LSU Baseball Faces Indiana Hoosiers in Jax Classic Opener

Defending national champion Tigers hit the road for first matchup of the weekend tournament

Published on Mar. 1, 2026

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The defending national champion LSU Tigers baseball team will travel to Jacksonville, Florida this weekend to take on the Indiana Hoosiers in the opening game of the Jax Classic tournament. After sweeping Milwaukee last weekend and picking up two more non-conference wins, the top-ranked Tigers look to continue their strong start to the 2026 season against the unranked Hoosiers.

Why it matters

This early-season matchup between the defending national champions and an unranked opponent provides the Tigers an opportunity to test their mettle on the road and gain valuable experience ahead of their conference schedule. A successful weekend in Jacksonville could further cement LSU's status as the team to beat in college baseball this season.

The details

LSU, ranked No. 1 in multiple preseason polls, will send sophomore right-hander Casan Evans to the mound against Indiana's graduate left-hander Tony Neubeck in Friday's series opener. The Tigers are off to a 5-0 start after sweeping Milwaukee last weekend and picking up midweek wins over Kent State and Nicholls. Indiana, meanwhile, enters the tournament with a 1-3 record after dropping three straight games at North Carolina last weekend before defeating Bradley on Tuesday.

  • The LSU-Indiana game is scheduled for Friday, February 20 at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.
  • The Tigers are 5-0 to start the 2026 season.

The players

Casan Evans

Sophomore right-handed pitcher for the LSU Tigers.

Tony Neubeck

Graduate left-handed pitcher for the Indiana Hoosiers.

Jay Johnson

Head coach of the LSU Tigers baseball team.

Jake Brown

Junior right fielder for the LSU Tigers who was named to the Baseball America National Team of the Week.

Cooper Moore

Junior right-handed pitcher for the LSU Tigers who was also named to the Baseball America National Team of the Week.

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What they’re saying

“We're happy to be here in Jacksonville, it's a beautiful ball park. I think there's an advantage to getting out of town and playing on the road, because there aren't so many things going on outside of baseball, and that's a positive. If you're going to have a successful year, you're going to have to be successful away from home, so this is a good opportunity for us against some very good teams this weekend. It's an opportunity to learn more about our team and try to put our players in a position to win.”

— Jay Johnson, Head Coach, LSU Tigers (LSU Tigers Baseball)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This early-season matchup against Indiana provides the defending national champion LSU Tigers a chance to prove their dominance on the road and gain valuable experience ahead of their conference schedule, as they look to cement their status as the team to beat in college baseball this season.