University Southern California Trojans
Trojans Finish Season with Pac-12 Series at Arizona
May 23, 2013 | Baseball
May 23, 2013
Upcoming Games Schedule
Friday, May 24
USC at Arizona - 7 p.m. PT
LHP Bob Wheatley (3-4, 2.64 ERA, 36 Ks) vs. RHP Konner Wade (5-6, 4.44 ERA, 63 Ks)
Hi Corbett Field
Saturday, May 25
USC at Arizona - 7 p.m. PT
TBA vs. RHP James Farris (4-5, 4.20 ERA, 72 Ks)
Hi Corbett Field
Sunday, May 26
USC at Arizona - 12 p.m. PT
TBA vs. LHP Tyler Crawford (6-2, 4.18 ERA, 43 Ks)
Hi Corbett Field
Pac-12 Networks
LOS ANGELES -- The Trojans finish off the season at Arizona, as they are set to begin their three-game set on Friday at 6 p.m. PT at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Ariz.
The Trojans enter the weekend after a stellar pitching performance by James Guillen led the team to a 6-4 victory at UC Irvine on Tuesday. Guillen went five complete innings in relief, only allowing one run on one hit as he shut down the Anteater offense and kept their hitters off balance. Greg Zebrackled the team at the plate as he broke open the game and gave the Trojans a lead in the top of the fifth inning on a two RBI double.
The Trojans were swept by then-No. 8 UCLA over the weekend, despite the Trojans scoring first in all three games, and tying the Bruins in hits in game two and out-hitting their opponents on Sunday. On Sunday's Senior Day, Adam Landeckerwent 4-for-5, scoring one run. On the weekend, Landecker batted an impressive 538, going 7-for-13.
The Trojan pitching staff has been strong as of late, and over the last 49 innings (before Tuesday's game), they boast an ERA of 1.88. Of the last 12 games, the staff has given up four earned runs or less in nine of them.
ARIZONA NOTES-- The reigning national champion Wildcats enter the weekend with a record of 31-21 and are 12-15 in the Pac-12. They lead the conference with a team batting average of .300. Their pitching staff has a combined 4.52 ERA, which ranks ninth out of the 11 teams. Brandon Dixon leads their team with a .370 batting average to lead the conference, just ahead of USC's Adam Landeckerwith a .365 average. This weekend the conference batting title could potentially be decided between Dixon and Landecker.
The Trojans lead the Wildcats in their all-time matchups, with a record of 116-98-1. The first meeting between the two ballclubs came in 1921.Last year at Dedeaux Field the Trojans won the middle game of the series, but the Wildcats took the series, winning two games. The last time the Trojans played in Tucson was in 2011, and they were swept by the Wildcats in that three-game series. The last series the Trojans won was in 2010 at Dedeaux Field, where they took two of three contests. In the last 10 games against the Wildcats, the Trojans are 4-6.
IMPRESSIVE AT THE PLATE --So far this season under guidance of head coach Dan Hubbs and the specialized training of hitting coach Gabe Alvarez, a former Trojan great and major leaguer, the Trojans have an impressive four everyday starters batting over .300 - Those include senior infielder Adam Landecker (.365), redshirt senior outfielder Greg Zebrack (.339), junior infielder Kevin Swick (.314) and junior infielder James Roberts (.320). Of those four student-athletes, only Swick, Landecker and Roberts were regular contributors in 2012. Zebrack entered the season as a redshirt senior transfer from UPenn. Freshman Blake Laceyhas regularly been over .300 this year and just dipped down after Tuesday's contest to .294. The 2002 season was the last time the Trojans ended with at least seven regular contributors batting over .300, and that team won the Pac-10 title and advanced to NCAA Super Regional play. In 2006 and again in 2007, the Trojans finished with six regular contributors batting at least .300.
FINISHING OFF GAMES -- The Trojans completed a feat against Washington State that hasn't happened since 2011. On Saturday, May 11th, Wyatt Strahan threw the first complete game of his career as the Trojans won, 5-1. On Sunday, May 12, Nigel Nootbaar also threw his first complete game, this time a shutout in an 11-0 drubbing of Washington State. The last time Trojans threw back-to-back complete games was on June 1st and 2nd in 2011. On June 1st vs. Florida International, Mark Prior threw a complete game as the Trojans won, 5-1. Rik Currier followed on June 2, as he fired a complete-game 6-0 shutout over Florida International. This feat happened twice that year, as on May 13, Rik Currier threw a complete-game shutout over Washington State, 7-0. The next day, on May 14, Anthony Reyesthrew a complete game against the Cougars in a 5-1 win.
WINNING A ROAD PAC-12 SERIES -- The Trojans won their first Pac-12 road series at California since May 20-22, 2011 at Oregon State, when they took games two and three of the series in Corvallis. They have since won a second road conference series at Utah. The Trojans have yet to win a Pac-12 series at Dedeaux Field this season, after winning two last year (vs. California and Oregon State). 2011 was the last time the program won two Pac-10/12 series on the road (at Oregon State and at Washington). The Trojans won their first Pac-12 series of the season when they took two-of-three from Washington State.
TROJANS ON THE NET -- On Friday and Saturday, there will be links on usctrojans.com to Arizona's free video feed. Sunday's season finale will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.
IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA WORLD -- Follow the Trojan baseball all year long on twitter, with the baseball specific twitter handle, USC_Baseball. The Trojans are also on Instagram, with the handle SCTrojans_Baseball.
IN THE STATS -- As of Monday Trojans rank 35th in the country with a fielding percentage of 0.975. Adam Landecker ranks 42nd in the nation with 0.36 doubles per game. As of Wednesday in the conference stats, the Trojans rank towards the top of many overall categories, including being ranked fourth in hits (500), third in doubles (92), fifth in team batting average (.280) and are tied for third in sac flies (23). In the field the Trojans have thrown out 32 would-be base stealers to lead the Pac-12 (the next-closest team is California with 26 caught stealing). Individually catcher Garrett Stubbs is tied for first in the conference, having thrown out 21 base stealers. Also Adam Landecker's team-leading batting average of .365 ranks second in the conference. His 18 doubles are also tied for second in the conference. Greg Zebrack ranks 10th in the conference with a .416 on-base percentage, while his batting average of .333 ties him for eighth. Overall Wyatt Strahan's 2.49 ERA ranks 10th in the conference. Garrett Stubbs leads the conference with 22 would-be baserunners caught-stealing. In conference play, the Trojans are fifth with 255 hits and are fourth with a .281 batting average. They also second in the conference with 15 sacrifice flies. The team ranks third with 43 doubles. Individually, . Adam Landecker ranks second with a batting average of .379, while James Roberts ranks sixth with a .351 average. Bobby Stahel leads the way with nine hit-by-pitches in conference play. Garrett Stubbsranks second with 11 baserunners caught stealing. Overall as a team in conference play, the Trojans lead with 18 caught stealing.
BIG TIME KNOCKS -- Junior infielder James Roberts tagged one on opening day at Cal State Fullerton, to give the Trojans at 2-1 lead at the time. Since then, Roberts leads the team in home runs (4), as he also tallied a solo shot in a 6-5 extra inning victory at Cal State Northridge on Feb. 23. Roberts' then hit a home run against Stanford on April 7, an eventual game-winning solo shot in the top of the eighth as USC won, 7-6. He also tallied a home run at Oregon State on 4/28. Likewise, redshirt senior transfer Greg Zebrack tallied his first career home run on Saturday at CSU Bakersfield. His home run went to dead-center and then gave the team a 3-0 lead in the top of the third. At Pepperdine on April 30, Zebrack had two home runs, marking the first time a Trojan hit two home runs in a game since Ricky Oropesa did in 2010. Dante Flores connected on his first bomb of the year at the first of the season at home, a solo shot to right field vs. Long Beach State Feb. 26. Vahn Bozoian knocked in his first collegiate home run, a solo shot, at UCLA. Blake Lacey hit his first collegiate home run, a two-run shot, at Cal's Evans Diamond in a loss on March 30, 2013. The day prior, March 29, 2013, AJ Ramirez had a solo jack in a victory versus Cal, the first of his college career. At Cal State Fullerton on April 9, Timmy Robinson delivered a solo shot, the first of his career. On Tuesday, April 16 at Loyola Marymount, the Trojans hit back-to-back home runs for the first time since 2010, when Jake Hernandez blasted his first, a solo shot, followed by another solo bomb from freshman Vahn Bozoian. Kevin Swick and Adam Landeckerboth hit their first home runs of the season, solo shots in a loss at Oregon State (4/26). Then Swick followed with a solo shot in the ninth at Pepperdine (4/30), while Landecker had a two-run shot in the same game.
SENIOR CLASS-- Redshirt senior Greg Zebrackwas recently named one of thirty candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. The award recognizes student athletes who excel both on and off the field, and are NCAA Division I seniors with notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. Zebrack holds an undergraduate degree in commerce and communication from UPenn, and is working on his Master's in Business Administration at USC. He had a 3.4 GPA in his undergraduate work, and currently holds the same in his master's courses.
YOUTH MOVEMENT -- The Trojans have 16 true freshmen, one redshirt freshman and five sophomores on their roster of 34. Of those, nine are expected to play big, everyday roles for the Trojans, and 16 underclassmen have already seen action in the young season. Those with everyday starting roles include left fielder Timmy Robinson, freshman right fielder Vahn Bozoian, sophomore first baseman Dante Flores and sophomore catcher Garrett Stubbs. On the hill, the Trojans have in the starting rotation sophomore righty Wyatt Strahan, freshman lefty Kyle Twomey and freshman righthander Brent Wheatley. Others out of the pen expected to contribute include freshman righty Kyle Davis, freshman lefty Sean Adler and sophomore righthander Nigel Nootbaar. In the field, freshman outfielder Turner Clousestarted the first two games of the season at center field.
TROJANS PICKED EIGHTH IN PAC-12 -- USC was picked to finish tied for eighth along with Washington State by a vote of the Pac-12 coaches in the preseason poll. The Trojans were picked to finish higher than Washington and Utah. Stanford was picked to win the Pac-12, followed by UCLA, Oregon State, Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State and California.
TROJANS IN THE MAJORS -- In the history of the USC baseball program, a total of 106 players had made it to the major leagues. Current major leaguers include pitchers Ryan Cook and Tommy Milone (Oakland A's); Brad Boxberger (San Diego Padres); Barry Zito (San Francisco Giants); Lucas Duda (New York Mets); Ian Kennedy(Arizona Diamondbacks).
NO EASY WAY OUT -- According to Boyd's World, USC began the 2012 season with the No. 1 toughest schedule in the nation and face 10 teams that are ranked in the top-25 preseason polls, while a total of 27 of 56 games coming against these ranked opponents.
BRINGING HIS SKILLS BACK -- Former USC shortstop Gabe Alvarezenters his third 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).
PUTTING BACK ON THE UNIFORM -- Head coach Dan Hubbs added Randy Floresto the USC baseball coaching staff on Friday, March 1. Flores, a left-handed pitcher, is a former major leaguer with an eight-year career in the big leagues. He was also on the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals team that won the World Series. Flores was an All-American during his time at USC and his experience will be an invaluable addition to the team.
ALL IN THE FAMILY -- The name may sound familiar, as the grandson of the namesake for the Trojans' ballpark, Adam Dedeaux joined the Trojan coaching staff this fall as a volunteer assistant coach. Dedeaux is the grandson of the legendary former USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux, was a Trojan baseball letterman from 2006-2010 and played professionally in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization for two seasons. Dedeaux played two seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system from 2010-11. He competed for the AZL Dodgers in rookie ball in 2010 and 2011, before heading to the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes of the Pacific Coast League. Overall he finished his time in the Dodgers organization with 26 appearances and 36 strikeouts in 38.1 total innings.
BLOCKING THE PLATE -- The Trojans boast two very qualified catchers behind the dish in junior Jake Hernandez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos HS) and sophomore Garrett Stubbs(Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines HS). The two will be splitting time behind the dish, with Hernandez boasting a plus bat and will step in to DH as well. Last season Hernandez hit .286 and drove in 15 runs. He played for the Orleans Firebirds in the Cape Cod League last summer, earning an All-Star nod and winning the Manny Robello 10th Player Award, given to the player who performs above and beyond expectations. Stubbs has been swinging the bat well from the left side as of late. After playing in the Alaska League last summer, Stubbs was named the 23rd best prospect in the highly competitive league by Perfect Game USA.
MAKING THE RETURN -- Redshirt senior outfielder Greg Zebrack(Northridge, Calif./Campbell Hall/UPenn) returns to USC after playing for the Trojans as a true freshman in 2008-09. As a true freshman he appeared in 21 games, making five starts. He then transferred to UPenn, and after sitting out the 2009-10 season due to transfer rules, Zebrack appeared in 78 games, earning All-Ivy League and All-Big Five honors as a redshirt sophomore in 2010-11 and a redshirt junior in 2011-12. During his time as a Quaker, Zebrack led the team in many offensive categories. Last season he batted .343 and led the team in on-base percentage (.448), slugging percentage (.657), RBI (28), runs (34), stolen bases (10), doubles (18) and home runs (7).
BROTHERLY LOVE -- The Trojans boast two sets of brothers on their roster, with the Aguirre brothers, senior J.R. Aguirre (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) and freshman Carl Aguirre (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) and the Wheatley brothers junior Bob Wheatley (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) and Brent Wheatley(Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS). Both Aguirre brothers favor play in the outfield, although Carl is a versatile utility player, while the Wheatleys prefer the mound. Bob is a lefty, however, while Brent is a righty.
SUMMER FUN -- The Trojans spread across the country to play summer baseball, and brought home many accolades to Troy. Competing in the Alaska League for the Peninsula Oilers was sophomore pitcher Nigel Nootbaar (El Segundo, Calif./El Segundo HS). He appeared in 13 games, compiling a 3-3 record with a 3.41 ERA in 31.2 innings pitched. He tallied 35 strikeouts, good for second on the team. Touted as potentially the most athletic player in the league, the switch-hitting Nootbaar also played 17 games at third base, collecting 10 hits and driving in two runs. Both Baseball America and Perfect Game ranked Nootbaar was the third-best prospect in the Alaska League, and he also competed in the Alaska League All-Star Team. Junior catcher Jake Hernandez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos HS) made his mark in the Cape Cod League, suiting up for the Orleans Firebirds. Hernandez was named a Cape League All-Star, starting for the East squad and earned the league's Manny Robello 10th Player Award, given to the player who performs above and beyond expectations. Named after long-time volunteer Manny Robello, who served as the director of both the Cape League and the Cotuit Athletic Association, the award recognizes a player in the league who shows the highest level of continuous leadership and dedication throughout the length of the season. Hernandez played in 33 games, hitting .239 and driving in 19 runs, while showing some pop with five home runs and five doubles. He was joined by James Roberts (Cupertino, Calif./Archbishop Mitty), who suited up for the Cotuit Kettleers and batted .306 with 25 RBIs , and Dante Flores(Norwalk, Calif./St. John Bosco HS) of the Chatham Anglers, where he appeared in 20 games and drove in three runs.
MAKING THE GRADES -- Academics is highly important at USC, and five Trojans last season earned All-Academic Pac-12 honors. The only returner of the five is junior third baseman Kevin Swick (La Canda, Calif./Loyola HS), who boasts a 3.77 GPA as a business administration major. Interested in finance, Swick held an internship in Alaska while he played summer ball for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. The other four Trojans all graduated and earned their degrees last season. Redshirt senior transfer Greg Zebrack(Northridge, Calif./Campbell Hall/UPenn) comes back to Troy with a B.A. in communication and commerce, and is currently a graduate student working on his MBA at USC. While at UPenn he earned All-Academic Big Five and Ivy League honors. He had a 3.4 GPA as a undegrad, and also earned that in his MBA program so far.
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).
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.
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 Priorduring 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.
CHANGES --At the helm for the Trojans will be first-year head coach Dan Hubbs, who was named to the position on Wednesday, Feb. 13, by athletic director Pat Haden after two-year head coach Frank Cruz was terminated for knowingly violating NCAA Countable Athletically-Related Activities limitations within the program. Those CARA rules restrict the number of hours student-athletes can spend in activities directed by or supervised by the coaching staff. In addition, the University has self-imposed a reduction in the number of practice session hours for the USC baseball team this season and next year. USC has alerted the NCAA and Pac-12 of the infraction and the University-imposed actions.
