USC Baseball Welcomes 20th-Ranked Recruiting Class

LOS ANGELES - The USC baseball program, entering its third season under head coach Andy Stankiewicz, welcomed the No. 20-ranked recruiting class in the nation this fall according to Perfect Game.

In the class, 11 players are ranked in the Top 10 at their position in their state, seven are in the Top 5 and five are in the Top 25 overall in their state. In California, USC has 11 players ranked in the Top 20 at their position including the third overall outfielder, fifth overall catcher and fifth overall shortstop. The incoming USC class features 24 new players, with eight transfers and 16 incoming freshmen.

Get your first look at the Trojan class here…

TRANSFERS:

Jackson Baker
6-1 | 180 | RHP | Austin, Texas | Lake Travis HS | Alabama

Appeared in one game in his lone year at Alabama
Attended Lake Travis High School in Austin, Texas
Was named the No. 19 right-handed pitcher and No. 56 player overall from the talent-rich state of Texas by Perfect Game USA
The 23rd-ranked righty and No. 77 recruit at any position by Prep Baseball Report
Helped Lake Travis HS claim three consecutive district tiles from 2020-2022
Finished 5-0 with a 0.40 ERA and 39 strikeouts across 35.0 innings of work as a junior
A multi-sport athlete who also competed in basketball at LTHS

Jack Basseer
6-1 | 200 | OF | Pleasanton, Calif. | Foothill HS | Pepperdine | TCU

Played in 18 games over one season at TCU, starting in 12 and slashing .239/.364/.326
Played one season at Pepperdine before transferring to TCU, slashing .345/.364/.512
Earned ABCA/Rawlings West All-Region second team honors, All-WCC second team honors and WCC All-Freshman team recognition
At Foothill HS, had a career batting average of .336
Named the EBAL MVP and NCS Player of the Year as a senior

Started 50 games for UNLV hitting .320 in 2024, recording 15 doubles in his 62 hits on the season
Posted a .272 batting average in 2023, recording a .493 slugging percentage on the season, hitting seven home runs
Earned Academic All-District and Mountain West Scholar Athlete recognition
Appeared in 43 games and posted a .250 batting average in two years at ASU
Out of high school, Prep Baseball Report had Higgins listed as the 7th overall prospect in Nevada and 2nd at his position

Spent the past 2 seasons at Sierra College
Pitched to a 2.23 ERA in 80.2 innings pitched in his Sophomore year and went 5-4 in 13 starts, with 2 complete game shutouts in 2023
Named the 2023 Pitcher of the Year in the Big 8 Conference
Earned All-Conference honors while pitching at Granite Bay HS

In one season at Long Beach State, finished second on the club in RBI (38) and home runs (8)
Stole 13 bases in 14 attempts
Played for Maranatha HS (9th- 11th) & Ganesha HS (12th)
Hit a staggering .566 as a senior
Chosen as the CIF Division 7 Player of the Year
A first-team All-CIF and first team All-League pick as a senior

Appeared in 27 games with 9 starts slashing .233/.306/.233 in his lone season at Washington
Ranked the No. 18 prospect and No. 4 outfielder in Washington by Perfect Game out of Union HS
A three-time PG Preseason All-West Region honoree
Earned all-league honors three times and was First-Team All-State as a senior
Had a prep .385 career batting average and a sub 2.00 career ERA

Played two seasons at Saddleback before transferring to USC
Posted a career .314 average with four HR, two triples, 14 doubles, 70 RBI, 15 stolen bases and 29 walks
Was First-Team All-OEC in 2023 and Second Team in 2022
Played four varsity seasons at La Jolla Country Day HS
Had a career .305 batting average, earning All-County and All-League honors

Played one season at Riverside City College
Posted a .326 batting average with four home runs at RCC
Played three varsity seasons at Orange Lutheran HS
Was the 17^th-ranked catcher in California coming out of HS

FRESHMEN:

Adrian Boles
6-0 | 187 | RHP | Oakley, Calif. | Freedom HS

Four-year varsity baseball player at Freedom HS
Was the conference Freshman of the Year and earned All-League honors three times
Threw a combined no hitter at Oracle Park
Senior year, had 41 Ks in 31.2 innings pitched

Ben Cushnie
6-2 | 180 | LHP | Santa Clarita, Calif. | West Ranch HS

Spent two seasons at West Ranch HS
Junior year pitched to a 7-1 record and 2.06 ERA, with 62 K's in 47.2 innings
Senior year had a 1.11 ERA with 9 K's in 6.1 innings
Named to All-Foothill League 2nd Team (2023)
Ranked the No. 10 LHP in California by Prep Baseball Report
Three-time Academic Excellence Award recipient (2021, 2022, 2023)

Ryder Dykstra
6-0 | 200 | OF | Corona, Calif. | Corona Centennial HS

A four-year varsity starter at Corona Centennial HS
Earned All-League recognition as a Freshmen, Junior and Senior
Was named to the All-State team his junior year
Freshmen, Junior, and Senior year had 20+ wins
Ranked the No. 9 outfielder in California by Perfect Game

John Elliot
6-3 | 205 | C/OF | Newport Beach, Calif. | Mater Dei HS

Played four varsity seasons at Mater Dei High School
Slashed .308/.439/.385 his senior year
Was a member of the Bend Elks during the 2024 summer ball season
Over the summer he started 16 games, hit .350, with a HR and 12 RBI
Perfect Game ranked Elliot as the 15th catcher in California

Jude Favela
6-3 | 215 | RHP | Upland, Calif. | San Dimas HS

Played four varsity seasons at San Dimas HS
Posted a career 1.36 ERA with 15 wins and just three losses
Earned All-League first team honors his Junior and Senior year
Was a three-time Valle Vista league champion
Comes to USC as the 29th-ranked RHP in California by Perfect Game

Grant Govel
6-0 | 180 | RHP | Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. | Palos Verdes HS

Played three varsity seasons at Palos Verdes HS
Hit .301 with a pair of homers in 2023
Had a career ERA of 2.81 in 32.1 innings pitched
Owned a 3-1 record with seven saves in his high school career
Won a league championship in 2021-22
Comes to USC as the 10th-ranked outfield prospect in California

Joshua Hanson
6-1 | 195 | INF/OF | San Francisco, Calif. | IMG Academy

Played four varsity seasons at IMG Academy
His junior and senior year he slashed .396/.539/.669
He had 16 doubles, five triples, and six HRs, with 43 RBI his last two seasons
Hanson comes to USC as the 6th-ranked outfielder in California and the 25th-ranked overall recruit in the state according to Perfect Game

Wes Hickey
6-0 | 185 | OF | Yucaipa, Calif. | Yucaipa HS

Played four varsity seasons at Yucaipa HS
Posted a career batting average of .370 in high school
Tallied 100+ hits in his four varsity seasons
Named to the All-League second team in his Freshman and Sophomore years, and the first team in his Junior and Senior years

Andrew Johnson
6-3 | 210 | RHP | San Juan Capistrano, Calif. | Capistrano Valley High School

Played three varsity seasons at Capistrano Valley High School
Comes to USC as the 14^th ranked RHP in the state of California and the 48^th overall recruit in the state
Named the CVHS Male Athlete of the Year
Was a two-time Conference Pitcher of the Year
He had a 1.73 career ERA in his three seasons
He tallied 180 Ks in his 82.0 innings pitched
His impressive high school career is highlighted by a 17 K no-hitter

Augie Lopez
6-1 | 185 | C | Hermosa Beach, Calif. | Loyola HS

Played three varsity seasons at Loyola High School
Slashed .388/.660/.478 with five homers for his career
Named to the 2024 All-Mission League first team and 2023 Second Team
He comes to USC as the 5th ranked catcher in California and 33rd overall player in the state by Perfect Game

Maximo Martinez
6-0 | 180 | RHP/UTL | Hawthorne, Calif. | Mira Costa HS

Martinez comes to USC ranked the 29th overall player in California and the 5th ranked shortstop by Perfect Game
His senior year he had a 21/4 K to BB ratio
In 2024 he posted an impressive 0.82 WHIP
He played for travel teams GBG Navy as well as Easton Prime

Anthony Perritano
6-1 | 200 | INF | San Diego, Calif. | Cathedral Catholic HS

Played three seasons of varsity baseball at Cathedral Catholic
Hit for a .320 average his senior year with six doubles and seven stolen bases
Comes to USC as the 11th-ranked shortstop in California and 58th overall in the state according to Perfect Game
In high school, he was a three-sport varsity athlete (Football, Soccer, Baseball)

Matthew Priest
6-1 | 205 | OF | San Diego, Calif. | La Jolla Country Day HS

A three-year varsity player for La Jolla Country Day high school
According to Perfect Game, Priest is the No. 3 ranked outfielder in the state and the 134th overall player in the nation
Priest also ran track in high school and won All-League honors in 2022
He played travel ball for the SoCal Giants and Royals Scout

Maddox Riske
5-11 | 175 | INF | Las Vegas, Nev. | Bishop Gorman HS

Played three varsity seasons at Bishop Gorman High School
His senior year he was a Preseason All-American
Sophomore year he hit .429 with four HR, 13 doubles and 48 RBI
He won the state championship in 2023
Comes to USC as the 2nd ranked shortstop in Nevada and the 3rd ranked player overall in the state according to Perfect Game

Tee Southisene
5-11 | 175 | RHP | Henderson, Nev. | Basic Academy HS

Played four varsity seasons at Basic Academy High School
On the mound in 2023 he went 11-1 in 67 innings pitched, with 65 strikeouts and a 1.73 era
He posted seven complete games, and three complete game shutouts
Southisene is a two-time State Champion ('21, '22) and received All Southern Nevada first team honors
He comes to USC as the No. 8 player overall in Nevada and the No. 2 pitcher according to Perfect Game

Will Stickney
6-1 | 183 | INF/OF | San Diego, Calif. | La Jolla Country Day HS

Played four varsity seasons at La Jolla Country Day High School
In his high school career he slashed .348/.442/.557
Over his four years he tallied 20 doubles, five triples, and seven HR
Comes to USC as a top 50 ranked shortstop

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