-Session Reserved Seats - $15, based on availability
  • Single-Session General Admission* - $10, based on availability

*For the regional, General Admission areas will include the right and left field terraces, grass berms, and outfield standing room areas. These spaces are first-come, first-serve and do not contain any fixed seats. Fans are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs and/or blankets into the stadium for these areas. Gates will open 90 minutes prior to first pitch.

All tickets for the tournament will be mobile. UK Employee IDs, Junior Wildcat Club Passes and K Fund Sports Passes are not valid for admission to postseason events. Children ages one and under will not require a ticket for entry.

  • HOW TO WATCH INDIANA VS. WEST VIRGINIA: Indiana baseball is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019, and the Hoosiers begin postseason play on Friday against West Virginia in the Lexington Regional. Here's how to watch, plus team records, series history, the coaching matchup stat leaders and more. CLICK HERE
  • NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: The 64-team 2023 NCAA baseball tournament starts on Friday at 16 sites around the country. All 64 teams play on Friday in the double-elimination regionals, with the first set of games starting at Noon ET on Friday. Here is the complete schedule, with dates, TV times and results as they happen in real time. CLICK HERE
  • SINNARD LEADS PITCHING STAFF INTO POSTSEASON: Sophomore Luke Sinnard, a 6-foot-8 righty, has been Indiana's ace all season after transferring in from Western Kentucky, and he's leading the Hoosiers into the NCAA Tournament. Coach Jeff Mercer was also optimistic about a potential return from first-team All-Big Ten reliever Ryan Kraft. CLICK HERE
  • MEET IU'S OPPONENTS: Indiana baseball coach Jeff Mercer and the Hoosiers landed in the Lexington Regional, which features No. 12 overall seed Kentucky, West Virginia and Ball State. CLICK HERE
  • HOOSIERS IN LEXINGTON REGIONAL: Indiana baseball earned the No. 3 seed in the Lexington Regional of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where they'll face No. 2 seed West Virginia on Friday. No. 1 seed Kentucky and No. 4 seed Ball State round out the regional field. It's Indiana's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. CLICK HERE
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