No. 25 USC Baseball Hosts Final Homestand Against Michigan State, CSUN

THIS WEEK: The No. 25 USC baseball team plays its final home conference series of the year, as the Michigan State Spartans travel to Irvine. The Trojans will then play their final nonconference game of the season on Tuesday against CSUN at LMU. The Trojans are coming off of a series victory over No. 14 UCLA for their eighth straight series win, the longest such streak for the program since 1978.

GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday - USC vs Michigan State (Irvine, Calif.), May 9, 6:30 p.m. PT (B1G+)
Saturday - USC vs Michigan State (Irvine, Calif.), May 10, 2 p.m. PT (B1G+) - Senior Day
Sunday - USC vs Michigan State (Irvine, Calif.), May 11, 1 p.m. PT (B1G+)
Tuesday - USC vs CSUN (Los Angeles, Calif.), May 13, 6 p.m. PT (B1G+)

BROADCAST INFO: All games this weekend against Michigan State and Tuesdays midweek against CSUN will all be broadcast on B1G+. 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.

SATURDAY SENIOR DAY: Saturday will be Senior Day for the Trojans, with the program celebrating its five graduating seniors with a pregame ceremony. USC will be honoring Caden Aoki, Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek, Kade Higgins, Fisher Johnson and Zach Schwartzberg.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS MICHIGAN STATE: This will be the first ever meeting between the Spartans and Trojans. With the Trojans
moving into the Big Ten this season, they will open up their all-time series vs. MSU on Friday.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS CSUN: The Trojans own a 57-25 record
against the Matadors, with the first ever matchup coming in
1962, which was a 23-6 USC vicotry. The most recent meeting
came just two weeks ago where the Trojans traveled to Northridge and dominated in an 8-0 victory. Andrew Lamb had three hits and was a single shy of the cycle. Six Trojan pitchers combined to throw a four-hit shutout, and strike out eight.

TOP 25 SERIES WIN VS UCLA: The Trojans took two-of-three from No. 14 UCLA over the weekend, winning the second two games after dropping the opener. Caden Aoki threw 7.0 scoreless innings on Saturday to lead USC to victory and Augie Lopez led the way with two RBI. Andrew Johnson threw 6.1 scoreless relief innings on Sunday and USC erased an early 3-0 deficit, getting four RBI from Augie Lopez and three from Andrew Lamb.

IN THE RANKINGS: USC cracked the Top 25 for the first time this season, coming in at No. 25 in the D1Baseball rankings after its series win over the Bruins. It marks the first time USC has been ranked since April of 2023. USC has won eight straight series and has only lost one of its 12 weekends so far this year.

30 WINS AGAIN: USC's win against CSUN on Tuesday gave the program a third straight 30-win season for the first time since 2002. The Trojans have won at least 30 games in each of Head Coach Andy Stankiewicz's three seasons at the helm, a feat that had happened just once in the prior 17 years before Stankiewicz took over in 2023. USC's streak of seven straight series victories is also the first such streak for a Trojan team since 2001.

THIRD SWEEP AT MINNESOTA: The Trojans picked up their third sweep of the season and seventh straight series win over the weekend at Minnesota. The Trojans exploded for a season-high 16 runs on 17 hits to take the opener on Friday night, 16-6. On Saturday, Caden Aoki went the distance only allowing one run on two hits with nine K's, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning to propel USC to a 6-1 win. On Sunday, the Trojans came from behind scoring one run in the sixth, and two runs in the top of the ninth to sweep the series with a 3-2 victory. The Trojan bullpen was excellent, only allowing three hits in the game, with Sax Matson and Brodie Purcell combining for 4.1 innings of hitless and scoreless baseball to close out the game.

TUESDAY WIN AT CSUN: USC shut out CSUN 8-0 on Tuesday, with six Trojan pitchers combining to allow just four hits. Andrew Lamb finished the game a single shy of the cycle, driving in three runs and scoring three as well.

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 9th in the Big Ten with 65 hits and his 119 total bases is also 9th. His .363 batting average is 8th and a .665 slugging percentage is 7th. He is 15th in the conference with 50 RBI, his 12 home runs are the most on the team and also tied for 14th in the league, and his OBP of .482 is 10th in the league. Hedges has reached base safely in 45 of 48 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 12th in the NCAA and most in the Big Ten. In 13.0 innings pitched, he has only allowed 9 hits while striking out 11 batters and holding opponents to a .191 batting average. Hedges has hit a home run and been credited with a save in the same game 5 times this season. Hedges had 3 hits in the Trojans rubber match win against UCLA, including his 12th homer of the season. 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.
Brayden Dowd in his sophomore season is hitting .309 for the Trojans. The center fielder ranks 5th in the Big Ten in walks (41), while also hitting 8 home runs. His 44 runs scored and 56 hits are second on the team, and his 30 RBI are fourth. He also has 3 stolen bases on the year, and has reached base in 47 of 48 games for the Trojans, and is currently on a 27-game on base streak. 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 16 multiple-hit games are tied for second on the team, and his 9 multiple-RBI games are fourth 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 .302 with 58 hits, which is third on the team. His 8 homers are tied for second on the team, and his 39 runs scored are third most on the team. Martin-Grudzielanek leads the team with 18 multiple hit games, and is third with 10 multiple RBI games. On Saturday against Minnesota, he hit his second grand slam of the year, launching one to deep left in the top of the fifth. His first grand slam came against Hawai'i in a non-conference game at LMU.
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 leading the team with a .365 batting average, and has 27 hits in 74 at bats. He has scored 24 runs and tallied 7 doubles, 2 triples, and 5 home runs. He also leads the team in slugging (.716) and is tied for fourth with a .407 on base percentage. In just 23 games played, he has 8 multiple hit games, and has been on base in all but 6 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. On Sunday against Minnesota, Lamb led off the ninth inning rally with a single and ended up scoring the tying run that led to a Trojan sweep.
Richard Tejeda had a coming out party on Friday night at Minnesota, going 4-for-5 with 5 RBI and 2 runs scored. He also hit his first home run as a Trojan on Friday in Minneapolis. He followed up that performance with two more hits and a run scored on Saturday and one hit on Sunday.
Abbrie Covarrubias is hitting .307, with 51 hits which is fifth on the team, and has eight doubles, two triples and three home runs. Against UCLA he tallied three hits on Saturday, scoring a run as well as driving in another. In four 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 two doubles, one triple and one 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. Against LMU, he matched his career high with 5 RBI. He also 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 25 of his last 34 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. 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 .321/.407/.560.
Caden Hunter, a junior transfer from Sierra College, has been effective on the mound for the Trojans on Friday nights, pitching to a 4.96 ERA (29th in the Big Ten) with a WHIP of 1.52. In 61.2 innings pitched, he has struck out 66 batters (T-6th most in the Big Ten), with his 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings 6th best in the Big Ten. He matched a season-high 7.0 innings against Penn State, giving up just one run on three hits with a season high 9 strikeouts. His six wins are 7th most in the conference, and with Hunter on the mound, USC is 8-4 in series openers.
Caden Aoki has been dealing as of late. In his most recent two outings, against UCLA and at Minnesota, he has pitched to a 0.56 ERA in 16.0 IP. In the two starts, he has given up just 6 hits and 1 run, striking out 15. In his most recent 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 walk 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 finish giving up just two hits in his nine innings of work. He struck out nine and was the Big Ten Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season. He also posted one of 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. His 7.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio is 1st in the conference and 6th in the country, with his 1.07 WHIP being 5th in the conference. His 1.13 walks per 9 are 1st in the conference and 5th in the country.
Brodie Purcell has been outstanding out of the bullpen for the USC, pitching to a 2.14 ERA in 22 appearances. In 33.2 innings he has 43 K's and has given up just 18 hits. His 22 appearances are 4th most in the Big Ten, and has not given up an earned run in 18 of his outings.
Andrew Harbour had a breakout relief performance on Sunday against Ohio State, in just his third appearance on the mound this season, Harbour tossed 2.2 scoreless innings, striking out 6 of the 9 batters he faced.
Andrew Johnson has been solid for the Trojan bullpen, and has put together two massive relief appearances. When the freshman comes out of the bullpen in relief he has pitched to a 2.63 ERA, and has been credited with a win in three of his last four appearances. His season ERA is 3.88 and has 45 strikeouts in his 53.1 innings pitched, with just 11 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 Bruins and was on 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.

Team Stat Rankings:
9.3 K/9 - 2nd B10, 51st NCAA
3.87 BB/9 - 1st B10, 55th NCAA
2.40 K/BB ratio - 1st B10, 44th NCAA
1.36 WHIP - 3rd B10, 38th NCAA
4.67 ERA - 4th B10, 49th NCAA
0.295 AVG - 4th B10, 69th NCAA
97 doubles - 5th B10, 55th NCAA
14 triples - 1st B10, 39th NCAA
485 hits - 4th B10, 45th NCAA
Have had double digit hits in 29 games, including 19 of the last 26 games
No. 29 - RPI

No. 25 USC Baseball Hosts Final Homestand Against Michigan State, CSUN

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Caden Aoki

Abbrie Covarrubias

Brayden Dowd

Andrew Harbour

Ethan Hedges

Kade Higgins

Caden Hunter

Andrew Johnson

Fisher Johnson

Andrew Lamb

Adrian Lopez

Augie Lopez

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek

Sax Matson

Brodie Purcell

Zach Schwartzberg

Richard Tejeda

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University Southern California Trojans

No. 25 USC Baseball Hosts Final Homestand Against Michigan State, CSUN

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Caden Aoki

Abbrie Covarrubias

Brayden Dowd

Andrew Harbour

Ethan Hedges

Kade Higgins

Caden Hunter

Andrew Johnson

Fisher Johnson

Andrew Lamb

Adrian Lopez

Augie Lopez

Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek

Sax Matson

Brodie Purcell

Zach Schwartzberg

Richard Tejeda

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