University Southern California Trojans
Baseball Prepares For Big Pac-10 Series Verses Washington
May 16, 2000 | Baseball
May 16, 2000
LOS ANGELES - The USC baseball team - winner of 12 NCAA championships, more than twice as many as any other school - is 35-18 in the 2000 season. The Trojans have won seven straight games and eight of their last nine. USC swept Oregon State last weekend at home as they outscored the Beavers by a 44-11 margin (12-1, 16-7, 16-3) and went 4-0 for the week after a midweek 8-3 win at No. 19 Cal State Fullerton. With a series win at Washington this weekend, the Trojans can make a case for a No. 1 seed in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Baseball Tournament, which will be played May 26-28. This will be the first time that USC has traveled to Seattle since 1971.
Opponent Outlook
Washington (Pac-10 series)
Friday, May 19 - Husky Ballpark - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 20 - Husky Ballpark - 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 21 - Husky Ballpark - 1 p.m.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES - Washington is 25-26 overall in the 2000 season and 7-14 in Pac-10 play. The Huskies are led by outfielder Todd Linden, who leads the team with a .399 batting average. Linden has 5 home runs and 45 RBI on the season with 15 stolen bases. The team is batting .282 and has 62 home runs and 80 stolen bases. Washington has a staff ERA of 7.02, but will be without the services of injured staff ace Jeff Carlsen this weekend. Matt Massingale will be the starter on Sunday for the Huskies, he leads the team with five complete games and is 6-6 on the season with a 6.15 ERA. Ken Knutson is in his eighth season as head coach for the Huskies.
THE SERIES - USC holds an 18-2 all-time series advantage against Washington in a series that dates back to 1959. The Trojans took two of three from the Huskies last year at Dedeaux Field, 13-6, 7-8 and 17-6.
Upcoming Games Schedule
Friday, May 19 at Washington - Husky Ballpark - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 20 at Washington - Husky Ballpark - 1 p.m.
Sunday, May 21 at Washington - Husky Ballpark - 1 p.m.
* - Pac-10 conference game
All rankings based from Baseball America
USC Probable Starters
| C | #9 | Beau Craig | .294, 16 HR, 56 RBI |
| 1B | #50 | Bill Peavey or | .241, 4 HR, 26 RBI |
| #13 | Alberto Concepcion | .259, 4 HR, 12 RBI | |
| 2B | #24 | Anthony Lunetta | .352, 7 HR, 38 RBI |
| 3B | #26 | Justin Gemoll | .386, 18 HR, 58 RBI |
| SS | #2 | Seth Davidson | .284, 3 HR, 23 RBI |
| OF | #6 | Brian Barre | .266, 5 HR, 14 RBI |
| OF | #10 | Josh Self | .230, 3 HR, 17 RBI |
| OF | #15 | Rob Garibaldi | .328, 7 HR, 39 RBI |
| OF | #44 | Abel Montanez | .250, 0 HR, 3 RBI |
| DH | #22 | Josh Persell | .344, 5 HR, 34 RBI |
| P (5/19) | #8 | Rik Currier | 11-3 record, 3.42 ERA |
| P (5/20) | #21 | Mark Prior | 7-6 record, 3.62 ERA |
| P (5/21) | #23 | Anthony Reyes | 5-6 record, 4.42 ERA |
PROBABLE STARTERS
| USC | Washington | |
| Friday | Rik Currier (RHP) | Matt Gardner (LHP) |
| 11-3, 3.42 | 3-3, 6.28 | |
| Saturday | Mark Prior (RHP) | Taylor Grant (LHP) |
| 7-6, 3.62 | 2-5, 7.91 | |
| Sunday | Anthony Reyes (RHP) | Matt Massengale (RHP) |
| 5-6, 4.42 | 6-6, 6.15 |
RANKINGS - USC is No. 16 in the USA Today Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches' poll and No. 18 in the latest Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America polls. Washington is 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 554-311-2 (.640) 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. On April 19, pitcher Mark Prior was invited to the team trials to be held June 16-21 in Tucson, Ariz. Prior was a member of the 1999 USA National Team.
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).
PRIOR NOTICE - Sophomore pitcher Mark Prior (Bonita/USDHS/Vanderbilt) is showing in the 2000 season why he earned All-America honors in his freshman season last year at Vanderbilt. Prior has a 6-6 record with a 3.62 ERA. In 107 innings of work, Prior has allowed 104 hits, struck out 120 batters and walked 35 as opponents have hit .252 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. At the plate, Prior is 8-for-33 (.242) with a double, four home runs and seven RBI. His .636 slugging percentage is second on the team. He was named to the Baseball America 2000 preseason All-American second team. Prior was recently invited to the 2000 USA Baseball National Team Trials, he was a member of the USA National Team last year.
DELUGE OR DROUGHT - Run support has been a key for Mark Prior this season. In his seven wins, the Trojans have provided Prior with 70 runs (10.0 runs per game average) while they have only scored 21 runs (3.5 runs per game average) in his six losses.
A CURRIER OF VICTORIES - Junior Rik Currier (Dana Point/Capistrano Valley HS) is recording his best season as a Trojan pitcher. He has been USC's No. 2 pitcher in the rotation for most of the season, but moved up to the No. 1 spot on April 7 at UCLA when Mark Prior could not pitch due to flu symptoms (he could remain the Friday pitcher for the remainder of the season). Currier responded by pitching his second complete game of the season in the Trojans' 5-1 win over the Bruins. Currier allowed one run on five hits and struck out a season-high 12 batters while only walking two. For the season, Currier is 11-3 with a 3.42 ERA. In 94 and 2/3 innings of work, Currier has allowed 90 hits, walked 47 and struck out 113 batters. Opponents are hitting .244 against him. He has won six of his last seven starts.
"K"LIMBING UP THE CHARTS - Rik Currier, with 113 strikeouts this season, is in fifth place on USC's all-time career list with 301 strikeouts. He needs 11 strikeouts to tie Randy Powers (1987-90) for fourth 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).
Career Strikeouts
1. Seth Etherton*, 1995-98 - 420 2. Brent Strom, 1968-70 - 363 3. Randy Flores, 1994-97 - 316 4. Randy Powers, 1987-90 - 312 5. Rik Currier, 1998-00 - 301
*NCAA and Pac-10 record
DR. NO-NO - Rik Currier found out on the morning of 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
JUST IN TIME - Third baseman Justin Gemoll from San Jose (Bellarmine Prep/UC Santa Barbara) has been on an offensive tear lately for the Trojans. He leads the team with a .386 batting average (76-for-197) and leads the team with 18 home runs and 58 RBI. Gemoll hit two home runs on May 12 at home against Oregon State and added another the following day against OSU. He hit a three-run homer to left to start a four-run first inning in a 4-3 win over No. 3 Arizona State at home on April 30. He hit a home run in seven out of eight games from April 1-14. He slammed a two-run homer on April 11 in the bottom of the ninth in the Trojans' 6-4 win over San Diego State. On April 1 at Arizona, Gemoll went 3-for-6 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI and on March 25 vs. Washington State, he recorded a 2-for-4 performance with a triple, a home run and five RBI. He has recorded three hits in a game six times this season and has three four-hit games. He leads the team with 22 multi-hit games. He has 16 multi-RBI games this season and leads the team in on-base percentage (.470) and slugging percentage (.777).
AWESOME IN APRIL - Justin Gemoll "showered" opposing pitchers during the month of April with home runs. In the month of April, Gemoll went 27-for-67 (.403) with five doubles, nine home runs and 20 RBI.
LUNAR ECLIPSE - Freshman second baseman Anthony Lunetta (Riverside/Arlington HS) has made an impact at the plate. He is second on the team with a .352 batting average (68-for-193). He leads the team and the Pac-10 Conference with 21 doubles (the school record is 29 by Brett Jenkins in the 1991 season). Lunetta hit two home runs in a 2-for-4 day with five RBI on April 1 at Arizona. 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.
JUST LIKE HIS BROTHER - Left-hander Ronald Flores from Pico Rivera (El Rancho HS) has improved steadily in 2000 and may be a factor for the Trojans during the post-season. At the start of the season, Flores worked out of the bullpen, but has recently become the Trojans' midweek starter. He has won his last four starts and has allowed two earned runs or less in his last six starts. He has allowed only two earned runs in his last 24 and 1/3 innings of work, including four perfect innings at Cal State Fullerton on May 10 and three scoreless innings of relief in a 4-3 win against No. 3 Arizona State on April 30. For the season, Flores is 5-1 with a 3.45 ERA and two saves. His brother, Randy, pitched for USC from 1994-97 and still holds the school records for most career wins (42) and the Pac-10 record with 484 and 1/3 innings pitched.
DEALING WITH DAVIDSON - Junior Seth Davidson from San Diego (University HS) has been hot at the plate as of late after a slow start that saw him hover around the .200 mark. Davidson currently has a 13-game hitting streak, where he is batting .442 with eight stolen bases. He has hit safely in 18 of his last 19 games. For the season, he is batting .284 (60-for-211) with 3 HR and 23 RBI. He leads the team with 22 stolen bases and has struck out only 16 times this season.
TO CATCH A THIEF - Seth Davidson has been climbing in the school's career and season lists for most stolen bases. Davidson is fifth with 48 career steals and needs just two to tie John Wells (1976-79) for fourth place. The school record is 57, held by Mark Smith (1989-91). He has 22 stolen bases this season, tied for fourth for most in a season. The school record is 26, held by Aaron Boone (1994).
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 .294 batting average (59-for-201) and is second on the team in home runs (16) and RBI (56). 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.
YOU DROPPED A BEAU ON ME - Catcher Beau Craig hit five home runs over a period of six games from March 19 through March 28, not including a home run he hit on March 21 in the completion of a game from Feb. 8 at Loyola Marymount that was suspended due to darkness. On Tuesday (March 28), Craig was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for going 10-for-16 (.625) in four games with a double, triple, three home runs and 11 RBI. It is the first Player of the Week honor in Craig's career and the 45th time that a USC player has been recognized.
THE GREAT GARIBALDI - Sophomore Rob Garibaldi from Petaluma (Casa Grande HS/Santa Rosa College) has been steady for the Trojans in right field and has improved at the plate. Garibaldi is fourth on the team with a .328 batting average (62-for-189) and is second on the team with 16 doubles.
THE "KIA" TO VICTORY - In March, the Trojans played in the Kia Baseball Bash in Fullerton. The first two games were played before rained washed out the remainder of the tournament. USC made up its game with Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday (May 10) and defeated the host Titans, 8-3, to record a 3-0 mark and wrap up the tournament title two months after the first games of the tournament. The Trojans defeated Georgia Tech, 9-2, on March 3 and Mississippi State, 7-1, on March 4. Rik Currier was named Most Outstanding Pitcher after throwing a five-inning no-hitter (see: Dr. No-No) against Mississippi State. Anthony Lunetta was named Most Outstanding Player after going 5-for-8 (.625) with three RBI.
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.
WHO'S HOT
RHP Rik Currier: has won six of last seven starts
SS Seth Davidson: 13-game hitting streak, 23-for-52 (.442), four doubles, one triple, one home run, eight RBI, eight stolen bases
3B Justin Gemoll: seven-game hitting streak, 14-for-32 (.438), two doubles, four home runs, 14 RBI
LHP Ronald Flores: has won four last four starts, has allowed only two earned runs in last 24 and 1/3 innings
PLAYING THE BEST - The Trojans have played a competitive schedule in 2000. Seventeen of the 53 games this season have been against Top 10 teams (8-9 record) while 23 games have been against Top 25 opponents (12-11).
TROJANS ON THE INTERNET - All games for the remainder of the 2000 season will be broadcast on the Internet. The broadcast via Fansonly.com can be accessed through USC's website at www.usctrojans.com.
DEDEAUX FIELD - This season marks the 26th year of play at Dedeaux Field, where USC has an all-time record of 570-255-1 (.691). 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, 2B Anthony Lunetta and RHP Anthony Reyes.
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.
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.
2000 Superlatives
1-run games 8-5 2-run games 2-1 3-run games 1-2 4-run games 9-2 5+ run games 14-8USC scores first 25-10 Opponent scores first 10-8
Day games 23-12 Night games 12-6
Extra innings 2-0
USC ahead after 5 innings 30-3 USC behind after 5 innings 2-14 Tied after 5 innings 3-1
USC ahead after 8 innings 31-3 USC behind after 8 innings 0-14 Tied after 8 innings 3-2
Against top 10 teams 8-9 Against top 25 teams 12-11
USC scores 10+ runs 9-0 Opponent scores 10+ runs 0-8
USC has 0-9 hits 14-13 USC has 10+ hits 21-3
USC has more hits 27-2 Opponent has more hits 4-15 Hits are equal 4-1
USC hits 0 home runs 5-9 USC hits 1 home run 12-4 USC hits 2+ home runs 18-5
USC makes 0 errors 12-3 USC makes 1 error 11-8 USC makes 2+ errors 12-7
USC has more errors 15-9 Opponent has more errors 11-6 Errors are equal 9-3
USC draws more walks 18-5 Opponent draws more walks 9-9 Walks are equal 8-4
On Mondays 0-0 On Tuesdays 11-1 On Wednesdays 1-1 On Thursdays 0-0 On Fridays 8-5 On Saturdays 9-5 On Sundays 6-6
In January 2-0 In February 8-3 In March 10-7 In April 10-9 In May 5-0
Wearing white jerseys 15-6 Wearing red jerseys 9-4 Wearing grey jerseys 9-7 Wearing black jerseys 2-1
USC Rankings In National Polls
| Baseball | Collegiate | USA Today BB Weekly/ | |
| Date | America | Baseball | ESPN |
| Preseason | 11th | 15th | 11th |
| Feb. 7 | 6th | 17th | N/A |
| Feb. 14 | 9th | 17th | 15th |
| Feb. 21 | 9th | 16th | 14th |
| Feb. 28 | 7th | 11th | 11th |
| March 6 | 5th | 5th | 7th |
| March 13 | 12th | 12th | 15th |
| March 20 | 20th | 13th | 19th |
| March 27 | 16th | 10th | 16th |
| April 3 | 14th | 10th | 15th |
| April 10 | 19th | 16th | 18th |
| April 17 | N/R | 22nd | 20th |
| April 24 | N/R | 23rd | 21st |
| May 1 | N/R | 20th | 20th |
| May 8 | 24th | 20th | 19th |
| May 15 | 18th | 18th | 16th |
2000 Pac-10 Standings
(as of May 15, 2000)
| Pac-10 | Overall | ||||||
| W | L | Pct. | GB | W | L | Pct. | |
| UCLA | 16 | 5 | .750 | -- | 34 | 22 | .607 |
| Arizona State | 15 | 6 | .714 | 1.0 | 40 | 12 | .769 |
| Stanford | 15 | 6 | .714 | 1.0 | 40 | 12 | .769 |
| USC | 13 | 8 | .619 | 3.0 | 35 | 18 | .660 |
| California | 11 | 13 | .458 | 6.5 | 25 | 28 | .472 |
| Oregon State | 8 | 13 | .381 | 8.0 | 27 | 25 | .519 |
| Arizona | 7 | 14 | .333 | 8.5 | 25 | 28 | .472 |
| Washington | 7 | 14 | .333 | 8.5 | 25 | 26 | .490 |
| Washington State | 4 | 17 | .190 | 12.0 | 17 | 35 | .327 |
This Week's Schedule
Wednesday, May 17 Gonzaga at Washington, 6:30 p.m.Friday, May 19 *USC at Washington, 6:30 p.m. *UCLA at Stanford, 6 p.m. *Oregon State at Washington State, 6:30 p.m. *Arizona State at Arizona, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 20 *USC at Washington, 1 p.m. *Oregon State at Washington State, 1 p.m. *UCLA at Stanford, 1 p.m. *Arizona State at Arizona, 7 p.m.
Sunday, May 21 *USC at Washington, 1 p.m. *Oregon State at Washington State, 1 p.m. *UCLA at Stanford, 1 p.m. *Arizona State at Arizona, 1 p.m.
*Pac-10 Conference game
