The USC Trojans did not make the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Men of Troy were expected to reach the field of 64 teams for the first time since 2015. It would have been a towering achievement for a program which had languished the past several seasons. First-year head coach Andy Stankiewicz immediately whipped everyone into shape and got this program back on track. USC’s pitching was noticeably strong this season, the backbone of the program’s revival. Yet, that improvement was not rewarded with an NCAA bid everyone thought the program had earned.
Was this anti-USC bias? Some people might say so, but in reality, this appears to be anti-West bias. Geographical imbalances and a willingness to reward the SEC were themes of a selection process overseen by John Cohen, who just happens to be the athletic director at Auburn and who previously worked at Mississippi State.
Let’s dive into the details on the anti-West nature of the baseball selection committee’s work: