After a brief stop home midweek, Indiana baseball (1-4) headed right back to the Southeast to play in the Live Like Lou Jacksonville Baseball Classic in Jacksonville, Florida.
Their first of three games over the weekend came against none other than the defending national champion LSU Tigers (6-0) Friday. The Hoosiers hung right with the No. 2 team in the country, even taking a one-run lead into the top of the eighth. The Hoosiers couldn’t quite finish the job, as a Tiger power surge in the final two innings led to a 14-7 defeat for Indiana.
Despite the loss, the Hoosiers have made noticeable improvements over the last week, and things are slowly starting to come together for Jeff Mercer’s squad. Though Indiana is 1-4, optimism should remain high, if not higher, than before the start of the season.
Here are three key takeaways from Friday’s game.
The bullpen succumbed to LSU’s monster lineup in the top of the eighth inning, allowing nine runs
It was the middle innings that haunted Indiana’s bullpen in the North Carolina series. This time around, Indiana got through the middle innings unscathed, largely thanks to the tremendous efforts of RHP Gavin Seebold, who has not given up a run in 6.1 innings of work this season.
Things took a turn for the worse in the top of the eighth, when RHP Jackson Yarberry relieved Seebold.
LSU began the inning with a base hit, something they did six times on Friday. Yarberry battled back and retired his next batter. That would be the only out the junior would record.
Following another base hit, Tiger first baseman Zach Yorke, listed at 6-foot-2, 295 pounds, crushed a baseball over the high fence in right center field for a three-run homer to put LSU up 7-5.
For Yarberry, it was his second blown save of the season in two chances, as he was also on the mound when North Carolina scored two runs to tie it in the bottom of the ninth off of an error in game three.
RHP Pete Haas entered in relief of Yarberry following the Yorke home run. Haas could not get an out, surrendering two hits while walking three. All five players he faced would end up scoring.
Kaden Jacobi finally put an end to the inning, but by that point, it was too late. LSU had sent 14 batters to the plate, with nine of them scoring, to build a 13-4 lead. They would add one more in the ninth to put the icing on the cake.
Indiana’s bullpen, which struggled tremendously in 2025, has been put to the test early in 2026, with four of their first five games coming against top-10 teams. With how much they have struggled, particularly with control, it is certainly possible that the bullpen could cost Indiana an NCAA Tournament appearance for the second straight year.
Indiana’s timely hitting kept them in the game all the way until the end, and it came from some unexpected contributors
The biggest difference in Indiana’s performance Friday compared to last weekend was their offense. On the surface, they didn’t seem to have a great showing, batting just .222. However, the Hoosiers saved their eight hits for the biggest moments.
Indiana batted 6-for-11 (.545) with runners in scoring position on Friday, an impressive feat against the defending national champions. Hogan Denny was responsible for two of those hits, including the go-ahead base hit in the bottom of the seventh, as the sophomore continued his impressive start to the season.
These offensive numbers are even more astounding when you consider that Jake Hanley and Cooper Malamazian, two of Indiana’s key bats in the middle of the order, went a combined 0-for-9 with six strikeouts.
If you factor out Hanley and Malamazian, the Hoosiers struck out only three times for the entire game. When you’re facing one of the best teams in the country, sometimes the best way to catch breaks is by simply putting the ball in play.
Indiana took full advantage of that by capitalizing on three LSU errors to score a run in each of the third, seventh and eighth innings.
Indiana also found some life in the bottom of the order, as Landen Fry and Cole Decker, the seven and eighth hitters Friday, both had multi-hit performances while scoring four runs combined.
The bottom half of the lineup was a major problem for Indiana in Chapel Hill, so Friday’s performance was certainly a welcome sight for Mercer. Going back to Landen Fry…
The Hoosiers have found their new starting second baseman, and it is right in line with the youth movement in the infield
Freshman Landen Fry didn’t see a single ounce of playing time when the Hoosiers were in Chapel Hill last weekend. And, it’s understandable why.
Senior transfer Aiden Stewart had a tremendous career at Delaware and was ranked as the No. 24 second baseman coming into the season. Not to mention, Stewart brings tremendous leadership skills and experience for an infield that’s still very young.
However, the former Fightin’ Blue Hen struggled in Chapel Hill, along with making a crucial error that cost Indiana the final game of the series.
After Stewart started last Tuesday’s game against Bradley 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, Mercer called on Fry to pinch hit for Stewart in the bottom of the fourth. After going 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs, Fry made his first collegiate start Friday at second base.
The fact that Fry, as a right-handed batter, got the start over left-handed hitting Stewart against a right-handed pitcher says a lot, not to mention playing the No. 2 team in the country.
The Fort Wayne native lived up to the challenge, recording two more hits while reaching safely three times. Fry also scored three of Indiana’s seven runs. In six career at-bats, Fry has reached safely five times.
The freshman joins sophomores Hanley, Malamazian and Will Moore as Indiana’s likely starting infield moving forward.
Stewart still has all the talent in the world and is a locker room favorite. He will certainly still receive a fair share of playing time and have the opportunity to contribute with his bat and with his glove.
However, with his performances the last two days, it’s easy to see why Indiana is more comfortable with Fry right now.
Indiana will be back in action Saturday afternoon, as they face Central Florida (3-1) in Jacksonville. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m ET.
