For a once-dominant college baseball program, the USC Trojans have languished in mediocrity for the past two decades, with only two NCAA Tournament berths in 20 seasons, the last one coming in 2015 under head coach Dan Hubbs.
Hubbs was succeeded by Jason Gill, whose tenure at USC was both tumultuous and disappointing, totaling just a 60-59 record over the last three seasons and a losing conference record. The Trojans let go of Gill last summer and brought in Andy Stankiewicz from Grand Canyon University.
Stankiewicz led the Antelopes to a 341-239-2 record over 11 seasons at GCU and brought them up to the Division I level. USC hopes he can turn around what has been a stagnant program for far too long. This was a very strong hire, and the skipper has already made strides in the right direction, bringing in a well-respected coaching staff with a history of success at the top level of the sport.
The Trojans’ new hitting coach, Travis Jewett, is coming aboard from a head coaching position at Tulane. Jewett was the assistant coach of the 2014 Vanderbilt championship team under Tim Corbin and is a great get for Stankiewicz.
Seth Etherton is a former Trojan himself and will be in charge of the pitching staff after spending some years coaching at the pro level. Andy Jenkins has a professional background as well and helped the 2018 Oregon State team on their championship run.
Plenty of experience is joining USC, and this qualified coaching staff should create a strong foundation to build on as the Trojans try to reboot the program and claw their way back to Omaha for the first time since 2001.
Stankiewicz and his staff have work to do on the recruiting front before USC can really elevate to its former peaks, but for now, they will work with the roster they have.
As for the 2023 season, expectations are not exactly high. D1Baseball.com projects the Trojans to finish last in the Pac-12. Fair enough, as the Trojans finished last in the conference a year ago.
Only three bats will be returning to the starting lineup, so the production at the plate is a bit of a wild card. The Trojans’ staff largely knows what it has in terms of pitching; it will just be a matter of consistency among the three arms expected to eat up most of the innings: Jaden Agassi, Blake Sodersten, and Tyler Stromsborg. If these three can hold it down, and the younger bats prove to have some pop, the Trojans have some nice pieces that could surprise people.
The Pac-12 baseball tournament will return for its second season, this time with a field expanded from five to nine teams. The Trojans’ goal should be to make their conference tournament, and hopefully make a bit of noise once they get there.
The Pac-12 is a very strong conference and should play out to be quite competitive this season, but if USC makes the tournament and makes it out of their pool, that should be considered a successful first season for Stankiewicz.
