Tag: USC Baseball

Former USC baseball prospect could be MLB draft sleeper

Former Trojan tries to seize an opportunity with the Mets.

In last week’s 2024 MLB draft, junior pitcher Will Watson from USC baseball was selected by New York Mets with the 203rd pick in the seventh round.

Watson transferred from Cal Lutheran — he appeared in 19 games, starting five. He posted a 2.97 ERA in 57 2/3 innings for the Mustangs, allowing 31 hits, walking 21, and striking out 82.

The Seattle Mariners selected the right-hander in the 20th round of the 2024 MLB draft as the 607th player overall, but he elected not to sign with his hometown club.

Instead, he transferred to the USC for his junior season. He appeared in 16 games for the Trojans, starting nine, and posted a 3.93 ERA in 50 1/3 innings with 44 hits allowed, 27 walks, and 46 strikeouts.

The 23-year-old Watson is considered a sleeper in this year’s draft because of his versatility and his ability to get ahead of the count by throwing strikes.

Watson throws from a low-three-quarter arm slot with a leg kick and long arm action through the back. His 6’1”, 180-pound frame is slightly on the smaller side, but he is athletic.

“We’re excited about the whole class,” Kris Gross, the Mets’ vice president of amateur scouting, said.

The Mets restocked their prospect coffers this year with players seemingly closer to being major-league ready, grabbing nine Division I college players among their first 10 selections in the 2024 MLB draft.

His fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s, topping out at 97 miles per hour by radar, and when he is able to get on top of the ball and throw it up in the zone, he gets good results.

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Greatest USC baseball game of all time was against a Big Ten opponent

USC baseball’s most memorable individual game came against a Big Ten school.

The USC Trojans are moving into the Big Ten Conference this year. Next season, USC baseball will compete in the Big Ten. It’s worth noting that the most incredible game in USC baseball history was against a Big Ten foe. The 1973 College World Series game between USC and Minnesota is the most remarkable individual baseball game in USC history.

You have to start with this basic fact: Minnesota pitcher Dave Winfield — now a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame — dominated USC through eight innings, giving up just one hit and striking out 15. USC didn’t merely fail to score; it didn’t come close to scoring. Minnesota led 7-0 in the ninth inning. Game over, right?

We recalled what happened next:

Minnesota first baseman Chris Brown couldn’t handle the ground ball. It got past him and went into the right field corner. The three-base error sent panic through the Minnesota dugout and confidence into the USC camp.

Winfield was pulled — and moved to left field — with the Gophers still leading, but the score was 7-4. USC kept slashing singles off Minnesota relievers in that inning. The eighth such single in the inning drove in the winning run with two outs.

USC had scored eight runs in the ninth. Winfield was asked by Minnesota’s assistant coaches — head coach Dick Siebert had been ejected earlier in the inning arguing the missed call referred to above — if he could return, but he had thrown over 140 pitches. His arm was spent.

There has never been a USC baseball game like this in the past 51 years — not against a player as good as Dave Winfield, not in the College World Series, not in a game so freighted with high stakes. This is the Mona Lisa of all USC baseball comebacks. It’s the masterpiece which will never be replicated. It has a Big Ten flavor, which only adds to the history as USC moves into its new conference.

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1963 College World Series title was a mountaintop moment for USC

1963 was as good as it gets for Los Angeles baseball.

The USC Trojans have won 12 College World Series championships. Of those 12, the 1963 title might have marked the high point for baseball in the city of Los Angeles. USC baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers have won the championship of their sport several times, but only once in the same year. It was 1963.

USC won the College World Series in years when the Dodgers made the World Series — 1974 and 1978 — but the Dodgers didn’t win those two World Series. Only in 1963 did everything come together for both teams in the same year.

We wrote about USC’s 1963 CWS win:

The outlook was grim when the Trojans lost their very first game, typically the game any CWS champion has to win in order to go all the way. Yet, USC defied the odds by running the table for the remainder of the ’63 series. The Trojans edged Holy Cross, 6-5, in their first losers bracket game. USC then eliminated Florida State in another do-or-die game, 4-3.

The semifinals put USC against Missouri. The Trojans were emboldened by their two narrow escapes. They thrashed the Tigers, 12-3, to make the final.

USC’s opening-game loss meant the Trojans had to beat Arizona twice, but Rod Dedeaux’s crew was up to the task. USC won the survival game 6-4, and then took the winner-take-all championship rematch, 5-2.

This was one of four times USC lost Game 1 of the CWS but then ran the table to win the trophy.

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1958 was a pivotal, magical year for USC at the College World Series

The 1958 College World Series championship stands out for many reasons at USC.

The legacy of USC baseball at the College World Series begins with 12 national championships. That’s the ultimate accomplishment of the program, the beginning of the conversation. Yet, there are underlying, formative moments which gave rise to this college baseball dynasty. One was the first championship back in 1948, with USC legend Sam Barry becoming one of a kind in college sports: a Rose Bowl-winning football assistant coach, a Final Four basketball coach, and a College World Series champion baseball coach. A decade after that title, Rod Dedeaux led USC to a championship which became the start of something very big for the Trojans and for baseball in Los Angeles.

We wrote:

“USC made the College World Series in 1958, 1960, and 1961, winning in 1958 and ’61 and losing the championship game in extra innings in 1960 to Minnesota.

“The first bricks and marble foundations — on which the rest of the Los Angeles sports empire were built — were put in place in the late 1950s on baseball fields. From 1958 through 1961, a Los Angeles-based baseball team either won its championship (three times) or played in the last game of its postseason, vying for a title (USC in 1960).”

The 1958 championship, won after USC lost Game 1 of that College World Series, established not only that USC was a tough out, but that the Trojans were going to remain on the map in national college baseball. USC won 10 of its 12 national titles in a 21-year span from 1958 through 1978. That 1958 championship is centrally important in USC baseball history.

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Pac-12 baseball and USC created a stunning College World Series fact

USC and the Pac-12 did special things in Omaha, beyond winning lots of College World Series titles.

The Pac-12 will sadly not be represented at the 2024 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Yet, the legacy of Pac-12 baseball remains supreme as the conference fades into the history books. This year’s College World Series is the SEC-ACC invitational, with all eight teams coming from those two conferences. However, the Pac-12 and USC created a college baseball story unlike any other. There’s a whopping fact about the CWS which the Pac-12 and USC are centrally responsible for ushering into existence.

The College World Series gets underway Friday and Saturday. How big is Game 1 of the CWS? Teams which lose Game 1 have won the College World Series only 12 times since the event began in 1947, which is close to 15 percent of the time. Yet, the Pac-12 and USC in particular became experts at pulling off that high-wire act.

Get this: USC won four College World Series championships after losing Game 1 of the whole series. In 1958, 1963, 1970, and 1998, the Trojans ran the table after losing their Omaha opener.

Pac-12 teams pulled off this feat in several other instances. Oregon State did it twice this century, the most recent example being in 2018, which is the last time any team lost Game 1 and then lifted the trophy. Arizona did this in 1980. All in all, seven Pac-12 teams lost Game 1 and won the CWS. Arizona and Arizona State also did this in 1976 and 1969, respectively.

A postscript: Only two teams outside the Pacific or Mountain time zones lost Game 1 and then won the College World Series: Texas in 1950, and South Carolina in 2010. The West is best at bouncing back at the College World Series. Sadly, the Pac-12 won’t get a chance to play in Omaha in the next several years, and maybe never again.

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USC baseball leaves 2024 knowing it must increase its margin for error

USC Baseball has to get more work done earlier in the season.

The story of USC baseball in the first two years of the Andy Stankiewicz era contains a very clear and resonant theme. The Trojans simply have to increase their margin for error. It’s not a controversial or vague statement to make. Anyone who has been following the program knows what we mean.

In 2023, USC should have been allowed into the NCAA Tournament and a regional. The Trojans were snubbed. It was wrong. It was unfair. Nevertheless, there were enough warts on the overall portfolio that the selection committee found reasons to exclude the Trojans. They were closer to the cut line than they hoped. Again, they deserved to get in, but they weren’t a 100-percent lock. They left the matter up to someone else.

In 2024, the Trojans weren’t under consideration for an at-large bid. They knew they had to win the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament to make the field. They came really, really close, but they fell short. They were five outs away from winning but couldn’t get those last five outs.

USC won nine games in a row to come very close to its goal of making the NCAA Tournament, but the Trojans needed to win 10 in a row. When the margins are that small, success is unlikely to be found. USC needs to enter the middle of May with a tournament berth firmly secured. Leaving it up to chance on Memorial Day weekend has been the reality of the past two seasons for USC. The Trojans can’t keep going down this road.

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USC’s Caden Aoki delivers epic performance in Trojans’ season finale

The USC baseball season ended Saturday, but Caden Aoki created a treasured memory with a special performance.

The USC baseball season ended on Saturday night in Scottsdale. The Trojans lost to the Arizona Wildcats, 4-3, on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning. The team didn’t get what it wanted, but the Trojans will not forget what Caden Aoki did on the mound at the very last Pac-12 Baseball Tournament.

Aoki was pitching in a championship game, and he was asked to do so on three days’ rest. It was a huge moment, and Aoki was operating at a disadvantage, given that Arizona starter Cam Walty was pitching on extended rest. Walty pitched really well, and he kept Arizona in the game, but Aoki outdueled his counterpart with a tremendous performance. The USC starter threw 6 1/3 no-hit innings before a seeing-eye ground ball — a roller through the infield — broke up the no-hitter in the bottom of the seventh inning. Aoki was lifted after throwing his 96th pitch. He emptied the fuel tank and gave USC everything he had. Aoki put USC in position to win, and even though the Trojans couldn’t finish the game off, Aoki’s display was an all-time-great moment. It deserved a better conclusion, but it stands on its own as a clutch display of toughness under great pressure.

Caden Aoki won a lot of fans on Saturday night in the desert.

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Clock strikes midnight on USC’s run in Pac-12 Baseball Tournament

USC’s NCAA Tournament dream dies just short of fulfillment.

At the end of the 2024 USC baseball season, the clock struck 12 on the University of Southern California Trojans’ Cinderella run. This riveting journey ended with a 4-3 loss to the University of Arizona Wildcats on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth in the Pac-12 Tournament final on Saturday night in Scottsdale. 

The Wildcats had the Trojans’ number this year, winning the regular-season series 3-2 and scoring wins over the Trojans in early March. However, on Saturday night in Scottsdale, junior right-handed pitcher Caden Aoki threw six and one-third innings of no-hit baseball, giving the Trojans a 3-0 lead in the seventh inning. Aoki was coming off a rough outing in the Trojans’ first game of the Pac-12 Tournament against the Utah Utes, where he gave up four runs in six innings.  The Trojans rallied late to come back against the Utes, cooked the Ducks, and beat the Cal-Berkeley Bears. Their victories culminated in an epic showdown that served as a fitting conclusion to the Pac-12 baseball season. USC’s red hot bat, freshman Braden Dowd, continued to impress, going 2-4 with a double and an RBI against Arizona. Dowd fueled USC’s offense in the tournament, going 6-15 with 8 RBI, two doubles and a home run.  

Unfortunately the Trojan bullpen, which had been a huge part of USC’s success down the stretch, ran out of gas. After finally getting to Aoki in the seventh, the Wildcats were able to get a run back against setup man Xavier Martinez.  The Cats rallied to score three more on Martinez and closer Josh Blum, who was forced to enter the game in the eighth. Arizona tied the game in the eighth with two runs. USC had a chance to retake the lead, but it just didn’t happen. 

The Trojans went down in order in the top of the ninth in a 3-3 tie. Maddox Mihalakis of Arizona grounded out to first to start the bottom of the ninth for the Wildcats. Blake McDonald singled to left. Emilio Corona was brought in to pinch run for McDonald and stole second. In an attempt to set up a double play, Blum intentionally walked Andrew Cain to bring Tommy Splaine to the plate. Splaine, who had already struck out twice in the game, delivered a walk-off single to left field, scoring Corona and securing the win for Arizona. 

This outcome proved to be gut-wrenching for both head coach Andy Stankiewicz and the Trojans, but the team was playing its best baseball at the end of the year, which is a great sign for the future. While it was a tough way to conclude a great run and the season, it’s evident that the Trojans have much to anticipate in 2025, both on the mound and at the plate.

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USC wins its last baseball game ever played on Pac-12 Network

USC’s win over Cal will be the last Trojan baseball game ever shown on Pac-12 Network. Freedom and success!

The most important thing to note about USC baseball right now is that the Trojans have reached the championship game of the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona. They are one win from qualifying for the NCAA Tournament with an automatic bid as the last Pac-12 Tournament champions in the history of Pac-12 baseball. However, there’s a satisfying added note attached to Friday’s semifinal win over the Cal Golden Bears: This was the last USC baseball game ever shown on Pac-12 Network. Yep, that’s it. Done. Final. USC will never play another baseball game on the network. The championship game on Saturday at 7 p.m. Pacific time is on ESPNU.

Football went through it. Basketball went through it. Now baseball has crossed the threshold as well at USC. The Trojans continue to put the Pac-12 Network — and everything it represents — in the rearview mirror. Their last Pac-12 Network game was a win. Now all that’s left is to take the diamond on a warm late-May night in Arizona and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. USC will face the winner of Friday’s late semifinal between Arizona and Stanford.

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USC cooks Oregon, reaches Pac-12 Baseball Tournament semis

USC baseball is two wins away from an unlikely NCAA Tournament bid.

In the 2024 Pac-12 Baseball Tournament, the USC Trojans, the fourth seed, achieved an impressive eighth consecutive victory this season. USC defeated the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament winner, the Oregon Ducks.

In the starting role, junior pitcher William Watson allowed only one run over his six innings of work. The game was a pitcher’s duel as Watson and Oregon pitcher RJ Gordon kept the contest scoreless through five innings. USC scratched out a few runs to take the lead. In the ninth inning, Josh Blum closed out the game for USC, blanking Oregon to earn his ninth save and secure the 4-2 victory for the Trojans over the Ducks. This triumph secured USC’s spot in the semifinals, where they will face sixth-seeded Cal at 2:30 p.m. Pacific time on Friday.

The Trojans have to take care of business if they want a shot at the NCAA Tournament. If they can beat Cal, they will sit back and watch Friday’s second semifinal between the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats and the eighth-seeded Stanford Cardinal, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Pacific time.

While USC ended the regular season with a remarkable six-game winning streak, the Trojans’ fluctuating performance throughout most of the season eliminated their chance of receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. As a result, their hopes of extending their season and qualifying for the tournament rest on winning the next two games and claiming the automatic bid reserved for the Pac-12 Tournament champion.

USC baseball coach Andy Stankiewicz is in his second season of a rebuild at Troy. After a disappointing and slow start to the 2023-24 season, going 7-13, the Trojans  climbed out of that massive hole to get over .500 during the regular season by going 21-14. Stankiewicz has won 17 conference games in back to back seasons, the first time the Trojans have accomplished this since Mike Gillespie’s 2001 and 2002 squads, per USC athletics. Two more wins, stretching the steak to 10, would put an exclamation mark on a solid sophomore season for Stankiewicz.

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