Indiana University Athletics
Mercer, Hoosiers Ready for Challenging 2026 Slate
12/22/2025 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – As is the standard under head coach Jeff Mercer, the Indiana baseball program will play a challenging, nationally-competitive schedule during 2026 season. The eighth-year skipper put together a 55-game slate that features games against eight NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago.
"Our staff worked to build a schedule that would provide the "strength of schedule" necessary to play in the NCAA Tournament," Mercer said. "We want to be battled tested and prepared to play our best baseball the last month of the season. With the continued growth of the Big Ten and our philosophy of challenging ourselves in the non-conference slate, it should be a great test and we're excited to compete."
IU will begin its season with a three-game set in Chapel Hill, N.C. against a North Carolina program that hosted a Super Regional in 2025. It will be the first meeting in program history against the Tar Heels and is the third time in five seasons (2022, 2024) that IU will open the year against an ACC opponent.
The second weekend of the season will take the Hoosiers to Florida for the previously announced Live Like Lou Jacksonville Baseball Classic. The elite weekend – put on by Peak Events/D1 Baseball – pits the Hoosiers against the defending national champion LSU, UCF and Notre Dame.
During the final weekend before conference play, Mercer will take his program back to where he spent his early days as a coach. IU will play Western Kentucky in a four-game series at the end of February. Mercer was a volunteer assistant coach for the Hilltoppers from 2012-13. Western Kentucky is coming off one of its best years in program history and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
For the second-straight season, conference play begins on the fourth weekend of the year. IU begins Big Ten play against Washington (March 6-8) at Bart Kaufman Field. Additional home series in Bloomington come against Minnesota (March 20-22), Rutgers (April 3-5), Iowa (April 24-26) and Illinois (May 14-16).
Road play in the league begins with IU visiting the defending Big Ten Champions, Oregon (March 13-15). Series at Nebraska (March 27-29), Maryland (April 10-12), Northwestern (May 1-3) and Purdue (May 8-10) are part of a difficult slate of games away from Bloomington.
IU's off weekend from conference play during the 11-week calendar will come at Bart Kaufman Field. Abilene Christian will make the return trip to Bloomington after the Hoosiers traveled down to Texas and swept the series in May of 2025. Big midweek contests against Xavier (Feb. 24), Wright State (March 10), Vanderbilt (March 17) and Louisville (April 28) wrap up a fantastic out-of-conference schedule.
2026 Schedule Breakdown:
Overall
Home Games: 24
Away Games: 27
Neutral Games: 4
Big Ten
Home Opponents: Washington, Minnesota, Rutgers, Iowa, Illinois
Away Opponents: Oregon, Nebraska, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue
Notes
Season Opener: Indiana at North Carolina (Feb. 13, 2026)
Home Opener: Indiana vs. Bradley (Feb. 17, 2026)
Big Ten Opener: Indiana vs. Washington (March 6, 2026)
Opponents
2025 NCAA Tournament Teams:
- North Carolina, LSU, Western Kentucky, Wright State, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Louisville
"Our staff worked to build a schedule that would provide the "strength of schedule" necessary to play in the NCAA Tournament," Mercer said. "We want to be battled tested and prepared to play our best baseball the last month of the season. With the continued growth of the Big Ten and our philosophy of challenging ourselves in the non-conference slate, it should be a great test and we're excited to compete."
IU will begin its season with a three-game set in Chapel Hill, N.C. against a North Carolina program that hosted a Super Regional in 2025. It will be the first meeting in program history against the Tar Heels and is the third time in five seasons (2022, 2024) that IU will open the year against an ACC opponent.
The second weekend of the season will take the Hoosiers to Florida for the previously announced Live Like Lou Jacksonville Baseball Classic. The elite weekend – put on by Peak Events/D1 Baseball – pits the Hoosiers against the defending national champion LSU, UCF and Notre Dame.
During the final weekend before conference play, Mercer will take his program back to where he spent his early days as a coach. IU will play Western Kentucky in a four-game series at the end of February. Mercer was a volunteer assistant coach for the Hilltoppers from 2012-13. Western Kentucky is coming off one of its best years in program history and a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
For the second-straight season, conference play begins on the fourth weekend of the year. IU begins Big Ten play against Washington (March 6-8) at Bart Kaufman Field. Additional home series in Bloomington come against Minnesota (March 20-22), Rutgers (April 3-5), Iowa (April 24-26) and Illinois (May 14-16).
Road play in the league begins with IU visiting the defending Big Ten Champions, Oregon (March 13-15). Series at Nebraska (March 27-29), Maryland (April 10-12), Northwestern (May 1-3) and Purdue (May 8-10) are part of a difficult slate of games away from Bloomington.
IU's off weekend from conference play during the 11-week calendar will come at Bart Kaufman Field. Abilene Christian will make the return trip to Bloomington after the Hoosiers traveled down to Texas and swept the series in May of 2025. Big midweek contests against Xavier (Feb. 24), Wright State (March 10), Vanderbilt (March 17) and Louisville (April 28) wrap up a fantastic out-of-conference schedule.
2026 Schedule Breakdown:
Overall
Home Games: 24
Away Games: 27
Neutral Games: 4
Big Ten
Home Opponents: Washington, Minnesota, Rutgers, Iowa, Illinois
Away Opponents: Oregon, Nebraska, Maryland, Northwestern, Purdue
Notes
Season Opener: Indiana at North Carolina (Feb. 13, 2026)
Home Opener: Indiana vs. Bradley (Feb. 17, 2026)
Big Ten Opener: Indiana vs. Washington (March 6, 2026)
Opponents
2025 NCAA Tournament Teams:
- North Carolina, LSU, Western Kentucky, Wright State, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Louisville
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