USC Closes Out Road Stretch This Weekend

March 1, 2011

Upcoming Games ScheduleTuesday, March 1USC at Long Beach State - Blair Field - 6:30 p.m.RHP Ben Mount (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Kyle Friedrichs (0-1, 7.36)Friday, March 4USC at No. 7 Cal State Fullerton - Goodwin Field - 7:00 p.m.RHP Andrew Triggs (0-0, 6.75) vs. RHP Noe Ramirez (1-1, 2.08)Saturday, March 5USC at No. 7 Cal State Fullerton - Goodwin Field - 6:00 p.m.RHP Austin Wood (1-0, 3.86) vs. RHP Tyler Pill (0-0, 2.19)Sunday, March 6No. 7 Cal State Fullerton at USC - Dedeaux Field - 1:00 p.m.RHP Logan Odom (0-0, 7.59) vs. RHP Colin O'Connell (1-0, 1.29)All times local       All games broadcast on www.usctrojans.comRankings based on Baseball America

LOS ANGELES -- The USC baseball team (3-4) finishes a seven-game road trip this week, starting with a game on Tuesday (March 1) at Long Beach State (2-5) in a 6:30 p.m. game. The Trojans then play a three-game series against No. 7 Cal State Fullerton (4-3), Friday-Sunday (March 4-6). Friday and Saturday's games will be played in Fullerton (7 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively) with Sunday's game played at Dedeaux Field, starting at 1 p.m.

All four games will be broadcast live, along with Gametracker live stats, on usctrojans.com with a video webcast for Sunday's game only.

LONG BEACH STATE NOTES -- Long Beach State is 2-5 on the season after dropping two of three games at home last weekend against Arizona. Head coach Troy Buckley is in his first season at Long Beach State. The Dirtbags are .248 with a 3.48 staff ERA. USC leads the all-time series with Long Beach State by a 76-42 margin, but the Dirtbags have won seven of the last 10 games in the series.

NO. 7 CAL STATE FULLERTON NOTES -- Cal State Fullerton is 4-3 on the season after winning two of three games on the road last weekend at TCU. Head coach Dave Serrano is 138-59 in his fourth season at Fullerton. The Titans are batting .261 as a team with a 2.86 staff ERA. Richy Pedroza leads the Titans with a .393 batting average (11-for-28) while Friday starter Noe Ramirez is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA (13 IP, 11 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 13 SO, .262 OBA). Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series with USC by a 41-37-1 margin. The Titans have won six of the last nine games in the series.

STATAPALOOZA
· Austin Wood is rated as the No. 26 college prospect in the nation by Baseball America. Ricky Oropesa is rated No. 33 overall while Andrew Triggs is rated No. 100 overall.
· Austin Wood is rated as the No. 22 junior in the nation by Baseball America while Ricky Oropesa is the No. 32-rated junior. Jake Hernandez is rated as the No. 37 freshman in the nation.
· The Trojans' starting weekend rotation to begin the 2011 season (Andrew Triggs, Austin Wood and Logan Odom) did not have one pitcher from the state of California.
· The Feb. 19 five-inning win against Cal Poly was the first game played by USC that was less than nine innings since Feb. 14, 2006, when the Trojans won at UC Santa Barbara (16-11) in eight innings.
· The Trojans have four pitchers on the staff that stand 6-6 or taller: Chris Mezger (6-10), Ben Mount (6-8), Jordan Hershiser (6-8) and Logan Odom (6-6).

TROJANS ON THE NET -- USC baseball games this season will be broadcast live on usctrojans.com with video webcasts for every home game, courtesy of Trojans All-Access. All road games will feature a live audio broadcast.

Fans should note that video webcasts will no longer be archived.

TROJANS PICKED NINTH IN PAC-10 -- USC was picked to finish ninth in the Pac-10 Conference, according to the preseason coaches poll. The Trojans were slotted behind UCLA, Stanford, Arizona State, Oregon, Arizona, California, Washington State and Oregon State and ahead of Washington.

TROJANS IN THE MAJORS -- In the history of the USC baseball program, a total of 97 players had made it to the major leagues.

NO EASY WAY OUT -- According to Boyd's World, USC is beginning the 2011 season with the No. 1 toughest schedule in the nation.

GETTING TO THE (BB)COR OF THE MATTER -- The buzzword in college baseball for the 2011 season are the new BBCOR (Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution) bats being used for play. NCAA-mandated levels for all aluminum bats have ensured that players using BBCOR-rated bats will be similar to that of hitting a wood bat.

"I think the majority of coaches believe it's going to be a lower-scoring game and a quicker game," said USC head coach Frank Cruz. "They feel the pitchers will dominate because of the fact that the baseball is not coming off the barrel as it used to in the past. I think you will see a more fundamental team game."

TAKING ANOTHER CRUZ -- In August 2010, new USC athletic director Pat Haden installed Frank Cruz as interim head coach for the 2011 season. Cruz is in his second tour of duty at USC after 12 seasons as head coach at Loyola Marymount (1997-2008) and his seventh overall year at USC. Cruz served as assistant coach at USC from 1993-96 under former head coach Mike Gillespie and was a volunteer assistant coach for USC in 2009 and 2010. He was an assistant coach for Team USA in 2000 and served as head coach in 2004, guiding the squad to the program's first-ever gold medal at the FISU World University Championships in Taiwan.

HOG HEAVEN -- Doyle Wilson is in his fourth season at USC as assistant coach after seven seasons as the head coach at Chandler-Gilbert (Ariz.) Community College. With a lengthy scouting background, Wilson compiled a 255-140 record at Chandler-Gilbert. He was a two-time all-conference catcher at Arkansas and played for the Razorbacks in the 1985 College World Series. Wilson is the recruiting coordinator and works as lead hitting coach.

FULL HOUSE -- Tom House, who pitched for the Trojans in 1967, is in his fourth season as the pitching coach. He will serve as volunteer coach for the 2011 season. After spending eight seasons in the major leagues, House was the pitching coach for three major league teams before becoming the founder and CEO of the famed National Pitching Association in San Diego. His principles are based in three-dimensional motion analysis, mental and emotional profiles and nutritional assessments. In 2009, Collegiate Baseball expanded its Coach of the Year Award by renaming it the Tom House Teaching Professional Award for his lifetime research and coaching expertise.

BACK AT TROY -- Former USC shortstop Gabe Alvarez is in his first season as assistant coach for the Trojans. Alvarez played at USC as a shortstop from 1993-95 and had a career .338 batting average for the Trojans with 28 home runs and 163 RBI. In 1994, he was a first team All-America pick by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association after batting .326 with seven home runs and 51 RBI. He was a second-round selection in the 1995 major league baseball draft by the San Diego Padres and played three seasons in the major leagues (1998-2000).

CITY OF ORO -- Junior infielder Ricky Oropesa (Rancho Cucamonga/Etiwanda HS) earned Baseball America All-America second team honors last year after leading the Trojans in the triple crown categories, batting .353 (83-for-253) with 20 home runs and 67 RBI (the first Trojan do lead in all three categories since Jeff Clement in 2005).

This season, Oropesa is batting .296 (8-for-27) with three doubles, a triple and five RBI. He has opened the season with a seven-game hitting streak. He had a bases-loaded double against North Carolina on Feb. 20.

Oropesa started the 2011 season with Baseball America Preseason and ESPN Preseason first team All-American and Louisville Slugger Preseason second team All-American honors. He is also on the 2011 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List as announced by USA Baseball.

His 20 home runs last year tied him for sixth place on USC's single-season list with Jason Lane (1999) while his 22 doubles put him in a tie for fifth on USC's single-season list with three other players. He earned his first All-Pac-10 Conference honor and led the team with seven stolen bases. He recorded three home runs for the first time in his career on May 28, 2010, against Washington, going 4-for-5 with a double and a season-high five RBI. He hit the walk-off homer in the 11th inning on May 18 in a 9-8 win against New Mexico State and went 4-for-5 with a double, home run and four RBI on May 14 at No. 11 UCLA. He hit a solo home run in back-to-back games on March 20 and 21 at Pacific, batting .545 (6-for-11) in the series.

He earned Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America and Pac-10 Conference honorable mention honors in his 2009 freshman season. He batted .314 (58-for-185) while leading the team in home runs (13) and RBI (48). He hit two home runs in a game twice, both around a span of one week. He hit two on April 21 against Loyola Marymount with the second one coming on April 29 at No. 6 Cal State Fullerton, where he had five RBI. He hit home runs in back-to-back games on April 9 and 10 against Oregon. He hit an opposite-field home run against UCLA's highly-touted freshman Gerrit Cole on March 21. On March 14, he hit his first collegiate home run and had a season-high four RBI.

As a 24th round draft selection in the 2008 draft by the Boston Red Sox, Oropesa batted .563 with six home runs, two triples and 16 RBI as a senior in high school and .547 as a junior with 11 home runs and 46 RBI.

CAREER CHANGER -- Ricky Oropesa has 33 career home runs is currently in USC's all-time list for round trippers: 1. Mark McGwire, 1982-84 54 2. Jeff Clement, 2003-05 46 3. Geoff Jenkins, 1993-95 45 4. Eric Munson, 1997-99 43 5. Morgan Ensberg, 1995-98 40 6. Jason Lane, 1998-99 34 7. Mike Robertson, 1989-91 33 Joey Metropoulos, 2002-04 33 Ricky Oropesa, 2009-11 33 10. Pat Harrison, 1966-68 32 Brad Ticehurst, 1996-99 32

PULL THE TRIGGER -- Junior right-hander Andrew Triggs (Nashville, Tenn./Montgomery Bell Academy) went 2-7 last season with a 3.95 ERA (70 2/3 IP, 71 H, 31 ER, 21 BB, 62 SO, .257 OBA) and earned Pac-10 Conference honorable mention. He was drafted in the 2010 major league draft in the 24th round by the Cleveland Indians.

He has a 6.75 ERA this season (9 1/3 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 4 SO, .324 OBA). He recorded the no-decision in his season debut against Missouri with 4 2/3 innings and allowed just one earned run.

Last season, he threw seven scoreless innings, giving up just three hits with a walk and eight strikeouts in the win on April 30, 2010, against No. 19 Arizona. He took the loss on March 28 at No. 19 Stanford, but allowed only three runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. He gave up just two runs (one earned) on five hits with a career-high nine strikeouts on March 5 against New Mexico. He allowed four runs in seven innings with a walk and seven strikeouts in a 9-4 win on Feb. 19 at Cal Poly, the season opener for both teams.

Triggs earned Pac-10 Conference honorable mention recognition as a freshman, going 5-3 with a 3.96 ERA (75.0 IP, 79 H, 33 ER, 20 BB, 50 SO, .276 OBA).

He earned the win on April 18, 2009, at No. 14 Oregon State, allowing just two runs in eight innings. On March 22 against UCLA in his second start, he threw seven scoreless innings against the Bruins, allowing just three hits with seven strikeouts for the win. He celebrated his 20th birthday on March 16 with his first collegiate win in his first start against Winthrop (7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER). He threw six strong innings in relief on March 7 at Tulane, allowing two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Triggs had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow prior to his senior season of high school, but bounced back after two years on the sidelines.

KNOCK ON WOOD -- Junior Austin Wood (Niceville, Fla./Florida State/St. Petersburg CC) was drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 major league draft by the Tampa Bay Rays and provides a power arm for the Trojans' starting rotation.

He is 1-0 this season with a 3.86 ERA (11 2/3 IP, 10 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 11 SO, .233 OBA). After giving up a home run to Rice All-American Anthony Rendon on Feb. 26, Wood retired 13 of the next 15 batters and finished with allowing three runs on four hits in 6 2/3 innings. He earned the win in a rain-shortened, five-inning game on Feb. 19 against Cal Poly as he allowed two runs on six hits with a walk and six strikeouts in his Trojan debut.

He pitched for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League last summer and was selected to play in the All-Star Game. He posted a 3-0 record with a 0.58 ERA for the Kettleers.

Last year, he had a 3-4 record with a 4.81 ERA at St. Petersburg College (43 IP, 45 H, 23 ER, 21 BB, 42 SO) after transferring from Florida State in his 2009 freshman season. He made five starts in nine games for the Seminoles and had a 6.35 ERA. In 22 2/3 innings at Florida State, he allowed 24 hits and 16 earned runs with 25 walks and 13 strikeouts.

DE PINTO BEANS -- Senior infielder Joe De Pinto (Sunland, St. Francis HS) earned Pac-10 Conference honorable mention recognition last season after batting .286 (72-for-252) with 15 doubles, two home runs and 23 RBI, playing in every game.

This season, he is batting .500 (12-for-24) with six RBI. He has opened the season with a seven-game hitting streak.

He had an 11-game hitting streak snapped last weekend at Washington State last season. He hit his first home run of the season on May 2 against No. 19 Arizona. He went 4-for-6 on March 21 at Pacific.

In 53 starts, he batted .277 (53-for-191) in 2009 with three home runs and 22 RBI while finishing second on the team with 11 stolen bases.

De Pinto went 4-for-4 on March 25, 2009, in the first game of a doubleheader against Brown last year. He had a six-game hitting streak and recorded three-hit games on March 13 and 16 against Winthrop. He had an inside-the-park home run on March 8 at Tulane while his first collegiate home run came on Feb. 28 against Western Carolina, hitting a three-run shot to left at Dedeaux Field.

In 2008 as a freshman, he made 34 starts in 42 games as he batted .203 (24-for-118) with five RBI and two stolen bases.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBER -- Junior right-hander Ben Mount (Coto de Caza/Tesoro HS) went 5-6 last season for the Trojans with a 4.32 ERA (91 2/3 IP, 105 H, 44 ER, 28 BB, 65 SO, .291 OBA) as he led the team for innings and strikeouts and earned Pac-10 Conference honorable mention.

He has made one appearance this season, throwing 2 1/3 innings and allowing one unearned run on five hits on Feb. 22 at UC Riverside.

Mount allowed two earned runs last season over six innings to pick up the win on May 1 vs. No. 19 Arizona. He threw seven innings without allowing an earned run on April 24 at No. 18 Oregon and giving up only four hits. He improved to 3-1 on the season with a win over No. 21 Oregon State on April 2, allowing just two runs (one earned) on four hits with a walk and seven strikeouts.

He threw a complete game on March 13 at Hawai'i in a 3-1 victory, allowing only one run on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. He earned his first collegiate win on March 7 in a 6-2 win against New Mexico, going 5 2/3 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits.

NO STICK IN THE MUD -- Senior right-hander Chris Mezger (Boulder, Colo./Fairview HS) has a nickname of "Stick" as the team's tallest player at 6-10. He has a 3.78 grade-point-average and is majoring in linguistics.

He is 1-0 this season with a 4.50 ERA (4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, .286 OBA). He got the win on Feb. 19 in the season opener against Missouri with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.

Last season, he went 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA (51 1/3 IP, 58 H, 26 ER, 17 BB, 40 SO, .289 OBA). Mezger made his first collegiate start on May 2 against No. 19 Arizona and earned the no-decision with five innings while allowing just two runs. He threw two scoreless innings on April 24 as USC defeated No. 18 Oregon, 5-4, in 10 innings. He threw four scoreless innings in relief and allowed only one hit to get the win on March 30 at Loyola Marymount and picked up his first collegiate win on March 2 at Long Beach State with 4 2/3 innings, allowing one run (unearned) on four hits. He was named to the 2010 CoSIDA Academic District VIII Team.

YOU SPIN ME ROUND -- Junior catcher Kevin Roundtree (Glendora/Glendora HS) made 47 starts in 50 games last season and batted .288 (46-for-160) with one home run and 23 RBI, earning 2010 Pac-10 Conference honorable mention recognition.

This season, Roundtree is batting .500 (6-for-12). He was hit in the helmet by a pitch on Feb. 25 at Rice in the first inning, but was able to come back as a pinch hitter on Feb. 27.

Last season, Roundtree collected five hits in the final two games of the Pacific series (March 20-21). He hit his first collegiate home run on March 14 at Hawai'i and on March 12 in Honolulu, he went 3-for-3 at the plate with two stolen bases while throwing out two runners at second.

SPARE THE ROD -- Junior outfielder/pitcher Alex Sherrod (Marrieta, Ga./Walton HS) batted .315 (41-for-130) last season with six home runs and 28 RBI.

This season, he is batting .370 (10-for-27) with two home runs and seven RBI. He hit the team's first home runs of the season on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 at No. 22 Rice.

Last season, Sherrod had a triple and home run on May 7 against Utah. He hit a home run in the final two games of the series against No. 19 Arizona (May 1-2). He had a career-high five RBI in a 13-8 win on March 26 at No. 19 Stanford, hitting a three-run homer in the third. He went 4-for-6 on March 21 at Pacific. On March 2 at Long Beach State, he hit a three-run homer to start a seven-run third inning during the Trojans' 10-5 win.

He started in 31 games during his 2009 freshman season for the Trojans in right field. He batted .296 (34-for-115) with 11 RBI.

He hit a two-run double in the ninth to help USC defeat No. 14 Oregon State on April 18 in Corvallis and set up a 9-2 double play in the bottom of the ninth on April 19 to send the game into extra innings.

RESCUE ME -- Junior infielder/outfielder Matt Foat (Rescue/Ponderosa HS/Sierra College) earned 2010 Pac-10 Conference honorable mention after batting .275 (50-for-182) with five home runs and 33 RBI.

He is batting .227 (5-for-22) this season.

Foat recorded five RBI on March 21 in a 15-9 win at Pacific, including his fourth homer of the season. He went 8-for-17 (.471) in the four-game series at Hawai'i (March 12-15) with five doubles, one triple, one home runs and six RBI. His key game was March 13 in a 3-1 win, knocking in two runs thanks to a double and triple.

He started his Trojan career in style last season with a 4-for-5 and four RBI night in the season opener on Feb. 19 at Cal Poly. He hit .462 (6-for-13) for the weekend with five RBI.

He earned 2009 All Big-8 Conference first team honors at Sierra College after batting .395 (70-for-177) with 18 doubles, six home runs, 36 RBI and nine stolen bases.

THOUSAND POINTS OF LIGHT -- Junior right-hander Chad Smith (Thousand Oaks/Thousand Oaks HS) will assume the closer role for the 2011 season.

He is 0-1 this season with a 2.45 ERA and one save (3 2/3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, .286 OBA). He threw a scoreless innings to pick up his first save on the season (Feb. 22 at UC Riverside).

Last season, he went 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA and two saves (56 1/3 IP, 50 H, 28 ER, 31 BB, 58 SO, .237 OBA). He made six starts in 23 appearances.

Smith recorded a career-high nine strikeouts on April 1, 2010, against No. 21 Oregon State with five innings of relief. He picked up the save by pitching in the ninth inning on March 30 at Loyola Marymount. On March 15 at Hawai'i, he allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings with two walks and eight strikeouts to earn his first victory of the season.

Smith went 3-4 in 2009 with a 3.40 ERA (45 IP, 51 H, 17 ER, 16 BB, 38 SO, .273 OBA) with one save. He made four starts in 18 appearances.

LOGAN'S RUN -- Senior right-hander Logan Odom (Central Point, Ore./North Medford HS/Western Nevada CC) went 1-0 last season for the Trojans with a 7.01 ERA with four starts in 25 appearances (43 2/3 IP, 59 H, 34 ER, 21 BB, 28 SO, .324 OBA).

He has a 7.59 ERA this season (10 2/3 IP, 11 H, 9 ER, 6 BB, 7 SO, .256 OBA).

Last season, he earned his first win on April 20 against UC Santa Barbara with one no-hit inning after the Trojans rallied from an 8-0 deficit to win, 9-8.

MISTER ROBERTS -- Freshman infielder James Roberts (Cupertino/Archbishop Mitty HS) will start the season as the Trojans' shortstop, but expect to see him on the mound in late-inning situations.

He is batting .261 (6-for-23) this season. He was hit three times by a pitch on Feb. 20 against North Carolina.

He was selected to the 2010 Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game and was a member of the Archbishop Mitty High squad that won the 2010 mythical national championship by finishing first in the RivalsHigh Top 100 High School rankings. He was drafted in the 42nd round of the 2010 major league baseball draft by the San Francisco Giants.

HOUTS IN THE HOUTFIELD -- Junior outfielder Garret Houts (Fort Collins, Colo./Fort Collins HS) played in 43 games last season, batting .288 (23-for-80) with three home runs and nine RBI.

He is batting .286 (2-for-7) this season with two RBI.

Last season, Houts hit home runs in back-to-back games on May 21 and 22 at Washington State. He recorded two doubles in a 3-for-5 game on March 20 at Pacific with one RBI.

He made 19 starts in 33 games in 2009, batting .232 (13-for-56) with one home run and six RBI. Houts recorded his first collegiate home run last year on March 7 at Tulane in a 2-for-4 performance.

BODY BY JAKE -- Freshman catcher Jake Hernandez (Rancho Cucamonga/Los Osos HS) made his collegiate debut on Feb. 20 against North Carolina, going 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI.

He is batting .250 (4-for-16) this season with three RBI.

DON'T GO BREAKING MY HART -- Junior infielder Matt Hart (Tacoma, Wash./Washington State/Santa Ana College) batted .267 in his first season as a Trojan last year with 12 RBI. He made 37 starts in 46 games.

He is batting .200 (3-for-15) this season with two RBI.

Last season, he opened with a nine-game hitting streak that was snapped on March 7. He went 3-for-4 with two doubles on Feb. 20 at Cal Poly.

ONE IF BY LAND, TWO IF BY SEA -- Sophomore infielder Adam Landecker (Calabasas/Calabasas HS) made 43 starts last season, batting .265 (35-for-132) with one home run and 15 RBI to earn Pac-10 Conference honorable mention.

He is batting .182 (2-for-11) this season with two RBI.

Landecker hit his first collegiate homer with a two-run shot to left over the "Blue Monster" on March 30, 2010, at Loyola Marymount. He went 0-for-1 in his collegiate debut on Feb. 21 at Cal Poly.

GLENNGARRY GLENN ROSS -- Sophomore outfielder Alex Glenn (McDonough, Ga./Henry County HS) made 14 starts in 39 games as a freshman last season, batting .193 with two home runs and 12 RBI.

He is batting .214 (3-for-14) this season.

Last season, he went 2-for-2 with a double and his first collegiate home run on April 18 at No. 3 Arizona State.

He was a 2009 ESPN Rise Magazine all-area first team selection in his senior season and was drafted in the 37th round of the 2009 MLB draft by the Florida Marlins.

GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING -- Junior infielder/outfielder Mike Greco (Scottsdale, Ariz./Army) redshirted in 2009 for the Trojans after making 43 starts in 46 games at Army during the 2008 season. Greco, who was scheduled to be in the starting lineup last season, was hit by a pitch on Feb. 17 during a practice and did not play until April 9 against California when he entered the game as a pinch hitter. He batted .133 in nine games for the Trojans.

He is batting .222 (2-for-9) this season.

He batted .250 (39-for-156) for Army with two home runs, 11 doubles, three stolen bases and 27 RBI.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE -- The 2011 recruiting class for the USC baseball team was ranked No. 16 in the nation by Baseball America.

The incoming class includes: outfielder Omar Cotto-Lozada (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Bonneville HS); right-handed pitcher James Guillen (Covina/Damien HS); catcher Jake Hernandez (Rancho Cucamonga/Los Osos HS); left-handed pitcher Kyle Richter (Santa Margarita/Santa Margarita HS); shortstop/right-handed pitcher James Roberts (Cupertino/Archbishop Mitty HS); left-handed pitcher Bobby Wheatley (Villa Park/Orange Lutheran HS) and right-handed pitcher Austin Wood (Niceville, Fla./St. Petersburg College).

DEDEAUX FIELD DEDICATIONS -- Prior to the start of the 2011 season, the scoreboard at Dedeaux Field was renamed the Mike Gillespie Scoreboard in honor of former USC player and head coach Mike Gillespie (now the head coach at UC Irvine).

Gillespie, who was a player on USC's 1961 national championship, spent 20 seasons as USC's head coach (1987-2006). He led USC as head coach to the 1998 national championship, as well as four trips to the College World Series during his tenure.

The batting cages were renamed for the Boone Family, in honor of the Boone family that included former USC players Aaron and Bret Boone. The Boone family became the first family in baseball history to send three generations to the major league All-Star Game (grandfather, Ray, and father, Bob). Bret Boone played at USC from 1988-90 while his brother Aaron played at USC from 1992-94. Both played in the 2003 All-Star Game as a total of five former Trojans (Geoff Jenkins, Barry Zito and Mark Prior) participated in the game.

OPERATION: OMAHA -- From 1948 to 1978, USC dominated the world of college baseball with 11 national championships in 17 appearances at the College World Series (the 1948 CWS was held in Kalamazoo, Mich., with the CWS moving to Omaha, Neb., in 1949). After the 1978 season, the Trojans went through a drought and did not return to Omaha until 1995, when Troy reached the national championship game. Since 1995, the Trojans have made four trips to Omaha (1995-1998-2000-2001), winning their 12th CWS title in 1998. USC has the second-most wins (74) at the CWS and is tied for third for most appearances (21).

TROJAN BASEBALL HALL OF FAME -- On Feb. 1, 2003, the USC Baseball Hall of Fame opened to the public for the first time. The Hall of Fame was the final part of a $4 million Dedeaux Field renovation project that included a new locker room, seating pavilion on the first base side and stadium seating. All 12 national championship trophies are permanently displayed as well as the awards won by former Trojan pitcher Mark Prior during his 2001 national player of the year season. Prior made a sizable donation to help complete the project. The major league uniforms of former Trojans are also on display.

THE "OTHER" HALLS OF FAME -- Former USC pitcher Tom Seaver was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992 with a 98.8% vote, which remains the highest percentage ever for an inducted member. In the summer of 2006, legendary coach Rod Dedeaux (who passed away on January 5, 2006) was a member of the inaugural class for the College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas. Another USC addition was made in 2007 when former outfielder Fred Lynn is inducted. He appeared on three consecutive USC national championship squads (1971, 1972 and 1973) and had a career .320 average with 28 home runs and 111 RBI. He also earned 1971 All-College World Series honors for the Trojans.

USC Closes Out Road Stretch This Weekend

Players Mentioned

Matt Foat

Alex Glenn

Mike Greco

James Guillen

Matt Hart

Jake Hernandez

Jordan Hershiser

Garret Houts

Adam Landecker

Chris Mezger

Ben Mount

Ben Mount

Logan Odom

Ricky Oropesa

Joe Pinto

Kyle Richter

James Roberts

Kevin Roundtree

Alex Sherrod

Chad Smith

Andrew Triggs

Andrew Triggs

Bobby Wheatley

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University Southern California Trojans

USC Closes Out Road Stretch This Weekend

Players Mentioned

Matt Foat

Alex Glenn

Mike Greco

James Guillen

Matt Hart

Jake Hernandez

Jordan Hershiser

Garret Houts

Adam Landecker

Chris Mezger

Ben Mount

Ben Mount

Logan Odom

Ricky Oropesa

Joe Pinto

Kyle Richter

James Roberts

Kevin Roundtree

Alex Sherrod

Chad Smith

Andrew Triggs

Andrew Triggs

Bobby Wheatley

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