USC's 12 College World Series national championships are far and away the most in college baseball, but the last of those came way back in 1998 and since then the Trojans have struggled to even get into the NCAA postseason field.
That's why this is so big for the program and third-year head coach Andy Stankiewicz.
The Trojans are back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2015 and just the second time in the last 20 years, earning a No. 3 seed in the four-team Corvallis Regional hosted by No. 8-ranked Oregon State. The Trojans open play vs. TCU on Friday, while Saint Mary's is the other team in the double-elimination regional.
USC earned the berth after going 35-21 this season and finishing fourth in the Big Ten with an 18-12 conference record.
"Two years ago we had this meeting because we were on that bubble and didn't know what to do. We rolled the dice and we had this kind of gathering before the announcements were made and we didn't make it, so I had to walk in front of the room and talk to a bunch of disappointed young men. There were guys here who were in that room that day, so I just think it's a cool 360 moment for them," Stankiewicz said.
Making USC's NCAA tournament breakthrough more impressive for this particular team is that the Trojans haven't had a home field the last two seasons while construction continues on the USC football facility and rebuilt baseball field.
"It's been documented, we haven't had a home for two years, but I'm just proud of the boys, just continued to get better," Stankiewicz said. "It's USC and we feel like it's a big step as we move the program forward."
Overall, it will be the Trojans’ 41st 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 11-inning game that spanned 10 hours over two days. USC’s last postseason appearance before that came in 2005 under hall-of-fame coach Mike Gillespie.
Stankiewicz, who was hired after a successful run at Grandy Canyon University, has reignited the program with the first back-to-back-to-back 30-win seasons since the Gillespie era, with Stankiewicz becoming the first USC coach since Gillespie to win at least 100 games in their first three seasons with the Trojans.
This year's team is led by third baseman/closer Ethan Hedges, a first-team All-Big Ten selection who is hitting .343 with 12 home runs, 10 doubles, 5 triples and 55 RBIs while posting 9 saves with a 2.40 ERA.
The Trojans have had a deeper lineup than in any of Stankiewicz's three seasons, with first baseman Adrian Lopez (.337 batting average, 8 HRs, 21 doubles, 49 RBIs), centerfielder Brayden Dowd (.322, 10 HRs, 15 doubles, 35 RBIs), shortstop Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek (.304, 8 HRs, 40 RBIs), second baseman Abbrie Covarrubias (.296, 30 RBIs), catcher Andrew Lamb (.324, 5 HR), designated hitter Auggie Lopez (.300) and left field Jack Basseer (.280, 7 HRs, 11 doubles) providing contributions up and down the batting order.
On the mound, Caden Aoki (5-4, 4.21 ERA) and Caden Hunter (6-5, 5.18) have been the Trojans' most reliable starting pitchers while Andrew Johnson (3-1, 4.41) has worked as both a starter and reliever Brodie Purcell (3-2, 2.11) has been the team's most dependable arm out of the bullpen.
As for what USC will face in the regional, Oregon State is 41-12, TCU is 39-18 and Saint Mary's is 34-24.
