USC Baseball Opens Season at MLB Desert Invitational this Weekend

THIS WEEK: The USC baseball team begins the 2024 season with three games in Arizona at the MLB Desert Invitational this weekend. The Trojans open with BYU at 4 p.m. on Friday before taking on Grand Canyon at 5 p.m. on Saturday and rounding out the weekend against Ohio State at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday - USC vs. Brigham Young (Sloan Park), February 16, 4:00 p.m. (MLB.TV)
Saturday - USC vs. Grand Canyon (Salt River Fields at Talking Stick), February 17, 5:00 p.m. (MLB Network)
Sunday - USC vs. Ohio State (Sloan Park), February 18, 4:00 pm (MLB.TV)

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS:
Friday - USC: RHP Caden Aoki (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. BYU: RHP Ben Hansen (0-0, 0.00 ERA
Saturday - USC: RHP Tyler Stromsborg (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. GCU: RHP Carter Young (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Sunday - USC: RHP Eric Hammond (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. OSU: LHP Gavin Bruni (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

BROADCAST INFO: The Trojans bookend the weekend on MLB.TV, which will televise the matchups with BYU and Ohio State on Friday and Sunday respectively. Saturday's contest with Grand Canyon will be broadcast live on MLB Network. Links to the broadcasts are available on the baseball schedule page at USCTrojans.com.

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 X as well.

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 X, @sctrojans_baseball on Instagram and USC Trojans Baseball on Facebook.

SERIES VS BYU: Friday will be the first-ever meeting between the Trojans and the Cougars. BYU is playing its first-ever game as a member of the Big 12, while USC is playing its final season opener as a member of the Pac-12. The Trojans are 6-11 all-time against Big 12 opposition.

SERIES VS GRAND CANYON: The Trojans and the Antelopes have met four times in their history, splitting the all-time series 2-2. The most recent meeting was a split doubleheader on Mar. 3, 2019, with GCU taking the first game 7-3 and USC claiming the second 7-1. Saturday will be the first matchup between the schools since Andy Stankiewicz came to USC after 11 seasons as the head coach at Grand Canyon.

SERIES VS OHIO STATE: Sunday's contest will be the first-ever meeting between the Trojans and the Buckeyes. It will be their final season as nonconference foes before the Trojans transition to the Big Ten next season. The Trojans hold a 4-1 all-time mark against Big Ten opposition.

THE STANK EFFECT: After finishing last in the Pac-12 and missing the conference tournament last season, USC has made a remarkable turnaround in head coach Andy Stankiewicz's first season. USC's 34-22-1 record was a 9-win improvement from last season, its 17-13 Pac-12 record was a 9-win improvement and the Trojans' fourth place finish was six spots better than their predicted 10th place finish in the Pac-12 preseason poll. All three marks were the best by a USC team since 2015 (the last time USC made the NCAA Tournament).

PLAYER NOTES:

Austin Overn currently led the nation last season with 14 triples, which set a new USC single season record, breaking the record set by Grant Green in 2007 (10) (the NCAA record is 17). Overn's .313 batting average was a team best among qualified hitters, and his 74 hits lead the squad.
More Overn... Last season, Overn was one of just seven Pac-12 players to hit over .300 and steal at least 15 bases. Of the seven, four entered the draft and were selected in the 11th round or higher. Two of the three returners are in MLB.com's Top 100 Draft Prospects (Overn ranked No. 64), and Overn was the only freshman to accomplish the feat.
Caden Aoki led the Pac-12 and is 41st in the nation with a 2.98 ERA in 11 starts this season. Since taking over as USC's Saturday starter, he gave up more than one run just three times and threw five or more shutout innings in a start three times. He tossed a career high 8.0 shutout innings against Arizona State, earning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week honors. Aoki's 1.20 WHIP was first in the Pac-12.
More Aoki... Finishing the season with a 2.98 ERA, Aoki posted the best ERA by a qualified USC starting pitcher since 2015 (Kyle Twomey, 2.88)
Tyler Stromsborg has pitched 136 innings over the last two seasons. That total is the most by a USC pitcher in a two-year stretch since Kyle Hurt tossed 155.2 innings between 2018-19 (Hurt made is MLB debut last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers)
Jacob Galloway took over as USC's starting catcher after an injury to Connor Aoki following the UCLA series, and since then led the team with a .365 batting average.
Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek finished third on the team with a .302 average. In his final 36 games of the season, he hit .348 (49-for-141) with 5 HR, 28 RBI and 26 runs scored.
Ryan Jackson came on strong late, hitting .442 (19-for-43) over the final 15 games of the season. Over that span, he also had 17 walks, 13 runs scored and 9 RBI.
More Jackson... Last season, Jackson was the only player in the Pac-12 to finish the season with at least 40 walks (43) and less than 40 strikeouts (35).

TEAM NOTES:

USC's 34 wins last year were the most by a Trojan team since 2015 (the last time USC made a regional).
After finishing last in the conference in 2022, USC was picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll last year, but finished 4th in the standings.
The Trojans finished 26-6 at home this season, posting the most home wins by a USC team since 2001.
Six different Trojans earned All-Pac-12 honors for the 2023 season, including two returners for the upcoming 2024 season. The returners, Caden Aoki and Austin Over, were both named to the All-Pac-12 Team with Overn also earning a spot on the All-Defensive team.
USC posted back-to-back shutouts on the road at Utah, marking the first time since 2008 that a USC team had posted consecutive shutouts. The Trojans posted 4 shutouts on the season, 1st in the Pac-12 and 32nd in the NCAA.
USC's 28 triples where the second-most the Pac-12 and third in the nation. Five Trojans finished the year with multiple triples, including Overn (14), Olmstead (4), Hedges (3), Gabrielson (2), and Martin-Grudzielanek (2).
USC's 4.39 team ERA was 1st in the Pac-12 and 25th in the nation. The Trojans' team WHIP (1.33) was also tops in the conference and 15th in the NCAA. The 8.16 hits allowed per game by USC pitching led the Pac-12 and was 14th in the nation.
USC has outscored opponents 388-294 this season. The +94 run differential is USC's best since 2015.
USC won 10-of-14 series on the regular season, including 4 sweeps.
The Trojans won 3-of-4 series against ranked opponents (W- #2 Stanford, #22 UCLA, #17 Oregon, L - #17 Auburn).
USC won 7-of-10 Pac-12 series, including 2 sweeps.

2024 HOME GAMES: With the construction of a new, state-of-the-art stadium at Dedeaux Field underway, USC will play its home games off campus for the 2024 season. The majority of the home games will be played at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif. Of the 27 home games on the schedule, 21 will be played at OC Great Park. Three midweek games (Feb. 20 vs. UC San Diego, Feb. 27 vs. Michigan and Apr. 9 vs. UC Irvine) are slated to be played at LMU, and a three-game series with Oregon State (March 28-30) will be played at UC Irvine. All USC home games will be free and open to the public this season.

The University and our Athletic Department have once again shown their commitment to USC baseball through this incredible investment in Dedeaux Field," said head coach Andy Stankiewicz. "This stadium will provide our student-athletes with the world-class facilities they deserve."

DEDEAUX FIELD UPGRADES: In June 2023, USC announced a series of athletic facilities upgrades, including upgrades at USC Baseball's home Dedeaux Field. The new 2,500-seat stadium will boast a variety of seating options, outdoor social spaces, an indoor hospitality space, multiple concession locations, expanded restrooms, a video board and an audio system. The new stadium will also include a brand-new press box, coaching and support staff offices and a team meeting space. The project is part of USC President Carol Folt's athletics "moonshot," which will also include a new football conditioning center; Rawlinson Stadium - the new home of USC women's lacrosse and soccer; and renovations to Galen Center - the home of USC men's and women's basketball.

STEVE KEMP HOF: In December, the College Baseball Hall of Fame announced its 2023 class, and USC baseball great Steve Kemp was among the inductees. Kemp played at USC from 1973-75, leading the Trojans to back-to-back College World Series titles in 1973 and 1974. Kemp was a first-team All-American in 1975, setting a USC single-season record with a batting average of .435, and his career mark of .397 is still the program record. Kemp was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1976 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers and becomes the eighth Trojan named to the Hall since its inception in 2006.

OLMSTEAD DRAFTED: Johnny Olmstead was selected in the 19th round of the MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins last July, extending USC's streak of having at least one player drafted every year since the MLB Draft was instituted in 1965. In his five seasons in Southern California, Olmstead played in 176 games, making 156 starts. In his final season in 2023, the USC third baseman hit .288 with 11 home runs, 48 RBIs, 45 runs scored and 10 stolen bases, all career bests. His 11 homers, 14 doubles and .544 slugging percentage were team highs from the Trojans in 2023.

USC TO THE MLB: No other school can claim a larger number of alumni who have made it to the big leagues, with 120 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, 349 Trojans have been selected in the MLB Draft. Kyle Hurt was the latest Trojan to break through to the Bigs, making his MLB debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 12, 2023.

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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Players Mentioned

Caden Aoki

Connor Aoki

Jacob Galloway

Eric Hammond

Ryan Jackson

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek

Johnny Olmstead

Austin Overn

Tyler Stromsborg