USC Athletics

It's Opening Day in the MLB and USC is well-represented across the league.

The school that's produced more major leaguers than any other NCAA institution has five active players on Opening Day rosters, plus one club manager, five position coaches and 17 players looking to make the jump from the minor leagues.

The Kansas City Royals boast three Trojans on their Opening Day roster: pitchers Ian Kennedy and Brad Boxberger and first baseman Lucas Duda. Kennedy is USC's most seasoned MLB vet, heading into his 13th year in the league. He's been one of the most consistent pitchers in the MLB over the past decade, registering at least 30 starts every year between 2009 and 2017. The only other pitchers to accomplish that are Max Scherzer and John Lester.

USC has two other pitchers in the majors this year: Robert Stock with the San Diego Padres and Stephen Tarpley with the New York Yankees. Both Stock and Tarpley made their MLB debuts just last year.

Tarpley teams up with USC alum and Yankees manager Aaron Boone in the Bronx. In Boone's first season as manager, he guided the Yankees to a 100-62 record and a spot in the ALDS. USC alum Jason Brown joins Boone on the coaching staff as the Yankees catching coach. Four other Trojans coach across the major leagues: Brian Bannister is the VP of pitching development and assistant pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox, Jason Lane is the assistant hitting coach for the Milwaukee Brewers, Brent Strom is the pitching coach for the Houston Astros and Mark Prior is the bullpen coach for the hometown Los Angeles Dodgers.

FOLLOW YOUR TROJANS ON OPENING DAY:

Yankees vs. Orioles: 10:05 am (ESPN)
Padres vs. Giants: 1:10 pm
Royals vs. White Sox: 1:15 pm