On Sunday, nine USC baseball seniors will play beneath the afternoon sun at Dedeaux Field for the final time. Four years after starting their Trojan careers, a lot has changed within the most successful program in college baseball history, and the positive growth is due in large part to this class of talented players who ushered in the start of a new era of USC baseball.
Just two days before the start of the 2013 season, previously-titled associate head coach Dan Hubbs was named the team's head coach, faced with leading a USC program that had settled into mediocrity. It was time to rebuild, and Hubbs would begin that process with the 24th-best recruiting class in the country. The Trojans posted a 20-36 record in Hubbs' first season, but the head coach and his resilient group of freshmen were confident things were headed in the right direction. Four years later, the departing class, which includes Turner Clouse, Kyle Davis, Brooks Kriske, Marc Huberman, David Oppenheim, AJ Ramirez, Timmy Robinson, Reggie Southall and Brent Wheatley, has won 112 total games over three seasons together. Last season, the class led USC to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.Â
It will be a special weekend for the core group of players that trusted their head coach, invested in each other and saw the rebuilding process through. In the midst of a season in which the Trojans have hovered around .500, the group stands as a reminder that while success in college baseball comes in waves, one committed unit of players can turn things around in a flash.
USC hosts Oregon State, which is just one game back from the Trojans in the Pac-12 standings, for a decisive series beginning Friday at 7 p.m. PT. Saturday's game will begin at 1 p.m. PT and Sunday's will start at Noon. All three games will be televised on the Pac-12 Network. Be sure to follow @USC_Baseball for in-game updates, photos from Senior Day and more!
