Indiana baseball to participate in 2026 Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic

Peak Events, LLC, announcedon Wednesday the field for the third annual Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classic at VyStar Ballpark on Feb. 20-22, 2026. The participating teams include defending College World Series champions, LSU Tigers, as well as the Indiana Hoosiers, UCF Golden Knights, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

“This year’s event is shaping up to be the best one yet, with four top teams, including the defending national champs,” said Nathan Wooldridge, Peak Events vice president. “In addition, a newly renovated VyStar Ballpark, which has become one of the top ballparks in the country and a premier early-season destination for some of college baseball’s best teams. We appreciate the partnership with the Jacksonville JumboShrimp and the Live Like Lou Foundation in helping us continue to raise the profile of this event and to expand the impact of the Live Like Lou Jax Classic across college baseball and the ALS community.” 

The 2026 Live Like Lou Jax Classic will feature two games per day, with each team playing one game a day in a round-robin format over the three-day event. 

The Indiana baseball and full schedule features:

Friday, Feb. 20:  LSU vs. Indiana, 2 p.m. ET; UCF vs. Notre Dame, 6 p.m. ET

Saturday, Feb. 21:  Notre Dame vs. LSU, Noon ET; UCF vs. Indiana, 4 p.m. ET

Sunday, Feb. 22:  Indiana vs. Notre Dame, 11 a.m. ET; LSU vs. UCF, 3 p.m. ET

All times listed are Eastern Standard Time and subject to change.

Indiana baseball head coach Jeff Mercer and his team return Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jake Hanley along with, shortstop Cooper Malamazian, second-baseman Jasen Oliver and third baseman Will Moore.

Indiana will have to replace pitchers Cole Gilley, Ben Grable and 2nd round pick and consensus All-American Devin Taylor (OF), for a Hoosiers squad that went 31-23 in the regular season, including a 16-14 conference record. Indiana finished as the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament before getting eliminated by Iowa.

Tickets can be purchased on a per-day basis or as a weekend package in select seating sections. Both reserved and general admission options are available at www.peak.events. On the same site, fans traveling to Jacksonville can also find discounted hotel rates. Plus, all-inclusive packages are available, including lodging, game tickets, and in-stadium hospitality. 

“We have enjoyed a fantastic environment at each of the previous two Live Like Lou Jax College Baseball Classics,” said Harold Craw, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp executive vice president/general manager. “We look forward to the huge base of college baseball fans throughout the area seeing another set of four great teams take the field at VyStar Ballpark. Thank you to Peak Events, LLC, for helping to continue this exciting event, and we cannot wait to create another excellent experience for the student-athletes, coaches, and fans.”

“This tournament is about more than baseball—it’s about coming together to create awareness of ALS and support families facing Lou Gehrig’s disease,” said Wendy Faust, executive director of the Live Like Lou Foundation. “We look forward to rallying these teams, their supporters, and the Jacksonville community to honor Lou Gehrig’s legacy and make a real impact in and for the ALS community.”

All six games of the Live Like Lou Jax Classic are set to be broadcast exclusively via D1Baseball.com.

Follow the Live Like Lou Jax Classic on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook at @LLL_JaxCBC to stay up to date with news and ticket information.

Game tickets + full schedule are now available:
http://peak.events/post/2026-jax-team.

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