No. 12 USC Baseball Hits the Road Against Nebraska, Cal State Fullerton

Friday, April 17

Lincoln, Neb.

4:00 p.m. PT

USC

Nebraska

Andy Stankiewicz during the national anthem.

Photo by: Chris Mora

No. 12 USC Baseball Hits the Road Against Nebraska, Cal State Fullerton

April 16, 2026 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK: The No. 12 USC baseball team hits the road this week as the Trojans head to Nebraska for a three-game Big Ten series starting on Friday followed by a midweek matchup at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday.

GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday - USC vs. Nebraska (Hawks Field), April 17, 4 p.m. PT/6 p.m. CT (B1G+)
Saturday - USC vs. Nebraska (Hawks Field), April 18, 12 p.m. PT/2 p.m. CT (B1G+)
Sunday - USC vs. Nebraska (Hawks Field), April 19, 10 a.m. PT/12 p.m. CT (B1G+)
Tuesday - USC vs. Cal State Fullerton (Goodwin Field), April 21, 6 p.m. PT (ESPN+)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Friday - USC: LHP Mason Edwards (6-0, 1.35 ERA) vs. NEB: RHP Cooper Katskee (5-0, 3.27 ERA)
Saturday - USC: RHP Grant Govel (7-0, 2.13 ERA) vs. NEB: RHP Carson Jasa (6-1, 4.34 ERA)
Sunday - USC: RHP Andrew Johnson (3-1, 3.66 ERA) vs. NEB: RHP Gavin Blachowicz (3-1, 2.27 ERA)

BROADCAST INFO: All games against Nebraska will be broadcast on B1G+. The matchup at Cal State Fullerton 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.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS NEBRASKA: The Trojans hold a 4-3 all-time record against the Cornhuskers. The programs met for a three-game series last season, with USC taking two of three. In the final game, now-sophomore Grant Govel tossed five scoreless innings while the Trojans powered three home runs in a 7-1 win over Nebraska.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS CSUF: The Trojans hold a 51-58-1 all-time record against the Titans in a series that dates back to 1969, when USC secured a 10th-inning walk-off victory in the first meeting. The programs faced off twice last season at Goodwin Field in Fullerton, with the Trojans earning one win, a 5-3 victory over the Titans.

SERIES VS IOWA: The Trojans swept the Hawkeyes this past weekend for the team's fifth sweep of the year. USC won the opener 9-2 behind Mason Edwards' 16-strikeout performance, then took the Saturday game 6-3 thanks to a 4-run fourth inning and finally won the finale 8-2 after exploding for seven runs in the first two innings. Iowa came into the series leading the Big Ten with a .318 batting average and scoring 8.0 runs per game, but were held to 7 total runs in the series and hit just .163.

RAINY MIDWEEK WIN: The Trojans battled back for a 7-6 win on a rainy Tuesday night, improving to 27-3 after defeating the Gauchos. After falling behind early, the offense came alive in the bottom of the third. A two-run triple from Abbrie Covarrubias and an RBI groundout by Maximo Martinez cut the deficit to one. Adrian Lopez launched the lone home run of the day to spark another three-run rally. Chase Herrell was dominant in relief, tossing 5.1 innings and allowing just two runs.

SERIES WIN AT MARYLAND: The Trojans took 2-of-3 at Maryland last weekend, winning the opener and the finale. In a rainy series opener, USC held on for an 11-10 victory after taking an early 11-2 lead. After falling on Saturday, the Trojans beat the Terps 14-4 in eight innings on Sunday. Augie Lopez led the way in the series, driving in nine runs with three homers.

HUSKY SWEEP: USC won all three games against Washington at Dedeaux Field. Mason Edwards and Gavin Lauridsen combined on a two-hit shutout on Friday night, and then the Trojans scored seven early runs in a 7-2 victory on Friday. Sunday saw the USC offense explode for 14 runs in a 14-7 seven-inning run-rule victory.

HOT START: The Trojans' 19-0 start to the season marked the best in program history and tied the USC record for the longest winning streak in program history, set in 1955. The Trojans were the final unbeaten team in the country before suffering their first loss of the season in the second game of a doubleheader at Northwestern. USC was also the first team to 20 wins in the country and is now one of just four teams with 30 wins. The Trojans' 30-7 record marks the fastest a USC team has gotten to 30 wins in a season since 1978 and this year's squad is one of just three Trojan teams to ever start a season 30-7, joining the 1978 and 1961 teams.

IN THE RANKINGS:

NCBWA - No. 8
Perfect Game - No. 9
USA Today Coaches Poll - No. 9
Baseball America - No. 10
D1Baseball - No. 12
NCAA RPI - No. 8

2026 PLAYER NOTES:
HITTERS

Abbrie Covarrubias has been the catalyst to the Trojan offense this season in the leadoff spot, tied for the team lead with 33 runs scored and leading with 14 stolen bases. Covarrubias is slashing .266/.381/.374, has 16 RBI and is 2nd on the team with 21 walks.
Adrian Lopez has served as a consistent run producer in the middle of the USC order, currently sitting 2nd on the team in runs scored (32) and 3rd in RBI (27). Lopez is slashing .294/.377/.478, with 15 extra-base hits, including 9 doubles, 2 triples and 4 homers.
Augie Lopez has proven to be productive in the designated hitter spot for the Trojans. He's currently leading the team with 11 home runs, a .643 slugging percentage, and 33 RBIs. Lopez had 9 RBI, 5 runs, and 3 home runs in the series against Maryland.
Andrew Lamb has emerged as one of the best power bats in the USC lineup, currently 2nd on the team with 7 home runs. Lamb homered in three straight games from 3/10-13 and had a three-run homer against Washington. His .538 slugging percentage is 3rd on the team.
Jack Basseer is 3rd on the squad with 5 long balls and 2nd on the team with a .309 batting average. He has driven in 16 runs and scored 20, making him second on the team with a .593 slugging percentage. Basseer had a walk-off, two-run shot against CSU Bakersfield on 3/18.
Kevin Takeuchi has been the Trojans' offensive leader all season. He's he leads the team in batting average (.312) and hits (38), 2nd on the team in RBIs (31), and tied for 3rd for in walks (19). Takeuchi also has 9 stolen bases on 10 attempts, has scored 33 runs and has a team-high 10 doubles and 3 triples.
Maximo Martinez broke into the lineup in the third week of the season and has since been third in the club with a .395 OBP. He had a career game against Cal Poly on 04/28, going 4-for-5 with five RBIs, three runs, three doubles, and a grand slam.
Maddox Riske had himself a day in the third game of the Cal Poly series, going 5-for-6 with 2 RBI and 2 runs, becoming the first Trojan to record five hits in a game since 2022.
Richard Tejeda has been a regular behind the dish for USC this season. At Northwestern, Tejeda went 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs scored and a two-run home run.

PITCHERS

Andrew Johnson has emerged as one of the most effective pitchers as USC's Sunday starter, posting a 3.66 ERA and 3-1 record in 9 starts and 46.2 total innings.
Adam Troy is 2nd the nation with 10 saves this season and is 14th in the NCAA with 19 appearances on the mound. Troy owns a 3.92 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched, striking out 25.
Diego Velazquez came to USC as both an infielder and pitcher, but has seen the most time on the mound, making 8 appearances. The freshman has given up just 10 hits, 5 walks, and striking out 13 in 10.2 innings.
Gavin Lauridsen has been a key arm in high-leverage relief situations this year, posting a 3.81 ERA in 16 appearances and 28.1 innings pitched. Lauridsen earned B1G Freshman of the Week honors after 3.0 scoreless innings against Washington on March 20.
Grant Govel has been like a second ace as USC's Saturday starter. He's sitting 2nd in the Big Ten with a 2.13 ERA in 55.0 innings pitched, striking out 57 batters while walking just 8. His 0.80 WHIP leads the Big Ten and is 5th the nation. Govel was named both National and Big Ten Pitcher of the Week after 6.0 hitless innings against Pepperdine on opening weekend and Big Ten POTW after 7.0 scoreless frames against Northwestern.
Mason Edwards has established himself as one of the top arms in the country this season, posting a 1.35 ERA through nine starts and 53.1 innings pitched. His ERA ranks 4th nationally, his hits allowed per nine innings lead the NCAA, his 95 strikeouts rank 1st in the country and in the conference, and his 0.88 WHIP is 2nd in the Big Ten. The junior left-hander also put together a scoreless streak of 29.2 consecutive innings. The junior lefty went 29.2 innings without giving up a run to start the season and has allowed just 11 hits for a .082 opponent batting average. Edwards has been named B1G Pitcher of the Week three times this season, Perfect Game National Pitcher of the Week once, and Perfect Game Midseason Pitcher of the Year.
Sax Matson has established himself as a key relief pitcher for the Trojans. This season, he leads the team and is the NCAA with 23 appearances on the mound, posting a 4.00 ERA.