No 14 USC Baseball Hosts Iowa, Heads to Long Beach State

Friday, April 10

Los Angeles, Calif.

7:00 p.m. PT

USC

Iowa

Photo by: Katie Chin

No 14 USC Baseball Hosts Iowa, Heads to Long Beach State

April 09, 2026 | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)Game Day Info

THIS WEEK: The No. 14 USC baseball team will return to Dedeaux Field after being on the road for a week, hosting Iowa for a three-game series starting on Friday and then traveling to Long Beach State on Tuesday.

GAME SCHEDULE:
Friday - USC vs. Iowa (Dedeaux Field), April 10, 7:00 p.m. PT (B1G+)
Saturday - USC vs. Iowa (Dedeaux Field), April 11, 2:00 p.m. PT (B1G+)
Sunday - USC vs. Iowa (Dedeaux Field), April 12, 1:00 p.m. PT (B1G+)
Tuesday - USC vs. Long Beach State (Blair Field), April 14, 6:00 p.m. PT (ESPN+)

BROADCAST INFO: All games against Iowa will be broadcast on B1G+. The matchup at Long Beach State 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.

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.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS IOWA: This will be the first-ever meeting between the Hawkeyes and Trojans. With USC moving into the Big Ten last season, the Trojans will open their all-time series against Iowa on Friday.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS LBSU: The Trojans are 88-51 all-time against the Dirtbags, dating back to the first matchup in 1960. USC took the first meeting between the two teams this season, 6-1 at Dedeaux Field on March 10.

LAST WEEK: The Trojans are looking to end their first losing streak of the season heading into this weekend after dropping all three games at No. 1 UCLA and then falling on the road at UC Santa Barbara on Tuesday. USC had lost just three games heading into last weekend, with none of the three previous losses coming in consecutive games.

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 leads the nation with 26 victories.

IN THE RANKINGS:

Perfect Game - No. 11
USA Today Coaches Poll - No. 10
Baseball America - No. 11
D1Baseball - No. 14

PITCHING DOMINANCE: The Trojan pitching staff have been dominant through the first eight weeks of play, posting the No. 2 Hits/9 (6.73), No. 11 ERA (3.46) in the country, No. 11 WHIP (1.21) and the most shutouts (6).

MIDSEASON WATCHLISTS/AWARDS:
Mason Edwards: Golden Spikes watch list, D1Baseball/Baseball America/Perfect Game Midseason Pitcher of the Year, D1Baseball Midseason All-America first team
Grant Govel: Golden Spikes watch list, Baseball American Midseason Pitcher of the Year watch list
Andy Stankiewicz - Perfect Game Midseason Coach of the Year

2026 PLAYER NOTES:
HITTERS

Abbrie Covarrubias has been the catalyst to the Trojan offense this season in the leadoff spot, leading the team with 31 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. Covarrubias is slashing .279/.395/.393, has 15 RBI and is 2nd on the team with 19 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 (28) and tied for 1st in RBI (27). Lopez is slashing .306/.382/.504, with 14 extra-base hits, including 8 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 8 home runs, a .621 slugging percentage, and tied for first with 27 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 6 home runs. Lamb homered in three straight games from 3/10-13 and had a three-run homer against Washington. His .513 slugging percentage is 3rd on the team.
Jack Basseer is 3rd on the squad with 5 long balls and .296 batting average. He has driven in 14 runs and scored 19, becoming second on the team with a .592 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 tied for first on the team in RBIs (27) and batting average (.306), while leading in hits (38) and tied for 3rd for in walks (17). Takeuchi also has 8 stolen bases on 9 attempts, has scored 29 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 second in the club with a .419 OBP. He had a career game against Cal Poly in the Saturday game, 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 3.98 ERA and 2-1 record in 8 starts and 40.2 total innings.
Adam Troy leads the nation with 9 saves this season and is 10th in the NCAA with 18 appearances on the mound. Troy owns a 3.86 ERA in 18.2 innings pitched, striking out 21.
Diego Velazquez came to USC as both an infielder and pitcher, but has seen the most time on the mound, making 7 appearances. The freshman has given up just 8 hits, 5 walks, and stirking out 9 in 9.0 innings.
Gavin Lauridsen has been a key arm in high-leverage relief situations this year, posting a 4.26 ERA in 14 appearances and 25.1 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 1.80 ERA in 50.0 innings pitched, striking out 49 batters while walking just 5. His 0.74 WHIP leads the Big Ten and is 3rd 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 1.20 ERA through eight starts and 45.0 innings pitched. His ERA ranks 6th nationally, his hits allowed per nine innings lead the NCAA, his 79 strikeouts rank 2nd in the country and 1st in the conference, and his 0.93 WHIP is 4th 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 Pictcher of the Year.
Sax Matson has established himself as a key relief pitcher for the Trojans. This season, he leads the team and is 2nd in the NCAA with 19 appearances on the mound, posting a 4.91 ERA and a 2.92 strikeout-to-walk ratio.