Last weekend, the No. 13 USC baseball team snapped its three-game losing streak, winning two of three games against Utah and advancing to 32-14 on the season. In a year that has featured a host of different Trojans stepping up to the plate when it matters most, last week was junior AJ Ramirez's time to shine.
Ramirez performed unbelievably at the plate in the Trojans' last four games, going 9-for-18 with 12 RBI, including his first collegiate grand slam to beat Utah on Saturday. The versatile junior, who has played both infield and outfield this season, was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week as well as the Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week for his outstanding effort.
Following a loss to Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday, in which Ramirez went 2-for-3 with two RBI, the junior stepped up his game even further in Salt Lake City. On Friday, he repeated his two RBI performance, adding two doubles and one run scored in USC's 12-7 victory over the Utes.
The Trojans relied on Ramirez's bat again on Saturday when he knocked his first career grand slam out of Smith's Ballpark, effectively winning the second game of the series for his team. The Trojans won 8-5, and the junior finished the day just a double shy of the cycle. He now leads the the Trojans with six home runs on the year.
USC was unable to complete the sweep on Sunday, falling 8-5 to the Utes in 10 innings. Ramirez, however, still performed exceptionally, going 2-for-5 and driving in three of the Trojans' five runs. His average over the course of the week jumped from .230 to .261 and his 12 RBI moved him to second on the team.
The Trojans host UC Irvine on Tuesday at 6 p.m. PT before Stanford comes to Dedeaux Field for USC's eighth conference series of the season. Friday's game will be played at 7:30 p.m. PT, Saturday's at 7 p.m. PT and Sunday's at 3 p.m. PT. All of USC's baseball action this week will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks.
Check out the highlights from last Saturday's victory, including Ramirez's grand slam here...
