It's Baseball Season in Indiana

Spring has sprung, flowers are blooming, and we’ve had a few tornadoes already this year. That’s right – it’s baseball season in Indiana. North, south, east and west, there’s baseball all over the state, meaning you have plenty of opportunity to take an evening enjoying America’s pastime.

Minor League Baseball Teams in Indiana

We’ll start with the big dogs. There are three Minor League teams in Indiana, meaning they are affiliated with a Major League team. This includes the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate Indianapolis Indians (which underwent a brand refresh over the offseason), the Chicago Cubs’ High-A affiliate South Bend Cubs, and the San Diego Padres’ High-A affiliate Fort Wayne TinCaps. All three play in beautiful ballparks that are worth visiting.

(Parkview Field in Fort Wayne)

MLB Partner League Teams in Indiana

There are two teams in Indiana that play in MLB Partner Leagues.

In southern Indiana you can watch the Evansville Otters, a team that competes in the Frontier League, which became an official MLB Partner League in 2020. Their season begins in late April and carries into September. The Otters play at historic Bosse Field, the third-oldest stadium currently used in professional baseball behind Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston. It has hosted professional baseball since 1915, including the Triple-A affiliate for Minnesota, Milwaukee and Detroit from 1970-84. Bosse Field was also the home of the Racine Belles in the movie “A League of Their Own.”

The franchise is actually one of the founding members of the Frontier League, having formed in 1993 in Lancaster, Ohio as the Scouts. Then, after having a league-low 261 fans a game during their second year in Lancaster, the team packed up and headed to Evansville, adopting the Otters moniker. The name came from a “name the team contest” the team held and was actually chosen during an exciting time in Indiana’s otter history. Otters had been gone from the state since the late 19th century, but the DNR was looking to reintroduce them, and one had recently been spotted in Seymour (the effort worked, and now the species is thriving bodies of water all over the state). Hoosiers proved that the team’s relocation was a smart choice, as they drew in 90,943 fans, eclipsing the entire league’s attendance from two years prior.

In northern Indiana, the Gary SouthShore Railcats play at the U.S. Steel Yard. The RailCats played in the Northern League from 2002-10 before joining the American Association in 2011. Their season begins in mid-May and wraps up in September. Gary won a league title in 2013 but has missed the playoffs in each of the last six seasons. Like the Frontier League, the American Association became an official MLB Partner League in 2020.

Prospect League Teams in Indiana

Indiana is home to four of the 20 teams in the Prospect League, a wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league. The season begins in late May and runs into August.

No team is more notable than the Dubois County Bombers in Huntingburg. As described on their website, “An Iconic Stadium. A Timeless Atmosphere. It's Not Just Baseball, It's an Experience.” That’s certainly what you’ll get when you catch a game of this collegiate summer ball club. Their ballpark, League Stadium, was built in 1894. To commemorate that era of baseball, the team takes the field wearing knickered pants and classic baseball stirrups.

The stadium is also iconic for a different reason – it’s where parts of the movies “A League of Their Own” and “Soul of the Game” were filmed. So, whether you’re a history buff or cinema fan, you’d find something you’d like at the park. The team was named “Summer Baseball Organization of the Year” in 2023 and in 2025 took home honors for “Stadium Experience of the Year.”

In addition to the Bombers, the Terre Haute Rex have been a member of the Prospect League since 2010 and won league titles in 2015 and ‘18. The T-Rex play at Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium. The Lafayette Aviators joined the Prospect League in 2016 and play at Loeb Stadium. They won a league title in just their second season. And this summer, the Kokomo Creek Chubs will play their debut season at Kokomo Municipal Stadium.

College Baseball in Indiana

Let’s begin with the premier collegiate program in southern Indiana, Indiana University. The Hoosiers made a run in 2013 to the College World Series, mostly due to the bat of current Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. Bart Kaufman Field is attached to its athletics compound; in one parking lot you can walk to baseball and softball, but also basketball and football. The team is led by 2025 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Jake Hanley (pictured below), who has started in all 40 games for the Hoosiers and leads the club with 11 home runs through April 21.

Sticking with the Big Ten, the Purdue Boilermakers are the cream of the crop statewide in 2026. They are 28-11 overall and third in the Big Ten with a 15-6 mark as of April 21. Senior Sam Flores has played in all 39 games and leads the team in hits (58), runs (42), doubles (13), home runs (nine), RBI (43), total bases (98) and OPS (1.095).

Sliding to the Missouri Valley Conference, the University of Evansville Purple Aces are one of three MVC programs in Indiana. The Purple Aces are 15-22 this season but have an 8-4 record in conference play, tied for third with another Hoosier-based MVC program – the Indiana State Sycamores. Traditionally, the Sycamores are one of the state’s best collegiate programs. This year, ISU is 21-19 overall. Valparaiso rounds out Indiana’s representatives in the MVC. The Beacons are 9-26 overall and 2-10 in conference play.

From the Mid-American Conference, Ball State University is 19-20 overall but 13-8 in conference play as of April 21, good for fifth out of 12 teams. Cardinals alum Alex Call was a third-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2016 and is currently an outfielder in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Relief pitcher Kyle Nicolas is also a member of the Cincinnati Reds’ bullpen.

In the Big East, the Butler Bulldogs are 15-24 overall but above .500 in conference play with a 5-4 record.

And in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Notre Dame is tied for last with a 7-14 record. The Fighting Irish are 17-18 overall.

One final program just joined the Division 1 ranks in August 2025 – the Screaming Eagles of the University of Southern Indiana. They sport a 22-18 record as of April 21. The fans show out to support their Eagles, too; they set a new attendance record for a volleyball game against Michigan State, and their men’s basketball team led the Ohio Valley Conference in attendance. You certainly won’t be alone if you go and show your “Screagle” pride.

On the small school side, IU’s satellite campus in New Albany also sports a baseball program that made it to the NAIA World Series in 2024. The IU Southeast Grenadiers are one of the best programs in NAIA. Since 2020, they’ve been River States Conference champions three times and RSC Tournament champions twice. There are many other NAIA, Division II, Division III, junior college, and high school games across the state to catch as well.

All in all, whether you like metal or wood bats, Division I action or more laid-back summer ball, Indiana is full of entertainment on the diamond.