USC Baseball Opens Corvallis Regional Against No. 22 TCU

THIS WEEK: The USC baseball team opens NCAA Tournament play at the Corvallis Regional on Friday, taking on No. 22 TCU at 12 p.m. The Trojans are making their first appearance in the postseason since 2015 after receiving an at-large bid to the 2025 field. USC is the No. 3 seed in the Corvallis Regional.

GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday, May 30 - (3) USC vs (2) TCU (Goss Stadium), 12 p.m. PT (ESPNU)
Saturday, May 31 - (3) USC vs (1) Oregon St/(4) Saint Mary's, TBD (TBD)
Sunday, June 1 – TBD
Monday, June 2 - TBD (if necessary)

BROADCAST INFO: USC's first game of the regional will be broadcast live on ESPNU, with all following games' broadcast TBA. 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.

CORVALLIS REGIONAL: The Trojans enter the Corvallis Regional as the No. 3 seed and will open play against No. 2 seed TCU on Friday. Oregon State is the regional's host and No. 1 seed and the No. 8 overall national seed, while No. 4 seed Saint Mary's rounds out the regional field. The double-elimination format continues through the weekend, with the regional winner advancing to the Super Regionals. Overall, it will be the Trojans' 41st NCAA Tournament appearance.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS TCU: USC is 5-7 all-time against the Horned Frogs. The first ever meeting between the programs came in 2002, where the Trojans won 8-3 in a neutral site game. The teams faced off most recently last season in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, with the Horned Frogs winning 9-8 in 11 innings. Ethan Hedges had two hits and two RBI in the matchup last season. Caden Aoki started the game in 2024 and threw 5.0 innings giving up just one earned run and striking out four.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS OREGON STATE: The Trojans and Beavers are familiar foes dating back to their time in the Pac-12. The Trojans lead the all-time series 59-43, dating back to 1951 where the Trojans won the first ever series. The teams met last season in Pac-12 conference play and USC beat the No. 2-ranked Beavers in the first two games of the series, with the final game being rained out. In the opener, Caden Aoki threw an absolute gem, going 6.0 innings allowing one earned run, four hits, and striking out eight. An Ethan hedges homer in the 4th gave the Trojans the early lead, and a Brayden Dowd walk-off single won it on Friday night. Game two was an offensive explosion for the Trojans who scored 17 runs on 12 hits. Brodie Purcell pitched the final scoreless two innings for the Trojans without allowing a hit.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS SAINT MARY'S: The Trojans and Gaels all-time series dates back to 1924, where the teams split their first two games. The Trojans own a 45-25 record against Saint Mary's, with the most recent game coming in 2011, when USC won 6-2 in the opening game of the Dodgertown Classic at Dedeaux Field.

2015 NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: In USC's last appearance in the field of 64, the Trojans were in the 2015 Lake Elsinore Regional hosted by UC Santa Barbara and made the regional final before falling to Virginia in an epic 11-inning game that spanned 10 hours over two days. USC's postseason appearance before that came in 2005 under hall-of-fame coach Mike Gillespie.

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 nearly 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. In total, the Trojans have made 41 NCAA Tournament appearances, compiling a postseason record of 208-77. 11 of USC's 12 titles were won under legendary coach Rod Dedeaux and one (1998) was won under Mike Gillespie.

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT: The Trojans fell in game one of pool play, 2-1, against Penn State on Thursday, despite a stellar performance on the mound by Caden Aoki. Aoki tossed 7.0 innings, giving up just one run, but USC left 12 runners on base and gave up a home run in the top of the ninth inning. USC won its second pool play game against Washington in dramatic fashion. In the 9th inning of game two of pool play, Brayden Dowd worked a one-out walk and then Ethan Hedges followed with a single. With two outs and two strikes, Adrian Lopez hit a two-run double to walk it off, 6-5, against the Huskies. Ethan Hedges scored the winning run from first base, sliding around the tag at home.

ALL-BIG TEN HONORS: The Big Ten postseason awards were announced last week and seven Trojans were honored. Ethan Hedges led the way, earning a spot on the All-Big Ten first team, followed by Brodie Purcell on the second team, and then Caden Aoki and Abbrie Covarrubias on the third team. Andrew Johnson and Augie Lopez picked up nods to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and Andrew Lamb earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Aoki and Hedges also earned spots on the conference's All-Defensive Team.

STANKIEWICZ HITS 100 WINS AT USC: Friday's walk-off win against Washington was the 100th victory at USC for Head Coach Andy Stankiewicz. Stankiewicz joins Hall-of-Famer Mike Gillespie as the only coaches to record at least 100 wins in their first three seasons at USC. In his three years at USC, Stankiewicz has already led the program to its first run of three straight 30-win seasons since 2000-02, the first back-to-back-to-back Top 4 finishes in the conference standings since 2000-02, and the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015. USC is one of just 13 power four schools with 50+ conference wins over the last three seasons (51). For his career as a head coach, Stankiewicz owns a career record of 441-311-3 over 14 seasons.

BRICK BY BRICK: USC has been methodically building its baseball program back towards its former greatness since Andy Stankiewicz took the helm in 2023, accomplishing feats not seen in several decades over the last three years.

USC finished the regular season with 35 wins, matching the highest total since Andy Stankiewicz took over the program.
USC's run of three straight 30-win seasons is the first such run since 2000-02 under Hall of Fame coach Mike Gillespie.
The Trojans' 100 wins over the last three years are the most in a three-year stretch since 2001-03.
USC's third straight Top 4 conference finish is the first such streak since 2000-02.
The Trojans' 18 conference wins this year are the most since Stankiewicz took over, and USC's 52 conference wins over the last three years are the most in a three-year span since 1998-00 (54).
1997-99 was the last time a USC team had won at least 17 conference games in three consecutive seasons (17, 21, 17). The Trojans have won 17, 17 and 18 over the last three seasons.
USC's run of eight straight series wins over the course of this season was the longest such streak for a Trojan team since 1978.
The Trojans' appearance in the 2025 postseason is the first for the program since 2015 and just the second since 2005.

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 12th in the Big Ten with 74 hits and his .343 batting average is also 12th. His 130 total bases are 11th, a .602 slugging percentage is 16th, and his 42 walks are 10th in the conference. He is 15th in the conference with 55 RBI, his 12 home runs are the most on the team and also T-24th in the league, and his OBP of .459 is 14th in the league. Hedges has reached base safely in 52-of-56 games so far this year. He is also 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts. Hedges has 9 saves so far this season, a total that is 22nd in the NCAA and 2nd in the Big Ten. In 15.0 innings pitched, he has only allowed 9 hits while striking out 12 batters and holding opponents to a .173 batting average. Hedges has hit a home run and been credited with a save in the same game 5 times this season. In the Trojans walk-off win in the Big Ten Tournament against Washington, Hedges scored the winning run from first on a double down the rightfield line. Hedges most recent clutch moment came in the regular season finale at Washington, hitting a bases clearing double in the top of the 10th inning on Saturday. Several midseason awards were announced in early April 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. In late April Hedges was placed on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List among the top closers in the nation and this week he was named one of the 10 finalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award, in addition to earning All-Big Ten first team and All-Defensive team recognition.
Brayden Dowd in his sophomore season is hitting .322 for the Trojans. The center fielder ranks 6th in the Big Ten in walks (45), while also hitting 10 home runs (2nd most on the team). His 50 runs scored and 69 hits are 2nd on the team, and his 35 RBI are 4th. He also has 3 stolen bases on the year, has reached base in 54-of-56 games for the Trojans. In the Big Ten Tournament, Dowd blasted his 10th home run of the year in the 6th inning against Washington, that brought the Trojans within one. Against Michigan State, Dowd had three hits on Saturday and six over the whole weekend, including his 9th homerun he hit on Sunday. Dowd has proven to have the clutch gene time and time again as he cranked a go-ahead home run in the 9th on Saturday against Indiana, and the following weekend he hit a game-tying solo-home run with two outs in the bottom of the 9th on Sunday against Ohio State. Dowd's 19 multiple-hit games and 10 multiple-RBI games are tied for 3rd on the team.
Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek returned this season after being drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 20th round. BMG has been the Trojans' shortstop all season, and is hitting .304 with 68 hits, which is 3rd on the team. His 8 homers are T-3rd on the team, and his 43 runs scored are solo 3rd most on the team. Martin-Grudzielanek leads the team with 21 multiple hit games, and is tied for 3rd with 10 multiple RBI games. Sunday against Michigan State, BMG had 3 hits including his 7th double of the year, and scored a run.
Andrew Lamb has gotten hot for the Trojans after beginning the year on the injured list and making his season debut on March 16 at Michigan. The sophomore has spent time catching for the Trojans, as well as at both corner outfield positions. He is third on the team with a .324 batting average, and has 33 hits in 102 at bats. He has scored 27 runs and tallied 10 doubles, 2 triples, and 5 home runs. He also leads the team in slugging (.608). In just 31 games played, he has 10 multiple hit games, and has been on base in all but 9 of them. Against UCLA and CSUN, Lamb led the Trojans with 8 hits (8-for-18) on the week. At CSUN, Lamb was a single short of the cycle, with 3 hits and a walk, scoring three times and driving in 3 more. For his performance against UCLA and CSUN, Lamb was named the Big Ten Player of the Week.
Abbrie Covarrubias is hitting .296, with 59 hits which is 5th on the team, and has 11 doubles, 2 triples and 3 home runs. On Sunday against Michigan State, Covarrubias had 2 doubles, 2 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. He leads the team with 11 stolen bases. Against UCLA he tallied 3 hits on Saturday, scoring a run as well as driving in another. In 4 starts against LMU and Penn State, the sophomore led the Trojans in hits (8), RBI (8), runs (5), total bases (15), extra-base hits (4) and stolen bases (3). For the week, he batted .500 (8-for-16) with an OPS of 1.494. Covarrubias posted 2 doubles, 1 triple and 1 home run and this performance led him to be named the Big Ten Player of the Week. He was also named to the NCAA Lineup of the Week after his performance. He has hits in 29 of his last 39 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, and has matched that total so far this season. In the bottom of the ninth in the Big Ten Tournament against Washington, Lopez hit a 2 RBI walk-off double, and tallied three total doubles in the game on Friday. In the 10th inning on Saturday against Washington the week prior, Lopez launched a three-run homer to secure the victory for the Trojans. He had 7 total hits including two doubles and the homer in the series against Washington. On Sunday against Michigan State, Lopez had three hits and two RBI, and also scored a run. On Friday night against Minnesota, he had 3 hits and 5 RBI, and also scored once in the game. Against UCLA he had three hits and two doubles on Friday, drove in two runs, and scored once. He is slashing .337/.409/.576, and leads the team in doubles (21).
Freshman Augie Lopez has been a strong left-handed DH and pinch hitter for the Trojans. In 38 games played (22 starts), Lopez has a .300 average with 7 doubles and 2 homeruns. Augie leads the team in pinch hit at bats as well, having 12 at-bats coming off the bench, hitting .417 (5/12) with 5 hits, 1 home run, and 3 walks as a pinch hitter.
Caden Aoki dealt against Penn State on Thursday at the Big Ten Tournament. He went 7.0 innings allowing just 1 run and striking out 7. Aoki also had back-to-back stellar outings against UCLA and Minnesota towards the end of the regular season, posting a 0.56 ERA in 16.0 IP. In the two starts, he gave up just 6 hits and 1 run, striking out 15. In his start against rival UCLA, Aoki was electric, going 7.0 innings, giving up just 4 hits and not allowing a single run. He struck out 6 and only walked one. He threw an absolute gem against Minnesota the week prior, throwing a complete game for the Trojans. Aoki worked a no-hitter into the eighth inning, and finished giving up just 2 hits in his 9.0 innings of work. He struck out 9 and was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. He also posted one of the biggest performances 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. His 5.79 strikeout-to-walk ratio is 1st in the conference and 17th in the country, with his 1.16 WHIP good for 8th in the conference. His 1.44 walks per 9 are 1st in the conference and 15th in the country.
Brodie Purcell has been outstanding out of the bullpen for USC, pitching to a 2.11 ERA in 25 appearances. In 38.1 innings he has 47 K's and has given up just 21 hits. His 25 appearances are 7th most in the Big Ten, he has not given up an earned run in 20 of his outings, and has 4 saves this season.
Andrew Johnson has been stellar for the Trojan pitching staff, with a 3-1 record. His season ERA is 4.41 and he has 54 strikeouts in his 65.1 innings pitched, with just 12 walks. In the Sunday rubber match against rival UCLA, Johnson came into relief in the first inning, and was stellar into the seventh. He went 6.1 IP, gave up just 4 hits, struck out 5, and did not allow a single earned run. Johnson was recognized for his performance against the Bruin making the NCAA Lineup of the Week. Against Minnesota, Johnson came into the game in the third inning on Friday night. He threw 6.1 scoreless innings for the Trojans giving up just two hits all night and struck out four without surrendering a walk. For his outstanding relief appearance, Johnson was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. His 4.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio is 3rd in the conference, with his walks per 9 of 1.65 being second in the conference, behind teammate Caden Aoki.
Sax Matson has made the most appearances for the Trojan pitching staff. His 27 appearances is 4th most in the conference. The lefty made two appearances against Washington in the regular season series finale, striking out seven in his four total innings of work over the weekend.
Team Stat Rankings:
- 9.2 K/9 - 2nd B10, 50th NCAA
- 3.79 BB/9 - 1st B10, 49th NCAA
- 2.43 K/BB ratio - 1st B10, 35th NCAA
- 1.34 WHIP - 3rd B10, 29th NCAA
- 4.57 ERA - 4th B10, 38th NCAA
- 5.2 Runs allowed per game - 3rd B10, 45th NCAA
- 0.291 AVG - 4th B10, 81st NCAA
- 118 doubles - 2nd B10, 40th NCAA
- 15 triples - 1st B10, 53rd NCAA
- 571 hits - 1st B10, 48th NCAA
- 10.2 hits per game - 1st B10, 58th NCAA
- Double digit hits in 33 games, including 23 of the last 34
- Won 10-of-13 three-game series on the season
- No. 45 - RPI

USC Baseball Opens Corvallis Regional Against No. 22 TCU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Caden Aoki

Abbrie Covarrubias

Brayden Dowd

Ethan Hedges

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Lamb

Adrian Lopez

Augie Lopez

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek

Sax Matson

Brodie Purcell

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University Southern California Trojans

USC Baseball Opens Corvallis Regional Against No. 22 TCU

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Caden Aoki

Abbrie Covarrubias

Brayden Dowd

Ethan Hedges

Andrew Johnson

Andrew Lamb

Adrian Lopez

Augie Lopez

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek

Sax Matson

Brodie Purcell

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