USC Baseball Set to Host Ohio State at Great Park

THIS WEEK: The USC baseball team continues Big Ten conference play with a home series against Ohio State at Great Park, before playing a midweek matchup on the road at LMU. The Trojans are coming off a weekend series win against Indiana, and a midweek victory against San Diego State.

GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday - USC vs Ohio State (Irvine, Calif.), Apr 4, 6:30 p.m. PT (B1G+)
Saturday - USC vs Ohio State (Irvine, Calif.), Apr 5, 2 p.m. PT (B1G+)
Sunday - USC vs Ohio State (Irvine, Calif.), Apr 6, 1 p.m. PT (B1G+)
Tuesday - USC at LMU (Los Angeles, Calif.), Apr 8, 6 p.m. PT (ESPN+)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Friday - USC: LHP Caden Hunter (5-1, 3.46 ERA) vs. OSU: RHP Drew Erdmann (0-2, 12.71 ERA)
Saturday - USC: RHP Caden Aoki (2-2, 6.16 ERA) vs. OSU: RHP Ryan Butler (0-1, 13.50 ERA)
Sunday - USC: TBA vs. OSU: RHP Jake Michalak (1-3, 11.41 ERA)

BROADCAST INFO: All games this weekend against the Buckeyes will be broadcast on B1G+. The midweek matchup with LMU will be broadcast on ESPN+. 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 followed at @USC_Baseball on X, at @sctrojans_baseball on Instagram and USC Trojans Baseball on Facebook.

2025 HOME GAMES: For the second season in a row, USC will play the majority of its home games at Great Park in Irvine due to construction on the new Dedeaux Field, which is scheduled to be completed prior to the 2026 season. Most midweek games will be held at LMU. All USC home games this season will be free and open to the public. For more information visit USCTrojans.com/baseballgameday.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS OHIO STATE: This will be the ninth meeting between the Trojans and Buckeyes, with Ohio State owning a 5-3 lead in the series. The two programs faced each other early last year in the MLB Desert Invitational at Sloan Park, the Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs, where the Trojans fell 5-2. Current USC pitching coach Sean Allen was on staff at Ohio State as the program's associate head coach/pitching coach and co-recruiting coordinator for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS LMU: USC and LMU have a long history, playing each other for more than 100 years, with the series dating all the way back to 1922. The teams have also played at least once every season since 2016, excluding the shortened 2020 season. The Trojans have dominated the all-time series with a 142-29-1 record and are 12-5 in the 17 matchups since 2016.

THIRD STRAIGHT CONFERENCE SERIES WIN: Due to rain in the forecast on Sunday in Bloomington, the Trojans and Hoosiers played a doubleheader at Indiana on Friday. USC took the opener 10-5, before falling in the finale, 13-6. In the opener, the Trojans hit a season high five home runs and 16 hits, coming back from an early deficit to outscore the Hoosiers 10-2 in the final six innings. USC hit back-to-back-to-back solo home runs in the fourth inning from Brayden Dowd, Adrian Lopez and Jack Basseer on three consecutive pitches. Ethan Hedges and Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek also had home runs in game one. Caden Hunter picked up the win on the mound, tossing 6.0 innings, with Brodie Purcell tossing the final 3.0 innings to record the save. Indiana broke the second game open early, scoring six runs in the second inning. Basseer and Hedges each had homers in game two, giving both players two long balls in the doubleheader. Hedges went 3-for-4 in both games with four runs driven in. In game three, USC scored 10 unanswered runs to erase a 12-3 deficit and beat Indiana 13-12. Ethan Hedges added two more home runs in the game, with Abbrie Covarrubias also hitting a homer in the fourth. Brayden Dowd hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the ninth. Andrew Johnson settled down the offensive outburst by the Hoosiers, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings, giving up just one hit.

STANKIEWICZ TO LEAD USA COLLEGIATE NATIONAL TEAM: USC Head Coach Andy Stankiewicz has been named the manager of the 2025 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and will lead Team USA this summer in the 45th edition of the USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series. Stankiewicz returns to USA Baseball for his fifth coaching stint after serving as an assistant coach for the Collegiate National Team in 2012 and 2023 and managing the 18U National Team in 2014 and 2017. The Collegiate National Team is set to play the 45th edition of the USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series at various venues across Japan from July 8-13.

USC-USA BASEBALL TRADITION CONTINUES: Stankiewicz managing this year's Collegiate National Team continues a long tradition of USC managers coaching with USA Baseball. The USA vs. Japan Collegiate All-Star Series was actually founded by legendary Trojan manager Rod Dedeaux in 1972 and he served as Series Chairman from 1972 to 1984 and then was Chairman Emeritus following that. Dedeaux was the head coach of the United States baseball teams at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where baseball was contested both times as a demonstration sport. USC Hall-of-Fame manager Mike Gillespie also served two stints as a coach with USA baseball, first as an assistant coach in 1997 and then as the manager of the Collegiate National Team in 2000.

2025 PLAYER/TEAM NOTES:

Ethan Hedges has not only been the Trojans' offensive leader this season, but has established himself as one of the nation's top closers as well. Hedges ranks 3rd in the Big Ten with a .413 batting average, is 2nd in the conference with 45 hits, 7th with 35 RBI, 2nd with 87 total bases and his .798 slugging percentage is 4th in the league. He is also the only USC player who has reached base in every game this year, and is currently riding a 13-game hitting streak. Hedges also has 7 saves so far this season, a total that is 5th in the NCAA and 1st in the Big Ten. In 9.0 innings pitched, he has only allowed 6 hits while striking out 8 batters and holding opponents to a .188 batting average. Hedges has hit a home run and been credited with a save in the same game 4 times this season. Last weekend, Hedges went 9-13, with 4 home runs against Indiana, while scoring 5 runs, and posting 9 RBI. On Wednesday, several midseason awards were announced, with Hedges being named a D1Baseball Midseason First-Team All-American and the Perfect Game Midseason 2-Way Player of the Year. Hedges was also named to the NCAA Lineup of the Week for the second time this season after his performance in Bloomington.
Brayden Dowd has begun his sophomore season hitting .330 for the Trojans. The center fielder ranks 4th in the Big Ten in walks (26), while also hitting 6 home runs. His 25 runs scored, and 20 RBI, and 35 hits are all second on the team. He also has 2 stolen bases on the year. Dowd has been a tough hitter to strike out, K'ing just 21 times in 106 at bats, while reaching base in 27 of 28 games for the Trojans. Last weekend, Dowd had 5 hits and scored 5 runs, and drove in 4. He also launched two home runs, with his second of the weekend coming as the go-ahead home run in the 9th on Saturday. Dowd's 10 multiple hit games is second on the team, and is currently on a 7-game hitting streak.
Abbrie Covarrubias is hitting .295 with 26 hits, which is 5th most on the team, and has 4 doubles, one triple and two home runs. His first coming against UConn as an inside the park home run, and hit his first 'over the fence' home run against Indiana. He drove in 4 runs against Michigan on Friday to lead the Trojans to a 7-4 victory. After a slow start to the season, he has hits in 13 of his last 17 games, including 5 multi-hit games.
Adrian Lopez, a sophomore transfer from LBSU, hit the first home run of the season for USC, with a grand slam in the first inning on Saturday of opening weekend. Lopez had 8 homers for the Dirtbags last year. Two weekends ago, he had 6 hits against Nebraska, including a home run on Sunday. He tallied another multiple hit game against UC Irvine last week, with a 2B and a home run. He has hits in 11 the last 14 games, including 7 multi-hit games.
Kevin Takeuchi returned to the lineup after a brief stint on the DL due to a shoulder injury, and had hits in all three games at Michigan, and all three games against Nebraska. He had 4 RBI against the Cornhuskers, including a 2B that scored two runs.
Caden Hunter, a junior transfer from Sierra College, has been electric on the mound for the Trojans on Friday nights, pitching to a 3.46 ERA (6th in the Big Ten) with a WHIP of 1.31. In 39.0 innings pitched, he has struck out 43 batters (4th most in the Big Ten), with his 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings 12th best in the Big Ten. He tossed a season-high seven innings against Nebraska, and mostly recently 6.0 innings against Indiana, where he picked up his fifth win, good for second most in the conference, and 8th in the country. After giving up a wind-aided two-run homer in the first, Hunter gave up just one in the second and one in the sixth. Three weeks ago he pitched a gem on Friday night at Michigan, giving up just one run in 6.2 innings.
Caden Aoki posted the biggest performance of the year against No. 14 Vanderbilt on March 1st, throwing 7.0 innings, giving up just 4 hits and 1 walk, and not allowing an earned run. His 10 strikeouts were a career high. Aoki was named the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for his efforts against Vandy. He is the first USC pitcher to earn the award this season. Two weekends ago, he threw 6.1 innings against Nebraska, allowing 5 hits and 4 runs, while not allowing any walks. Against Michigan, he threw 7.0 innings allowing just 2 runs in the 3rd inning and then only allowing one baserunner the rest of the way as USC came back for a 4-3 victory. His 17.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio is 1st in the best in the country, and his 1.18 WHIP is 11th in the conference. His 0.47 walks per 9 are 1st in the country.
Brodie Purcell has been impressive out of the bullpen for the Trojans, pitching to a 1.45 ERA in 14 appearances. In 18.2 innings he has 24 K's and given up just 13 hits. He has given up just 1 run in his last 8 appearances, in 13.0 innings. His 14 appearances is 2nd most in the Big Ten.
Team Stat Rankings:
9.4 K/9 - 3rd B10, 70th NCAA
3.68 BB/9 - 1st B10, 33rd NCAA
2.54 K/BB ratio - 1st B10, 38th NCAA
1.41 WHIP - 4th B10, 57th NCAA
5.25 ERA - 6th B10, 91st NCAA
7 triples - 3rd B10, 83rd NCAA

USC Baseball Set to Host Ohio State at Great Park

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Players Mentioned

Caden Aoki

Jack Basseer

Abbrie Covarrubias

Brayden Dowd

Ethan Hedges

Caden Hunter

Andrew Johnson

Adrian Lopez

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek

Brodie Purcell

Kevin Takeuchi

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