University Southern California Trojans
Baseball Enters Week on High Note
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
April 19, 1998
LOS ANGELES-USC swept a three-game series against California at Dedeaux Field over the weekend by scores of 10-0, 14-13 and 5-2. The Trojans also swept the six-game season series from the Golden Bears. In a midweek game, USC lost at Loyola Marymount, 12-6, on Tuesday.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE:
Senior RHP Seth Etherton had a no-hitter for 7 2/3 innings en route to an eight-inning, one-hit, 11-strikeout effort against California on Friday night in a 10-0 victory. The hit was a ground ball up the middle with two outs in the eighth inning. Etherton allowed only three other batters to reach base: a walk, a hit by pitch and an error. He did not allow a runner past second base. A Trojan reliever pitched the ninth and gave up a hit as the duo combined for a two-hit shutout.
Etherton is now 9-2 with a 2.39 ERA in 1998. He has 123 strikeouts in 94 innings and has given up just 64 hits and 20 walks. He needs just three strikeouts to set new Pac-10 and USC career records (he has 361, former Trojan Brent Strom had 363 from 1968-70).
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE:
Freshman SS Seth Davidson hit .750 (9-for-12) against California over the weekend, and was 10-for-15 (.667) in four games last week. Davidson hit two home runs against Cal, including his first career grand slam. For the week, he also had seven RBI, five runs scored, a triple and a stolen base. He went 3-for-4 in each of the three games against Cal.
Davidson, who entered the weekend hitting .333, now leads USC with a .376 batting average (44-for-117) and has four home runs, 21 RBI and 10 stolen bases. Davidson feasted on Cal's pitching this season, hitting .542 (13-for-24) with three home runs and 11 RBI in six games.
NOTES:
On the injury front, sophomore C Eric Munson, a preseason All-American first teamer, has missed the last seven games after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right foot. He's not expected back until early-to-mid May. Senior Jeff DePippo, his backup, returned against Cal after missing seven games with torn cartilage in his rib area. Sophomore Josh Townsend had never started prior to this injury outbreak, but was called on to make five starts while Munson and DePippo were out. USC was 1-4 in those games.
USC senior RHP Jack Krawczyk, the Pac-10's career save leader with 42, had two more saves over the weekend and leads the nation in 1998 with 16.
USC has 72 home runs in 44 games and is on pace to break the school record of 85.
Senior 3B Morgan Ensberg has 12 home runs in 1998 and 31 in his career, good for No. 5 on USC's career list.
