University Southern California Trojans
No. 20 USC Baseball Opens Pac-10 Play At Home
March 23, 2000 | Baseball
March 23, 2000
LOS ANGELES - The No. 20 USC baseball team - winner of 12 NCAA championships, more than twice as many as any other school - is 16-9 in the 2000 season. The Trojans lost two of three in a non-conference series at No. 1 Stanford last weekend, 3-4, 11-7 and 4-11. They defeated Loyola Marymount at home Tuesday, 9-8 in 10 innings (to complete the suspended Feb. 8 game) and 7-3.
Upcoming Games Schedule
Friday, March 24vs. Washington State - Dedeaux Field - 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 25
vs. Washington State - Dedeaux Field - 1p.m.
Sunday, March 26
vs. Washington State - Dedeaux Field - 1 p.m.
Tuesday, March 28
at San Diego State - Tony Gwynn Stadium - 5 p.m.
RANKINGS - USC is No. 13 in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll, No. 20 in Baseball America and No. 15 in the USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches' poll. Washington State and San Diego State are not ranked in any polls.
TEAM OF THE 20TH CENTURY - No other university can match the collegiate baseball tradition of USC, and it showed when Baseball America awarded the Trojans the title of "Greatest Program of the 20th Century" in its Feb. 1, 1999 issue. Troy has an unprecedented 12 NCAA championships (no other school has more than five), 36 conference titles and 19 College World Series appearances (second most in the nation). Legendary former coach Rod Dedeaux was named "Coach of the Century" by both Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America. Trojan players have been named All-American first teamers 41 times, and 80 players have gone on to play in the majors, including such stars as Tom Seaver, Fred Lynn, Ron Fairly, Randy Johnson, Mark McGwire, Jeff Cirillo and Bret Boone.
COACH'S CORNER - Mike Gillespie, in his 14th season as the Trojans' head coach, has a 535-302-2 (.639) career record and has led USC to the 1998 national championship, three conference titles (1991-95-96), 11 trips to the NCAA Regionals in 13 years (reaching the regional finals nine times), and trips to the 1995 and 1998 College World Series (Troy finished as the nation's runner-up in 1995). He was named the 1998 National Coach of the Year, the Pac-10 Coach of the Year three times (1991-95-96) and the West Region Coach of the Year twice (1996-98). The starting leftfielder on USC's 1961 NCAA-winning team, he is one of just two men who have both coached and played on championship teams.
USA BASEBALL - USC coach Mike Gillespie will serve as Head Coach of the 2000 USA Baseball National Team of collegiate all-stars that will play on the US WEST Red, White and Blue Summer Tour. USC assistant coach John Savage will serve as the pitching coach for Team USA.
PAC-10 POWERHOUSE - USC, certainly among the strongest teams annually in the Pac-10, has many highlights over the last few years to prove it:
With its College World Series title in 1998, USC is the only Pacific-10 Conference team to have won a national championship in the last 11 years.
With 224 victories over the last five seasons (1995-99), USC ranked first among Pac-10 teams.
USC is the only Pac-10 school to have finished in the Top 10 national rankings in eight of the last 10 years.
USC has made it to an NCAA Regional final seven straight years (best among Pac-10 teams) and has earned NCAA Tournament bids nine of the last 10 years (tied with Stanford for best in the Pac-10).
USC has reached the College World Series championship game twice in the last five years (only one other Pac-10 team has made it once in the last 11 years).
COACHING SUPERLATIVES - Legendary USC coach Rod Dedeaux was named College Coach of the Century for baseball in the February issue of Coach & Athletic Director Magazine. Dedeaux led the Trojan baseball team to an unprecedented 11 College World Series titles (including five in a row in the 1970s) and amassed a 1,332-571-11 record during his 45-year (1942-86) tenure at Troy.
PAC-10 PRESEASON POLL - In a preseason poll of the Pac-10 coaches, USC was picked to finish third. In order, the poll went as follows: Stanford (six first-place votes), UCLA (two first-place votes), USC, Arizona (one first-place vote), California, Arizona State, Washington, Washington State and Oregon State.
DOUBLE DOUBLE - The Trojans have an opportunity to set a school record for doubles. USC has hit 61 doubles in the 2000 season in 25 games, the school record is 157 set during the 1997 season in 62 games. Freshman second baseman Anthony Lunetta has a team-leading 14 doubles and needs 15 to tie the school record of 29 doubles set by Brett Jenkins in 1991.
PRIOR NOTICE - Sophomore Pitcher Mark Prior (Bonita/USDHS/Vanderbilt) is showing early in the 2000 season why he earned All-America honors in his freshman season last year at Vanderbilt. Prior has a 5-2 record with a 1.95 ERA. In 60 innings of work, Prior has allowed 43 hits, struck out 63 batters and walked 16 as opponents have hit .203 against him. He recorded his first collegiate save on Feb. 15 at Cal State Fullerton after pitching 1 1/3 innings with one hit and two strikeouts in the Trojans' 7-6 win against the Titans. He was named to the Baseball America 2000 preseason All-American second team.
LUNAR ECLIPSE - Freshman second baseman Anthony Lunetta (Riverside/Arlington HS) has made an impact at the plate. He leads the team with a .406 batting average (39-for-96). He leads the team with a .473 on-base percentage, as well as leading the team with 14 doubles (the school record is 29 by Brett Jenkins in the 1991 season). On March 18 at Stanford, Lunetta hit three doubles in a 3-for-6 performance with four RBI in the Trojans' 11-7 win. He also belted two home runs in the Trojans 6-5 win over UC Santa Barbara on March 7 and went 4-for-5 in game two of a doubleheader on March 14 at the University of San Diego. He went 5-for-5 in his collegiate debut on Jan. 29 at Pepperdine.
BEAU KNOWS - Sophomore catcher Beau Craig (Santee/Grossmont HS), a 1998 third-round selection by the San Diego Padres, has produced at the plate for the Trojans. He has a .276 batting average (24-for-87) and leads the team in home runs (11) and RBI (27). On March 21 vs. Loyola Marymount, Craig had a notable day at the plate. The Trojans completed at Dedeaux Field a Feb. 8 game that was suspended at LMU in the eighth inning, due to darkness. On Feb. 8, he hit a two-run home run and in the March 21 completion of the game, he hit a game-winning home run in the top of the 10th for the 9-8 win thereby hitting a home run in two different stadiums in one game. He followed that with two solo home runs in the regularly scheduled March 21 game in the Trojans' 7-3 win. He leads the team with a .736 slugging percentage.
DR. NO-NO - Junior Rik Currier (Dana Point/Capistrano Valley HS) found out on Sunday morning (March 5) that he had pitched the sixth no-hitter in school history after USC's March 4 game against Mississippi State, which was suspended after the fifth inning due to rain, was declared official. Currier allowed one earned run with six strikeouts and five walks:
USC No-Hitters
| Joe Gonzales (9) vs. Stanford, 3/26/37 | USC 8-0 |
| Jerry Merz (9) vs. BYU, 3/23/61 | USC 3-0 |
| Ron Cook (8) vs. Pacific, 4/5/66 | USC 12-0 |
| Russ McQueen (7) vs. California, 3/30/74 | USC 7-0 |
| Brad Brink (7) and Brian Brooks (2) vs. Cal State Los Angeles, 2/18/86 | USC 2-1 |
| Rik Currier (5) vs. Mississippi State, 3/4/00 | USC 7-1 |
A WEEK TO REMEMBER - Mark Prior had an impact in three games during the week of Feb. 21. On Tuesday (Feb. 22), Prior pitched two innings and recorded the win as the designated starter in USC's 7-3 win against the University of San Diego. He did not allow a hit, striking out four and walking one. On Friday (Feb. 25), he pitched seven and 2/3 innings to pick up his second straight win as the Trojans defeated the UCLA Bruins, 10-7. Prior retired 19 straight batters and, at one point, struck out five straight batters en route to a 13-strikeout performance. He scattered four hits and walked two Bruins. The following day, in a pinch-hit role, Prior singled to center and scored third baseman Justin Gemoll in the bottom of the ninth for the Trojans' 4-3 victory.
"K"LIMBING UP THE CHARTS - Rik Currier, with 49 strikeouts this season, is now in 13th place on USC's all-time career list with 237 strikeouts. He needs six strikeouts to tie Ken Yaryan (1960-62) for 13th place. This season, he started in 21st place and has passed such pitchers as Randy Johnson (1983-85 with 206) and Bill Lee (1966-68 with 211). As the team's No. 2 starter, Currier has a 5-2 record with a 4.00 ERA.
Career Strikeouts
| 9. Dan Hubbs, 1990-93 | 254 |
| 10. Greg Widman, 1970-72 | 244 |
| 11. Brad Brink, 1984-86 | 241 |
| 12. Jackie Nickell, 1988-92 | 238 |
| 13. Rik Currier, 1998-00 | 237 |
| 14. Ken Yaryan, 1960-62 | 236 |
WHO'S HOT
RF Rob Garibaldi: has a five-game hitting streak (10-for-17) with four doubles
NEWS & NOTES - The Trojans' game on March 7 at Cal State Fullerton, which was rained out, has been rescheduled for Wednesday (May 10) at 7 p.m. at Titan Field...Catcher Beau Craig hit the game-winning home run on March 21 in the resumption of the Feb. 8 suspended game against Loyola Marymount in the 10th and followed the heroics with two more home runs in the regularly scheduled game that day...Second baseman Anthony Lunetta hit three doubles at Stanford on March 18...For the second time this season, starting pitchers Rik Currier and Mark Prior entered a game in relief and recorded the win and the save, respectively, when both pitchers preserved a 5-3 win on March 14 at the University of San Diego in the second part of the doubleheader (the first time was on Feb. 15 at Cal State Fullerton)...Josh Self, a defensive replacement in that game, hit a solo home run to break the 3-3 tie against the Toreros and added an RBI single in the eighth inning...In losing three games at home March 10-12 against Houston, it was the first time since April 2-4, 1997, that the Trojans have been swept in a three-game series at Dedeaux Field (Stanford won all three games in 1997).
DEDEAUX FIELD - This season marks the 26th year of play at Dedeaux Field, where USC has an all-time record of 558-251-1 (.689). When USC hosted San Diego State on March 30, 1999, it was 25 years to the day from when the first game was played at Dedeaux Field. It was a special opening day in 1974, as in the first game of a doubleheader, Russ McQueen threw a no-hitter against California.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES - Junior SS Seth Davidson appears on two preseason All-American teams, as a second-team selection in Collegiate Baseball and a third-team pick in Baseball America. Sophomore RHP Mark Prior, a transfer from Vanderbilt, made the Baseball America second team. In Baseball America's Pac-10 preview, UT Alberto Concepcion was named the conference's Freshman of the Year, Prior and Concepcion were listed as the first and second top newcomers, respectively, and freshman Anthony Lunetta was named the conference's top defensive second baseman.
THE RETURNERS - The Trojans return only three position starters and one starting pitcher from the 1999 team, but it's a group that makes up a nice nucleus. Junior SS Seth Davidson, a two-time All-Pac-10 pick, starts for the third straight year. Sophomore C Beau Craig was a Freshman All-American last season. Senior 3B Justin Gemoll provides a steady bat and glove. Junior RHP Rik Currier is one of the top strikeout artists in USC history. Other returners who are poised to make a larger impact in 2000 are OF Brian Barre, RHP Tanner Eriksen, LHP Ronald Flores, RHP Pete Montrenes, UT Josh Persell, RHP Tim Petke and UT Josh Self.
THE NEWCOMERS - It'll be difficult to distinguish the players apart without a program in 2000, as 20 of the 38 players are new to the roster. But it's a talented group, as Collegiate Baseball ranked the newcomers as the No. 1 recruiting class in the country (Baseball America ranked them second). The Trojans added Vanderbilt transfer - RHP Mark Prior - who was named Freshman All-American last season. OF Rob Garibaldi was the Northern California JC Player of the Year last season at Santa Rosa. Among the key freshmen are RHP Chad Clark, UT Alberto Concepcion, IF Anthony Lunetta and RHP Anthony Reyes.
1999 RECAP - Despite a rough start, USC rebounded nicely to post a successful 1999 season. The Trojans went 36-26 overall, 17-7 for second place in the Pac-10, won their own NCAA Los Angeles Regional and advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals before losing at Stanford. LHP Barry Zito was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and was a unanimous All-American first teamer. C Eric Munson and OF/LHP Jason Lane were also named to at least one All-American first team. Early-season injuries and close losses saw the Trojans get off to a 4-11 start, but they went 29-12 the rest of the regular season.
Opponent Outlook
Washington State (Pac-10 series)
Friday, March 24 - Dedeaux Field - 6 p.m
Saturday, March 25 - Dedeaux Field - 1 p.m.
Sunday, March 26 - Dedeaux Field - 1 p.m.
SCOUTING THE COUGARS - Washington State is 12-13 on the season and riding a four-game winning streak into Dedeaux Field. The Cougars beat Lewis-Clark State, 11-7, on Tuesday after a three-game sweep at Cal State Northridge. Right fielder Jason Grove leads the way for the Cougars. Grove, who was out for a month with a broken bone in his hand, was a third-team preseason All-America selection by Baseball America and is nine home runs away from the school record for most career home runs (40). Third baseman Stefan Bailie is batting .363 with 6 HR and 20 RBI. The Trojans will face left-hander Todd Meldahl on Friday. Meldahl is 1-3 on the season with a 2.95 ERA. In 42 and 2/3 innings of work, Meldahl has allowed 38 hits and struck out 40 batters. Steve Farrington is in his sixth season as the head coach at Washington State and has a 130-175 record with the Cougars.
THE SERIES - USC holds a 38-10 all-time series advantage against Washington State in a series that dates back to 1948. USC won two out of three games last season in Pullman.
PROBABLE STARTERS
| USC | Washington State | |
| Friday | Mark Prior (RHP) | Todd Meldahl (LHP) |
| 5-2, 1.95 | 1-3, 2.95 | |
| Saturday | Rik Currier (RHP) | Tyson Thompson (RHP) |
| 5-2, 4.00 | 1-3, 4.08 | |
| Sunday | Anthony Reyes (RHP) | Reggie Rivard (RHP) |
| 2-3, 5.34 | 0-2, 8.20 |
#6, Brian Barre, CF, L-L
.306, 2 HR, 7 RBI
Streak: 1 (.250, 1-4)
Started in 23 games this season...fourth on the team in batting average...had four walks in the first game of a doubleheader on 3/14 at University of San Diego, one away from the school record...had eight-game hitting streak snapped on March 3...went 5-for-5 with a double and an RBI on 2/25 vs. UCLA...set a career-high with two home runs on 2/15 at Cal State Fullerton, went 2-for-4 with two RBI...went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base on 2/13 at Texas Tech...has one error in 44 chances this season...has six multiple-hit games this season.
#13, Alberto Concepcion, UT, R-R
.245, 1 HR, 6 RBI
Streak: 1 (.500, 1-2)
Started in 15 games this season...has seen action this season at catcher, first base and in the outfield...slugged his first collegiate home run (solo shot) to center field in game two of a doubleheader on 3/14 at the University of San Diego...went 2-for-4 in his collegiate debut on 1/29 at Pepperdine...went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI on 2/4 vs. Long Beach State.
#9, Beau Craig, C, S-R
.276, 11 HR, 27 RBI
Streak: 2 (.429, 3-7)
vs. Washington State: 3 GP, 5-9 (.556), 1 RBI
Started in every game this season...leads the team in home runs, RBI and multiple-RBI games...hit two solo home runs on 3/21 vs. Loyola Marymount...hit the game-winning homer in a 9-8 victory in 10 innings on 3/21 vs. Loyola Marymount, the game was the completion of the Feb. 8 game at Loyola Marymount where he also hit a home run (a home run in two different stadiums in one game)...went 2-for-3 with a double, home run and four RBI on 3/11 vs. Houston...hit his sixth home run of the season in a 2-for-4 performance with three RBI on 2/25 vs. UCLA...celebrated his 21st birthday by going 3-for-6 with a double, home run and two RBI on 2/12 at Texas Tech...in the next game on 2/13 at Texas Tech, he went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI...opened the season by going 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI on 1/29 at Pepperdine.
#2, Seth Davidson, SS, S-R
.219, 1 HR, 7 RBI
Streak: 0 (.000, 0-0)
vs. Washington State: 3 GP, 3-15 (.200), 2 RBI
Started in every game this season...leads the team in stolen bases (seven)...has four errors in 116 chances this season (.966)...went 2-for-5 with two RBI on 3/18 at Stanford...hit his first home run of the season on 3/12 vs. Houston...went 3-for-4 on 3/11 vs. Houston...has five multiple-hit games this season...named to the 2000 Collegiate Baseball preseason All-American second team and Baseball America preseason All-American third team.
#15, Rob Garibaldi, RF, L-L
.341, 1 HR, 12 RBI
Streak: 5 (.588, 10-17)
Started in 23 games this season...had his third three-hit game of the season on 3/21 vs. Loyola Marymount...had two doubles on 3/19 at Stanford...went 2-for-4 with a double on 3/14 at the University of San Diego...hit his first home run of the season on 2/22 vs. the University of San Diego, going 3-for-4 with three RBI...went 2-for-4 with two doubles on 2/11 at Texas Tech..
#26, Justin Gemoll, 3B, R-R
.315, 5 HR, 19 RBI
Streak: 0 (.000, 0-0)
vs. Washington State: 3 GP, 5-12 (.417), 1 HR, 2 RBI
Started in every game this season...third on the team in batting average...had an eight-game hitting streak snapped on 3/17 at Stanford...hit a two-run homer, his fifth of the season, in the first game of a doubleheader on 3/14 at the University of San Diego...went 3-for-4 on 3/7 vs. UC Santa Barbara...went 4-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBI on 2/15 at Cal State Fullerton...had a 2-for-4 performance with two RBI on 2/6 vs. Long Beach State...has two errors in 63 chances (.968) this season...has seven multiple-hit games this season.
#24, Anthony Lunetta, 2B, R-R
.406, 4 HR, 21 RBI
Streak: 0 (.000, 0-0)
Started in every game this season...leads the team in batting average and on-base percentage...has 12 multiple-hit games this season...hit three doubles with four RBI on 3/18 at Stanford...had three singles and a double in a 4-for-5 game on 3/14 at the University of San Diego...had two doubles on 3/11 vs. Houston...had a 2-for-4 game on 3/7 vs. UC Santa Barbara with two home runs and three RBI...hit two doubles in a 3-for-3 performance in a rain-shortened game on 3/4 vs. Mississippi State...went 3-for-5 with two RBI on 2/12 at Texas Tech...had a 3-for-5 performance with a home run and two RBI on 2/6 vs. Long Beach State...went 5-for-5 in his collegiate debut on 1/29 at Pepperdine, with a home run and two RBI.
#50, Bill Peavey, 1B, L-L
.246, 2 HR, 14 RBI
Streak: 0 (.000, 0-0)
Started in 16 games this season...went 2-for-4 with two doubles on 3/7 vs. UC Santa Barbara...knocked in three runs on two doubles on 3/4 vs. Mississippi State...hit his second home run of the season in a 2-for-4 game on 3/3 vs. Georgia Tech...went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI on 1/30 vs. Pepperdine.
#22, Josh Persell, DH, R-R
.288, 1 HR, 10 RBI
Streak: 0 (.000, 0-0)
vs. Washington State: 3 GP, 4-13 (.308), 3 RBI
Started in 19 games this season...hit one double in both games of a doubleheader on 3/14 at the University of San Diego...recorded a 2-for-3 game on 3/11 vs. Houston...went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI on 3/4 vs. Georgia Tech...hit his first collegiate home run on 2/25 vs. UCLA, going 1-for-2 with four RBI...went 2-for-2 with two walks on 2/4 vs. Long Beach State.
#10, Josh Self, UT, R-R
.286, 3 HR, 11 RBI
Streak: 5 (.412, 7-17)
vs. Washington State: 2 GP, 0 AB
Started in nine games this season...went 2-for-4 with a double, triple and four RBI on 3/21 vs. Loyola Marymount...broke a 3-3 tie with a solo home run and an RBI single for a 5-3 win on 3/14 at the University of San Diego (second game of a doubleheader)...hit his second home run of the season on 3/11 vs. Houston...hit a solo home run on 2/13 at Texas Tech...went 2-for-2 with two walks on 2/4 vs. Long Beach State.
#8, Rik Currier, RHP
5-2 record, 4.00 ERA, 45 IP, 42 H, 24 BB, 49 SO
vs. Washington State: 1 GP, 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 SO
| Starts | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | W/L |
| vs. Pepperdine (1/30) | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 8 | W |
| at Long Beach St. (2/5) | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | L |
| at Texas Tech (2/12) | 7.2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 7 | W |
| vs. UCLA (2/26) | 8 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 7 | W |
| vs. Mississippi State (3/4) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | W |
| vs. Houston (3/11) | 2.1 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | L |
| at Stanford (3/18) | 4.1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ND |
Has made seven starts this season...13th on the school's all-time list with 237 career strikeouts...recorded his fifth win of the season with three innings of relief on 3/14 at the University of San Diego in the second game of a doubleheader and struck out two to move into 14th place on the all-time career list...his shortest stint of the season came on 3/11 vs. Houston, going 2 and 1/3 innings and allowing seven runs (five earned) on seven hits...threw the sixth no-hitter in school history in five innings on 3/4 vs. Mississippi State at Kia Baseball Bash in Fullerton (5 IP, 1 ER, 5 BB, 6 SO) and first no-hitter since 1986...moved into 15th place on the all-time career list with seven strikeouts on 2/26 vs. UCLA in eight innings...pitched one and 1/3 innings on 2/15 at Cal State Fullerton in relief to pick up the win...went seven and 2/3 innings on 2/12 at Texas Tech and allowed three runs on six hits, striking out seven batters and walking two...struck out eight batters in five innings in his first start of the season to record the win on 1/30 vs. Pepperdine.
#7, Pete Montrenes, RHP
2-0 record, 4.01 ERA, 24.2 IP, 21 H, 27 BB, 22 SO
| Starts | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | W/L |
| at Loyola Marymount (2/8) | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ND |
| at Cal State Fullerton (2/15) | 1.2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | ND |
| at Univ. of San Diego (3/14) | 4.2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | ND |
Has started in three games this season...pitched 3 and 2/3 innings of relief on 3/21 vs. Loyola Marymount and allowed one run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts...threw 4 and 2/3 innings on 3/14 at the University of San Diego in the first game of a doubleheader, allowing two runs on three hits and struck out three...pitched one no-hit inning on 3/3 vs. Georgia Tech...recorded two outs in the top of the ninth, with no hits, on 2/25 vs. UCLA to record his first collegiate save...pitched two and 2/3 innings and did not allow a hit on 2/4 vs. Long Beach State.
#37, Tim Petke, RHP
2-1 record, 3.57 ERA, 17.2 IP, 21 H, 10 BB, 13 SO
vs. Washington State: 1 GP, 2.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 SO
| Starts | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | W/L |
| vs. Loyola Marymount (3/21) | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | W |
Made his first start of the season on 3/21 vs. Loyola Marymount and picked up the win with 5 innings of work...picked up his second save of the season on 3/18 at Stanford with 1 and 1/3 innings of no-hit ball...with the go-ahead run on third in the top of the ninth, he pitched to one batter and ended the Bruins' threat on 2/26 vs. UCLA to record his first collegiate win...pitched one and 2/3 innings on 2/15 at Cal State Fullerton, allowing one hit.
#23, Anthony Reyes, RHP
2-3 record, 5.34 ERA, 32 IP, 37 H, 17 BB, 18 SO
| Starts | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | W/L |
| vs. Long Beach St. (2/6) | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 2 | W |
| at Texas Tech (2/13) | 3.2 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 4 | L |
| vs. UC Santa Barbara (3/7) | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | W |
| vs. Houston (3/12) | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | L |
| at Stanford (3/19) | 5.1 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 2 | L |
Has started in five games this season as the Trojans' No. 3 starter...recorded his second win of the season on 3/7 vs. UC Santa Barbara in six innings, allowing two runs on five hits...pitched two innings of no-hit ball on 2/22 vs. the University of San Diego...recorded his first collegiate win on 2/6 vs. Long Beach State and allowed one earned run on five hits in six innings of work...recorded his first collegiate save with four no-hit innings and four strikeouts on 1/30 vs. Pepperdine.
#21, Mark Prior, RHP
5-2 record, 1.95 ERA, 60 IP, 43 H, 16 BB, 63 SO
| Starts | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | W/L | |
| at Pepperdine (1/29) | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | W | |
| vs. Long Beach St. (2/4) | 7.2 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 8 | ND | |
| at Texas Tech (2/11) | 8.1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | L | |
| vs. Univ. of San Diego (2/22) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | W | |
| vs. UCLA (2/25) | 7.2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 13 | W | |
| vs. Georgia Tech (3/3) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 | W | |
| vs. Houston (3/10) | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 9 | ND | |
| at Stanford (3/17) | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 8 | L |
Has made eight starts this season...has allowed only 13 earned runs this season...received only three runs of run support in both of his losses this season...has walked two or less batters in seven out of his seven starts this season...pitched 1 and 2/3 innings of relief to record the win on 3/21 vs. Loyola Marymount in a continued game from 2/8 at LMU when the game was suspended in the eighth due to darkness...recorded his second save of the season with 1 and 1/3 innings of no-hit ball in the second game of a doubleheader on 3/14 at the University of San Diego in the Trojans' 5-3 win...did not have a decision on 3/10 vs. Houston, where he pitched eight innings and allowed two runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts and two walks...pitched seven innings on 3/3 vs. Georgia Tech, allowing one run on six hits with two walks and six strikeouts...recorded the game-winning, pinch-hit in the bottom of the ninth with a single for the Trojans' 4-3 win on 2/26 vs. UCLA...struck out 13 batters in seven and 2/3 innings on 2/25 vs. UCLA, retired 19 straight batters and walked two...went eight and 1/3 innings on 2/11 at Texas Tech, allowing three hits and striking out seven batters...on 2/4 vs. Long Beach State, he allowed two runs on seven hits in seven and 2/3 innings of work, striking eight batters and walking one...pitched seven innings in his USC debut on 1/29 at Pepperdine, striking out five batters...named to Baseball America's 2000 preseason All-American second team...earned 1999 Freshman All-American second team honors from Baseball America while at Vanderbilt last season.
