Young Talent Shines in Home Opener

Tuesday, February 17

Bloomington, Ind.

4 p.m.

Indiana University

1-3

Bradley

1-3

Bradley

Indiana

2/17/2026 8:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball team (1-3, 0-0 B1G) improved to 11-3 all-time in home openers at Bart Kaufman Field with a 15-3 (F/7) victory over Bradley on Tuesday (Feb. 17) afternoon. Behind a massive fourth inning and fantastic pitching, the Hoosiers picked up their first win of the young season. Six different players provided multi-efforts in the victory.

Sophomore catcher Hogan Denny did some early damage with a pair of two-run home runs in the first and third innings to give IU a lead it would never relinquish. The offensive onslaught started in the fourth inning when 13 batters came to the plate, allowing IU to score eight runs on six hits. Sophomore Cooper Malamazian had one of his game-high three base knocks in the frame to put the game out of reach.

Graduate student right-handed Reagan Rivera earned his first start for the Hoosiers and hung a zero in the opening frame after working around a pair of bloop hits. Graduate student southpaw Conner Linn (W, 1-0) was the only pitcher to throw multiple innings, earning the first win of his IU career. Freshmen right-handed pitchers Ivan Mastalski and Kellen English each made their collegiate debuts.

Freshman second baseman Landen Fry provided a big spark off the bench for head coach Jeff Mercer. He had a pair of hits and two RBIs in his first two career at-bats. On top of that, he helped turn a double play on the final sequence of the game to wrap up the win. His classmate, freshman outfielder Davian Carrera, made his collegiate debut as a defensive sub.

IU is back in action this weekend against a trio of talented teams in Florida. The Hoosiers will play in the Live Like Lou Jacksonville Baseball Classic. Action begins on Friday (Feb. 20) against the defending national champions, No. 2 LSU (2 p.m. ET). UCF and Notre Dame are also on the docket down south.

Scoring Recap
Bottom First
Hogan Denny did early damage with a two-run home run to left field. The ball left the bat at 109 miles per hour and went 427 feet.
Indiana 2, Bradley 0

Top Second
Cal Leighton answered back with an RBI double to left-center field.
Indiana 2, Bradley 1

Bottom Third
Denny hit another two-run home run to extend the lead in the bottom of the third.
Indiana 4, Bradley 1

Top Fourth
Peyton Nelson's sacrifice fly helped cut Bradley's deficit in half.
Indiana 4, Bradley 2

Bottom Four
IU hung a big number on the board in the fourth. 13 batters came to the plate to score eight runs. Jake Hanley led off with an RBI walk. Cooper Malamazian had a single up the middle with the bases loaded before Cole Decker drove in a run on a sacrifice fly. A double from Caleb Koskie and a pair of RBI singles from Landen Fry and Will Moore finished the scoring in the fourth.
Indiana 12, Bradley 2

Bottom Fifth
Malamazian smashed a solo home run over the bullpen in left field.
Indiana 13, Bradley 2

Bottom Sixth
A lost ball in the lights dropped well past the left fielder as Hanley raced around the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park home run.
Indiana 15, Bradley 2

Top Seventh
Bradley worked a run back on an RBI single from Jack Holubowski.
Indiana 15, Bradley 3

Top Hoosier Performers
#2 Denny, Hogan
2-3, 2 HR, 3 R, 4 RBI, BB

#15 Malamazian, Cooper
3-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI

#25 Fry, Landen
2-2, R, 2 RBI

Inside the Box Score
• Six different players had multi-hit games for the Hoosiers – all of them underclassmen.
• IU recorded seven walks at the plate to just four strikeouts.
• Three players combined to hit four home runs. IU had five extra-base knocks in total.
• All six pitchers for IU recorded at least one strikeout. No one threw more than 37 pitches.

Notes to Know
• The win over Bradley on Tuesday improved IU to 11-3 all-time in home openers at Bart Kaufman Field. Head coach Jeff Mercer is 7-1 in home openers, dropping just one last year to Xavier in 2025. It also improves IU's all-time record at its home field to 221-80-1.

• With a 15-run output against Bradley, IU has now scored 15-or-more runs on 34 occasions in the Mercer era (since 2019). IU has done it at least once in all eight seasons. In each of the last three years (2023-2025), the Hoosiers have put up 15 runs in at least six different contests.

• Sophomore third baseman Will Moore is now riding a 22-game reached base streak and an eight-game hitting streak – both dating back to last year – after a two-hit, three-run effort on Tuesday. The win was the 12th multi-hit game of his young career.

• IU's program has long been built around recruiting and developing elite offensive players. In Tuesday's win, all 14 hits and all 15 RBIs were provided by underclassmen that were recruited out of high school by Mercer. In total, four sophomores and two freshmen had multi-hit games. 11 of 12 position players to feature were prep recruits by the Hoosiers.

Up Next
The Hoosiers are back in action for a big test on the weekend. They will play No. 2 LSU, UCF and Notre Dame in the Jacksonville Baseball Classic. The first game is on Friday (Feb. 20) against LSU. All three games will be streamed on D1Baseball.com and will be carried on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.