After finishing with a losing record last year, the Trojans have jumped out to a 6-0 start by being able to get timely hitting and great pitching.
USC Trojans Baseball has gotten out to a hot start – winning their first six games of the season. The Trojans have won these games in a variety of ways – from winning in extra innings to routs of lesser opponents. They are doing all they can to erase the awful memory of last season when they had a 20-36 record under first year manager Dan Hubbs.
“I think that being so young last year prepared us for this year,” said Hubbs in an interview with the USC Athletics website. “A lot of guys gained experience both on the mound and at the plate. We return all but 25 innings on the mound and seven starters on the field. Overall, we had a great fall with a lot of competition, so we are expecting good things out of this team.”
Good things have come to USC already to start this season as they are undefeated and look poised to get to the top of the competitive Pac-12 Conference.
The cardinal and gold swept a dramatic three game series against Northwestern, winning the first two games in extra innings and then routing them in the finale. The Trojans also defeated SoCal rival and perennial powerhouse #3 Cal State Fullerton and have won the first two games of a three game set against North DakotaState.
USC has had different players step up for them with their early season success. Senior catcher Jake Hernandez is leading the team with a .500 batting average, racking up nine hits in his first 18 at-bats (stats from usctrojans.com). Hernandez also has a .556 slugging percentage and three RBIs. Sophomore outfielder Timmy Robinson has been productive for the Trojans lineup as well. The Huntington Beach standout is batting .321 and has a team-leading five RBIs and five runs scored.
Another sophomore outfielder, Vahn Bozoian, has provided some power for USC. He has clubbed two of the team’s three home runs and has four RBIs with a .286 batting average and team-leading .571 slugging percentage. Junior infielder Dante Flores is also hitting .286 with a home run and five RBIs and has two stolen bases.
While the team hasn’t hit a bunch of homers, they have done a great job of getting on base and manufacturing runs without the long ball. The Trojans are hitting .317 as a team and have a .392 on-base percentage. USC has shown the ability to wear down opposing pitchers by getting a bunch of men on base and get the timely hits when they need them.
Sometimes they don’t even need RBI hits to win games. In their second game of the season against Northwestern, freshman Joe Corrigan came up with a game-winning sacrifice fly in the 15th inning to give USC the 2-1 victory.
In addition to the team’s clutch offense, the pitching staff has done an outstanding job to start the season. Senior lefty Bob Wheatley, who is considered the ace of the Trojans, is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA and seven strikeouts in his first two starts. Junior right hander Wyatt Strahan has not been in a decision in his first two starts but has a team-leading 13 strikeouts and a respectable 3.29 ERA with the opposition hitting .213 against him.
Senior reliever James Guillen has pitched well for the USC bullpen. He was helped them win some close games and has a 2-0 record without surrendering a run in 3.1 innings pitched. Guillen has given up just one hit in his three appearances.
The season is long, but a 6-0 start is very promising for a Trojans team that finished 16 games below .500 last year. The schedule will not be easy for USC as they will play in 18 games against six different teams that competed in the 2013 postseason.
However, the cardinal and gold have shown they can hit and pitch effectively and are capable of beating any opponent on a given night. If the Trojans are going to compete for a berth in this year’s postseason, they must continue playing with the type of consistency and determination they have started the season and just keep it going.
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