No. 12 USC Baseball Hosts Long Beach State, San Diego

Tuesday, March 10

Los Angeles, Calif.

6:30 p.m. PT

USC

Long Beach State

Kevin Takeuchi returns to the dugout after scoring against Illinois.

Photo by: William Fosnot

No. 12 USC Baseball Hosts Long Beach State, San Diego

March 09, 2026 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)

THIS WEEK: The No. 12 USC baseball team will host Long Beach State and San Diego in a pair of midweek games on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Trojans enter the week unbeaten at 15-0, matching the 1988 Trojans' for the best start in program history.

GAME SCHEDULE:
Tuesday - USC vs. Long Beach State (Dedeaux Field), March 10, 6:00 p.m. (B1G+)
Wednesday - USC vs. San Diego (Dedeaux Field), March 11, 6:00 p.m. (B1G+)

PROBABLE PITCHERS:
Tuesday - USC: RHP Chase Herrell (1-0, 5.02 ERA) vs. LBSU: LHP Van Larson (0-0, 16.20 ERA)
Wednesday - USC: LHP Ace Whitehead (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. USD: TBD

BROADCAST INFO: All games will 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.

PROMOTIONS: $2 tacos will be available to purchase at the concession stand during midweek games.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS LONG BEACH STATE: USC holds an 87–51 all-time record against the Dirtbags. The two programs last met in April 2025, when the Trojans earned a 12–2 victory.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS SAN DIEGO: USC holds a 20–7 all-time record against the Toreros. The Trojans have dropped their last four matchups against San Diego. The two programs last met in 2024.

STREAKING: The Trojans' 15-0 record to start the season matches the 1988 USC team for the best start in program history. The program record for a win streak at any point in a season is 19 games, set back in 1955. USC teams have had 16-game win streaks on four different occasions (2000, 1971, 1949, 1948), marking the second longest streaks in program history.

CONFERENCE SWEEP VS ILLINOIS: The Trojans closed out the opening weekend of conference play with a sweep of Illinois. USC shut out the Fighting Illini in the first two games, winning both 4-0. Illinois scored its first runs of the series on Sunday, but the Trojans responded early and rallied for a 5-3 win.

IN THE RANKINGS: The Trojans moved up to No. 12 in the latest Perfect Game poll, No. 19 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and No. 20 in Baseball America's rankings, while breaking into the D1Baseball rankings at No. 25. USC is off to a 15-0 start, matching the program's best start set in 1988. USC is outscoring opponents 102-28 through the first four weeks of the season.

PITCHING DOMINANCE: The Trojan pitching staff has been dominant through three weeks of play, posting the No. 1 ERA (1.47) in the country, No. 1 Hits/9 (5.13), No. 2 WHIP (0.94), and No. 18 K/9 (11.4).

MIDWEEK COMEBACK: The Trojans earned a win at home last week over the UC Irvine Anteaters after trailing by three early. USC got on the board with a solo shots from Abbrie Covarrubias in the first and Augie Lopez in the second to cut it to 3-2. Kevin Takeuchi tied the game with an RBI single in the third, and Lopez followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Trojans the lead. After UC Irvine evened it in the sixth, the Trojans put up two runs in the eighth to secure the 6-4 victory. Sax Matson tossed a scoreless ninth to secure the save.

TROJANS AT THE WBC: Four USC alums are playing in this year's World Baseball Classic, with Garrett Stubbs, CJ Stubbs, Robert Stock and Josh Blum competing for team Israel.

2026 HOME GAMES: After two seasons playing the majority of its home games at Great Park in Irvine, USC returns home to the new Dedeaux Field. The project, which features a brand new stadium, clubhouse, training facility and offices for the program, is still ongoing and will be completed after the conclusion of the 2026 season. Despite certain elements of the stadium still being under construction, USC will welcome fans into Dedeaux Field this season, with all home games being free and open to the public. Temporary concessions and restrooms will be available all season long. Seating will be first come first serve. For more information visit USCTrojans.com/baseballgameday.

2026 PLAYER/TEAM NOTES:

Augie Lopez has been a consistent run producer for the Trojans this season. The sophomore is currently tied for second on the team with 11 RBIs, trailing only Kevin Takeuchi. During the Rice series, Lopez drove in three of USC's four runs in one of the wins, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and a two-run homer. In the matchup against UC Irvine, he went 1-for-2 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a home run.
Abbrie Covarrubias has gotten off to a strong start this season. In the 4-0 win over Cal Poly, the junior went 2-for-4 with two runs, a triple, and two stolen bases. He leads the team and the Big Ten with nine stolen bases so far, after leading last year with 15. In last week's game against UC Irvine, Covarrubias scored two runs and hit his first home run of the season.
Andrew Johnson has emerged as one of the key pitchers in USC's early-season rotation.In the series against the Cal Poly Mustangs, Johnson took the mound and pitched 6.2 innings, retiring the first 14 batters he faced before allowing a pair of hits in the fifth inning. Johnson finished the game with a career-best seven strikeouts and just one walk.
Adam Troy ranks second on the team with eight appearances on the mound and leads the Trojans with five saves so far this season. He has a 2.53 ERA and has struck out 17 batters over 10.2 innings pitched.
Grant Govel earned both National and Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors after leading USC to a 7 inning no-hitter against Pepperdine. Over 6.0 hitless innings, Govel retired 11 straight batters at one point and struck out five consecutive hitters, allowing just two baserunners (a walk and hit-by-pitch) in the Trojans' 11-0 run-rule victory. It marked Govel's first Pitcher of the Week honor, adding to last season's Big Ten Freshman of the Week recognition. The sophomore delivered another strong outing against Cal Poly, pitching 7.0 innings and allowing just one earned run on four hits in the Trojans' 16-2 victory.
Isaac Cadena has spent time both catching and playing in the outfield for the Trojans. In Saturday's game against Illinois, Cadena drove in two of USC's four runs and currently leads the team with 10 walks at the plate.
Jack Basseer is currently batting .353, leads the team with four home runs, and is tied for second in RBIs with 11. In Sunday's matchup against Illinois, he had two RBIs, two runs, and a home run.
Kevin Takeuchi has gotten off to a strong start, leading the team in batting average (.370), on-base percentage (.463), hits (20), RBIs (13), triples (3), and is tied for the team lead in doubles (5). He also has five stolen bases this season, second on the team to Abbrie Covarrubias.
Mason Edwards was named Big Ten Pitcher of the Week and Baseball America's National Team of the Week after tossing 7.0 hitless and scoreless innings last Friday against Cal Poly. The junior lefty matched his career high with 11 strikeouts for the second week in a row. So far this season, Edwards has allowed just one hit and no runs in three starts, tossing 18.0 innings.
Maximo Martinez is batting .367 in just nine game appearances, including seven starts. He made a huge impact in the series against Cal Poly, 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. He went 5-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs, becoming the first Trojan to record five hits in a game since 2022.
Sax Matson has established himself as a key relief pitcher for the Trojans. This season, he leads the team with nine appearances on the mound, posting a 1.42 ERA and an impressive 22/3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Combined Starting Pitcher Stats: Through the first four weekends of the season, the starting rotation has combined for 70.1 innings pitched and 94 strikeouts. Mason Edwards (24.0 IP, 42 K), Grant Govel (26.0 IP, 29 K), and Andrew Johnson (20.1 IP, 23 K) have continued to anchor the staff, delivering consistent performances each weekend on the mound.

Team Stat Rankings:
         - 1.47 ERA - 1st B10, 1st NC
         - 0.94 WHIP - 1st B10, 2nd NCAA
         - 11.4 K/9 - 1st B10, 18th NCAA
         - 3.3 BB/9 - 2nd B10, 30th NCAA
         - 5.13 Hits/9 - 1st NCAA
         - 3.42 K/BB ratio - 19th NCAA