University Southern California Trojans
Thursday, February 21
Los Angeles, CA
7:00 PM
USC
vs
Arkansas
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP/1B
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
C/1B
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C/OF
/ Baseball
OF
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1B
/ Baseball
Photo by: Katie Chin
Trojans Host No. 16 Arkansas This Week
February 20, 2019 | Baseball, Features
THIS WEEK: The Trojans continue their season-opening homestand with a three game series against No. 16 Arkansas starting on Thursday this week.
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GAME TIMES: Thursday, 7 p.m. | Friday, 6 p.m. | Saturday, 6 p.m.
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BROADCAST INFO: All three games will be streamed live, with links available on the USCTrojans.com baseball schedule page.
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FOLLOW: Fans can also follow all of this weekend's action through live stats on USCTrojans.com. Live, in-game updates will be available from @USC_Baseball on Twitter as well.
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GET SOCIAL: Follow USC Baseball on social media to get updates on everything going on with the team this season. The Trojans can be found at @USC_Baseball on Twitter, @sctrojans on Instagram and USC Trojans Baseball on Facebook.
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SERIES VS. ARKANSAS: The Trojans are 2-2 all-time against the Razorbacks. The teams first played in 1996 when USC won a regional game 15-5. USC and Arkansas faced-off in Fayetteville last year, with the Razorbacks taking two of three games.
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OPENING WEEKEND: USC took two of three games at home from Omaha on opening weekend, winning the opener in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning walk-off single from Brandon Perez. The Trojans then cruised to a dominant 11-0 win on Saturday in which John Beller tossed 7.0 scoreless innings. USC dropped the finale 12-9 despite scoring the final 8 runs of the game and nearly coming back from a 12-1 deficit.
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THE ROSTER: The Trojans return 25 players from last year's roster and welcome a total of 11 newcomers heading into the season. The team has 3 seniors, 11 juniors (2 RS), 11 sophomores (1 RS) and 11 freshmen (1 RS). There are 17 pitchers (8 left, 9 right) and 19 position players.
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THE SCHEDULE: USC plays its first 13 games at Dedeaux Field before facing UCLA at Dodger Stadium before finally hitting the road for the first time in the third week of March. The Trojans play 32 games at home and 24 games on the road this season. The 56 game slate features seven teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year and three that were in the College World Series, including both of the teams from the championship final, Arkansas and Oregon State.
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STOPPER WATCH: Connor Lunn was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year (given to the top reliever in college baseball each year) watch list early this season. Lunn was the Trojans' closer all of 2018, leading the team with eight saves over the course of 30.1 innings pitched and 22 total relief appearances. The junior righty boasted a 2.97 ERA while striking out 32 batters and walking just nine last season.
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RECRUITING CLASS: The Trojans welcomed the 14th ranked recruiting class in the nation according to Baseball America and the 16th ranked class according to Perfect Game. Perfect Game also had the USC class as the highest rated class on the West Coast. D1baseball.com had the Trojan class ranked No. 21.
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SUMMER BALL: 14 Trojans spread our across the country to play summer ball this offseason, with four playing in the famed Cape Cod League (Blake Sabol, Kyle Hurt, Connor Lunn, Ben Ramirez). Four USC players earned All-Star or All-League honors in their respective leagues; Sabol (Chatham Anglers, Cape Cod League), John Thomas (Arroyo Seco Saints, California Collegiate League), Chris Clarke (Bethesda Big Train, Cal Ripken Collegiate League) and Brady Shockey (Palm Springs Power, Southern California Collegiate League). Sabol especially stood out as one of the top prospects in the Cape and even made an appearance in the league's home run derby. He was named to the Perfect Game Collegiate Summer All-American second team.
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PROSPECT RANKINGS: In the latest D1Baseball prospect rankings for the next two draft classes, four Trojans were ranked. In the 2019 draft class (350 ranked), Kyle Hurt is the 53rd ranked prospect, Blake Sabol is 63rd and Chris Clarke is 324. In the 2020 class (150 ranked), Chandler Champlain is 64th.
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IMPACT FRESHMAN: D1Baseball ranked the Top 100 impact freshmen in college baseball and three USC rookies were ranked. Chandler Champlain is ranked No. 11, Preston Hartsell No. 91 and Clay Owens No. 94.
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ALL-PAC-12 RETURNERS: The Trojans bring back a pair of players in Lars Nootbaar and Brandon Perez who earned All-Pac-12 recognition in 2017. Nootbaar garnered his first All-Pac-12 recognition thanks to a .313 batting average, 34 RBI and 33 runs scored. Perez earned honorbal mention on the all-conference list after finishing second on the team with a .328 average in his freshman season.
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DRAFTED: The Trojans had a trio of players selected in last year's MLB Draft. RHP Solomon Bates was taken in the eighth round (226 overall) by the San Francisco Giants, OF Lars Nootbaar was also selected in the eighth round by the St. Louis Cardinals (243 overall) and 1B Dillon Paulson was taken in the 13th round () by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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DODGER STADIUM CLASSIC: USC will once again play in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic this year, facing UCLA on March 10 in Chavez Ravine. Leading up to the final at Dodger Stadium, the Trojans will host Oklahoma State on March 8 and Michigan on March 9. Michigan and Oklahoma State will play at Dodger Stadium prior to the Trojans and Bruins.
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USC TO THE MLB: No other school can claim a larger number of alumni who have made it to the big leagues, with 111 Trojans having played in the MLB. The list includes three Trojans who have made it to the MLB Hall of Fame (Randy Johnson, Tom Seaver, Pat Gillick), nine Cy Young Awards (Johnson 5 times, Seaver 3 times, Barry Zito once), three Rookie of the Years (Seaver, Fred Lynn, Mark McGwire), one American League MVP (Lynn), one World Series MVP (Johnson), 29 World Series appearances and 67 All-Star Game appearances. In all, 330 Trojans have been selected in the MLB Draft.
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CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: The Trojans have an unparalleled history of championship success at the College World Series, winning 12 total national titles (1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1998). The 12 titles are double any other team in the country and were won in 21 CWS appearances by the Trojans. USC won five straight NCAA Championships from 1970-74, a feat no other program has accomplished.
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GAME TIMES: Thursday, 7 p.m. | Friday, 6 p.m. | Saturday, 6 p.m.
Â
BROADCAST INFO: All three games will be streamed live, with links available on the USCTrojans.com baseball schedule page.
Â
FOLLOW: Fans can also follow all of this weekend's action through live stats on USCTrojans.com. Live, in-game updates will be available from @USC_Baseball on Twitter as well.
Â
GET SOCIAL: Follow USC Baseball on social media to get updates on everything going on with the team this season. The Trojans can be found at @USC_Baseball on Twitter, @sctrojans on Instagram and USC Trojans Baseball on Facebook.
Â
SERIES VS. ARKANSAS: The Trojans are 2-2 all-time against the Razorbacks. The teams first played in 1996 when USC won a regional game 15-5. USC and Arkansas faced-off in Fayetteville last year, with the Razorbacks taking two of three games.
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OPENING WEEKEND: USC took two of three games at home from Omaha on opening weekend, winning the opener in dramatic fashion with a ninth-inning walk-off single from Brandon Perez. The Trojans then cruised to a dominant 11-0 win on Saturday in which John Beller tossed 7.0 scoreless innings. USC dropped the finale 12-9 despite scoring the final 8 runs of the game and nearly coming back from a 12-1 deficit.
Â
THE ROSTER: The Trojans return 25 players from last year's roster and welcome a total of 11 newcomers heading into the season. The team has 3 seniors, 11 juniors (2 RS), 11 sophomores (1 RS) and 11 freshmen (1 RS). There are 17 pitchers (8 left, 9 right) and 19 position players.
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THE SCHEDULE: USC plays its first 13 games at Dedeaux Field before facing UCLA at Dodger Stadium before finally hitting the road for the first time in the third week of March. The Trojans play 32 games at home and 24 games on the road this season. The 56 game slate features seven teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year and three that were in the College World Series, including both of the teams from the championship final, Arkansas and Oregon State.
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STOPPER WATCH: Connor Lunn was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year (given to the top reliever in college baseball each year) watch list early this season. Lunn was the Trojans' closer all of 2018, leading the team with eight saves over the course of 30.1 innings pitched and 22 total relief appearances. The junior righty boasted a 2.97 ERA while striking out 32 batters and walking just nine last season.
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RECRUITING CLASS: The Trojans welcomed the 14th ranked recruiting class in the nation according to Baseball America and the 16th ranked class according to Perfect Game. Perfect Game also had the USC class as the highest rated class on the West Coast. D1baseball.com had the Trojan class ranked No. 21.
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SUMMER BALL: 14 Trojans spread our across the country to play summer ball this offseason, with four playing in the famed Cape Cod League (Blake Sabol, Kyle Hurt, Connor Lunn, Ben Ramirez). Four USC players earned All-Star or All-League honors in their respective leagues; Sabol (Chatham Anglers, Cape Cod League), John Thomas (Arroyo Seco Saints, California Collegiate League), Chris Clarke (Bethesda Big Train, Cal Ripken Collegiate League) and Brady Shockey (Palm Springs Power, Southern California Collegiate League). Sabol especially stood out as one of the top prospects in the Cape and even made an appearance in the league's home run derby. He was named to the Perfect Game Collegiate Summer All-American second team.
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PROSPECT RANKINGS: In the latest D1Baseball prospect rankings for the next two draft classes, four Trojans were ranked. In the 2019 draft class (350 ranked), Kyle Hurt is the 53rd ranked prospect, Blake Sabol is 63rd and Chris Clarke is 324. In the 2020 class (150 ranked), Chandler Champlain is 64th.
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IMPACT FRESHMAN: D1Baseball ranked the Top 100 impact freshmen in college baseball and three USC rookies were ranked. Chandler Champlain is ranked No. 11, Preston Hartsell No. 91 and Clay Owens No. 94.
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ALL-PAC-12 RETURNERS: The Trojans bring back a pair of players in Lars Nootbaar and Brandon Perez who earned All-Pac-12 recognition in 2017. Nootbaar garnered his first All-Pac-12 recognition thanks to a .313 batting average, 34 RBI and 33 runs scored. Perez earned honorbal mention on the all-conference list after finishing second on the team with a .328 average in his freshman season.
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DRAFTED: The Trojans had a trio of players selected in last year's MLB Draft. RHP Solomon Bates was taken in the eighth round (226 overall) by the San Francisco Giants, OF Lars Nootbaar was also selected in the eighth round by the St. Louis Cardinals (243 overall) and 1B Dillon Paulson was taken in the 13th round () by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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DODGER STADIUM CLASSIC: USC will once again play in the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic this year, facing UCLA on March 10 in Chavez Ravine. Leading up to the final at Dodger Stadium, the Trojans will host Oklahoma State on March 8 and Michigan on March 9. Michigan and Oklahoma State will play at Dodger Stadium prior to the Trojans and Bruins.
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USC TO THE MLB: No other school can claim a larger number of alumni who have made it to the big leagues, with 111 Trojans having played in the MLB. The list includes three Trojans who have made it to the MLB Hall of Fame (Randy Johnson, Tom Seaver, Pat Gillick), nine Cy Young Awards (Johnson 5 times, Seaver 3 times, Barry Zito once), three Rookie of the Years (Seaver, Fred Lynn, Mark McGwire), one American League MVP (Lynn), one World Series MVP (Johnson), 29 World Series appearances and 67 All-Star Game appearances. In all, 330 Trojans have been selected in the MLB Draft.
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CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: The Trojans have an unparalleled history of championship success at the College World Series, winning 12 total national titles (1948, 1958, 1961, 1963, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1998). The 12 titles are double any other team in the country and were won in 21 CWS appearances by the Trojans. USC won five straight NCAA Championships from 1970-74, a feat no other program has accomplished.
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