Friday, February 28
Los Angeles, Calif.
6:00 PM
USC
vs
Seton Hall
Players Mentioned
OF
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LHP
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INF
/ Baseball
RHP
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RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
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LHP
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OF
/ Baseball
RHP
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RHP
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LHP
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RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
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INF/OF
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INF
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C/1B
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INF
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C/OF
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LHP
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INF
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RHP/1B
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Photo by: John McGillen
USC Opens Homestand Against Seton Hall, UC Irvine
February 27, 2020 | Baseball, Features
THIS WEEK: The USC baseball team opens an 11 game homestand this weekend, hosting Seton Hall for three games starting on Friday, and then welcoming UC Irvine for a midweek contest on Tuesday.
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GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday vs. Seton Hall (Dedeaux Field), Feb. 28, 6 p.m. (USC Live Stream)
Saturday vs. Seton Hall (Dedeaux Field), Feb. 29, 2 p.m. (USC Live Stream)
Sunday vs. Seton Hall (Dedeaux Field), March 1, 1 p.m. (USC Live Stream)
Tuesday vs. UC Irvine (Dedeaux Field), March 3, 6 p.m. (USC Live Stream)
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BROADCAST INFO: All four home games will be shown via the USC Live Stream. Links to all of the broadcasts are available on the baseball schedule page at USCTrojans.com.
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FOLLOW: Fans can also follow the action through live stats on USCTrojans.com. Live, in-game updates will be available for all games 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_baseball on Instagram and USC Trojans Baseball on Facebook.
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A NEW ERA BEGINS: The Trojans open the 2020 season with a new manager at the helm in collegiate coaching veteran Jason Gill. Gill was hired this past June to replace Dan Hubbs, whose contract was not renewed after seven seasons. A 25-year veteran of the college coaching ranks, Gill is the fifth USC head coach since the famed Rod Dedeaux retired in 1986. He comes to USC after 11 years at the helm for Loyola Marymount and a postseason run into the finals of the UCLA regional last season.
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SERIES VS SETON HALL: USC leads 1-0 | Last meeting: 1971 | Note: The teams' lone meeting came in the first game of the 1971 College World Series, a game USC won 5-1.
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SERIES VS UCI: UCI leads 37-34 | Last meeting: 2019 | Note: The Anteaters swept the two meetings between the teams last year and have won four of the last seven.
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LAST WEEK: The Trojans won 2-of-3 games at the Tony Gwynn Classic, beating Seattle in the opener before falling to Southern Illinois and then closing with a win against tournament host San Diego State. USC made a thrilling comeback in the final game after falling behind 5-0, scoring 11 unanswered runs in the final five innings. The Trojans then stayed on the road to picks up a 7-1 win over Cal State Fullerton.
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PLAYER NOTES:
TEAM NOTES
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: Including defending national champs Vanderbilt, USC faces seven teams that made it to the 2019 postseason this year (TCU, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State, Arizona State and UCLA). Four Trojan opponents finished last year in the Top 25 (Vanderbilt-No. 1, UCLA-No. 8, Stanford-No. 10, Oregon State-No. 23) and two others were receiving votes at the end of the year (Arizona State, Cal). Of the Trojans' 24 opponents, 13 finished with records better than .500.
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TOP PROSPECTS: D1Baseball.com released its Pac-12 prospect rankings and impact freshmen lists, and nine USC baseball players were named to the lists. The prospect rankings included lists for the 2020 and 2021 drafts, to go along with the Top 30 impact freshmen in the conference. In addition, Kyle Hurt was named the No. 98 draft prospect nationally by MLB Pipeline.
2020 Draft Prospects: No. 14 – RHP Kyle Hurt, No. 17 – RHP Chandler Champlain, No. 20 – SS Ben Ramirez, No. 23 – 3B Jamal O'Guinn, No. 39 – LHP Alex Cornwell, No. 50 – LHP John Beller
2021 Draft Prospects: No. 26 – RHP Carson Lambert, No. 38 – OF Preston Hartsell
Impact Freshmen: No. 29 – OF/INF Tyresse Turner
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DRAFTED: The Trojans lost seven players to last year's MLB Draft, and had one more sign as a free agent immediately following the draft. Chris Clarke was taken in the fourth round by the Cubs, Blake Sabol in the seventh round by the Pirates, CJ Stubbs in the 10th round by the Astros, Connor Lunn in the 11th round by the Cardinals, Matthew Acosta in the 12th round by the Padres, Austin Manning in the 19th round by the Royals and Augie Sylk in the 38th round by the Royals. Chase Bushor also signed as a free agent with the Royals. It was the most players selected for the Trojans since 12 USC players were taken in the 2016 draft.
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LAST YEAR: The Trojans went 25-29-1 overall last year and 13-15-1 in conference play, finishing seventh in the Pac-12 and missing the postseason.
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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 114 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, 340 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 SCHEDULE:
Friday vs. Seton Hall (Dedeaux Field), Feb. 28, 6 p.m. (USC Live Stream)
Saturday vs. Seton Hall (Dedeaux Field), Feb. 29, 2 p.m. (USC Live Stream)
Sunday vs. Seton Hall (Dedeaux Field), March 1, 1 p.m. (USC Live Stream)
Tuesday vs. UC Irvine (Dedeaux Field), March 3, 6 p.m. (USC Live Stream)
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BROADCAST INFO: All four home games will be shown via the USC Live Stream. Links to all of the broadcasts are available on the baseball schedule page at USCTrojans.com.
Â
FOLLOW: Fans can also follow the action through live stats on USCTrojans.com. Live, in-game updates will be available for all games 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_baseball on Instagram and USC Trojans Baseball on Facebook.
Â
A NEW ERA BEGINS: The Trojans open the 2020 season with a new manager at the helm in collegiate coaching veteran Jason Gill. Gill was hired this past June to replace Dan Hubbs, whose contract was not renewed after seven seasons. A 25-year veteran of the college coaching ranks, Gill is the fifth USC head coach since the famed Rod Dedeaux retired in 1986. He comes to USC after 11 years at the helm for Loyola Marymount and a postseason run into the finals of the UCLA regional last season.
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SERIES VS SETON HALL: USC leads 1-0 | Last meeting: 1971 | Note: The teams' lone meeting came in the first game of the 1971 College World Series, a game USC won 5-1.
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SERIES VS UCI: UCI leads 37-34 | Last meeting: 2019 | Note: The Anteaters swept the two meetings between the teams last year and have won four of the last seven.
Â
LAST WEEK: The Trojans won 2-of-3 games at the Tony Gwynn Classic, beating Seattle in the opener before falling to Southern Illinois and then closing with a win against tournament host San Diego State. USC made a thrilling comeback in the final game after falling behind 5-0, scoring 11 unanswered runs in the final five innings. The Trojans then stayed on the road to picks up a 7-1 win over Cal State Fullerton.
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PLAYER NOTES:
- After battling through injuries the past two seasons, Alex Cornwell impressed in his debut on the mound, throwing 5.2 innings against Western Michigan. He picked up the win giving up three hits and two runs while striking out six batters and walking two.
- Johnny Olmstead had an explosive start to his collegiate career, hitting a pinch-hit grand slam against Western Michigan in his first ever at-bat as a Trojan.
- Ben Ramirez posted the first two-homer game of his career, hitting two balls off the right field scoreboard against the Broncos. He also hit a key three-run triple to spark USC's comeback against San Diego State. Ramirez is second on the team with 8 RBI on the year.
- Grad transfer Ben Wanger leads the team and is second in the country with a .688 batting average and has also posted 3.1 relief innings on the mound without an earned run. Wanger had a 4-for-4 day against Fullerton, hitting 3 doubles and driving in 3 runs. Wanger also has a .737 on-base percentage which leads the nation and .938 slugging percentage which is 14th in the country.
- Clay Owens is second on the team with 9 hits this year and leads the team with 9 RBI.
- Jamal O'Guinn has worked 10 free bases in 27 plate appearances for a Pac-12 best and 14th in the NCAA .630 on-base percentage among qualifying players. He is also batting .412 on the year. O'Guinn's 1.5 runs per game are 21st in the NCAA
- Kyle Hurt and John Beller combined to hold Seattle to one run on Friday, striking out a season-best 14 batters in the game. Hurt leads the team with 14 strikeouts on the year, while Beller is second with 12.
- Kyle Hurt owns a 1.12 ERA in 2 starts and has a 15.6 K/9 average, good for 30th in the NCAA.
- USC got 5.1 scoreless innings from its bullpen in the comeback win over SDSU, getting contributions from Carson Lambert, Ethan Hoopingarner, Quentin Longrie, Chandler Champlain and Ben Wanger.
- Freshman Ethan Hoopingarner leads the team with 7.0 relief innings, striking out 13 batters while walking 2, posting a 1.29 ERA. His 5 appearances are the 11th most in the NCAA. His 16.7 K/9 average is 20th in the country. The rookie also has a 6.5 K/walk ratio.
- Isaac Esqueda leads the Trojans with 10.1 innings pitched and a 0.87 ERA this season.
TEAM NOTES
- The Trojans' 5-2 non-conference record is second best in the Pac-12.
- USC's 8.6 runs per game are 17th in the country and .305 team batting average is 25th in the nation.
- The Trojans' 5 triples are 4th most in the NCAA. USC had three triples in the game at Fullerton.
- USC leads the Pac-12 in batting average (.305), on-base percentage (.409), runs scored (60), triples (5) and stolen bases (11).
- The Trojans are second in the league in slugging percentage (.451), hits (75), total bases (111) and ERA (2.32).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: Including defending national champs Vanderbilt, USC faces seven teams that made it to the 2019 postseason this year (TCU, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State, Arizona State and UCLA). Four Trojan opponents finished last year in the Top 25 (Vanderbilt-No. 1, UCLA-No. 8, Stanford-No. 10, Oregon State-No. 23) and two others were receiving votes at the end of the year (Arizona State, Cal). Of the Trojans' 24 opponents, 13 finished with records better than .500.
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TOP PROSPECTS: D1Baseball.com released its Pac-12 prospect rankings and impact freshmen lists, and nine USC baseball players were named to the lists. The prospect rankings included lists for the 2020 and 2021 drafts, to go along with the Top 30 impact freshmen in the conference. In addition, Kyle Hurt was named the No. 98 draft prospect nationally by MLB Pipeline.
2020 Draft Prospects: No. 14 – RHP Kyle Hurt, No. 17 – RHP Chandler Champlain, No. 20 – SS Ben Ramirez, No. 23 – 3B Jamal O'Guinn, No. 39 – LHP Alex Cornwell, No. 50 – LHP John Beller
2021 Draft Prospects: No. 26 – RHP Carson Lambert, No. 38 – OF Preston Hartsell
Impact Freshmen: No. 29 – OF/INF Tyresse Turner
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DRAFTED: The Trojans lost seven players to last year's MLB Draft, and had one more sign as a free agent immediately following the draft. Chris Clarke was taken in the fourth round by the Cubs, Blake Sabol in the seventh round by the Pirates, CJ Stubbs in the 10th round by the Astros, Connor Lunn in the 11th round by the Cardinals, Matthew Acosta in the 12th round by the Padres, Austin Manning in the 19th round by the Royals and Augie Sylk in the 38th round by the Royals. Chase Bushor also signed as a free agent with the Royals. It was the most players selected for the Trojans since 12 USC players were taken in the 2016 draft.
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LAST YEAR: The Trojans went 25-29-1 overall last year and 13-15-1 in conference play, finishing seventh in the Pac-12 and missing the postseason.
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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 114 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, 340 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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