Trojans schedule two fall scrimmages
USC baseball announced Wednesday that the team will be partaking in two fall scrimmages this November with the University of San Diego and Long Beach State.
The Trojans will welcome USD to Dedeaux Field on Sunday, Nov. 17, and will travel south to play Long Beach State at their home stadium, Blair Field, the following weekend on Saturday, Nov. 23. Last season, USC defeated Long Beach State 4-1, but did not take on the Toreros.
USD went 37-25 last season winning the West Coast Conference title and making it all the way to the NCAA Regionals before falling to Cal Poly and UCLA. Long Beach State finished 2013 with a 29-27 mark that gave them their third consecutive winning season under head coach Troy Buckley, who will enter his fourth season with the 49ers in 2014.
USC looks to improve on a below .500, 20-36 overall and 10-20 Pac-12 record in 2013, which culminated with USC losing five of its last six games while being swept by crosstown rival and eventual NCAA champion UCLA. The Trojans did not qualify for postseason play.
Second-year head coach Dan Hubbs returns 27 players from last year’s team, including the entire 2013 weekend rotation, which boasts senior left hander Bob Wheatley, junior righty Wyatt Strahan and sophomore lefty Kyle Twomey.
Junior infielder Dante Flores should be able to improve the Trojans’ offensive output as he returns from injury, while outfielders Timmy Robinson and Vahn Bozoian all look to contribute to the cause in their sophomore seasons after successful freshman campaigns.
The team also welcomes 15 new players, including a three-time Team USA alum in freshman Jeremy Martinez, and freshman infielder and pitcher Jeff Paschke, who was named the fifth-best hitting prospect in the 2013 California Collegiate Summer League.
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