USC baseball is back and finally ready to match rival UCLA

Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where college baseball is back — and, I hope, here to stay — in L.A. At least, that’s how it felt sitting in the top row of the packed auxiliary bleachers of a sold-out Jackie Robinson Stadium on Friday night, where tickets were going for upwards of $150 on the secondary market.

In my seven years on the USC beat with The Times — plus four years on the UCLA beat a while back — the baseball rivalry with the Bruins hadn’t carried all that much significance. But that was before the Trojans won 19 games in a row to start the season, the longest such streak in the program’s vaunted history.

The two rivals entered Friday as top-10 teams for the first time in over a decade, and their weekend matchup lived up to the billing. The stadium was electric. The rivalry was alive. Sure, the Trojans ended up getting swept by their top-ranked rivals, and yes, two of those losses did come by six or more runs. But the box score alone isn’t a fair portrayal of what happened in Westwood.

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On Friday, the Trojans were tied at four after six innings. USC ace Mason Edwards had given up four runs in four innings, more than he had in his previous seven starts combined. But USC was still within striking distance, still scratching and clawing its way through a game in which it was mostly overmatched. It wasn’t until right fielder Andrew Lamb came up short on a diving catch that the dam finally burst. UCLA scored seven runs in the eighth inning, and that was that.

But in the midst of a brutal losing weekend were a few silver linings. Namely that USC baseball is finally back in a place where it can push the No. 1 team in the nation to the very brink.

The next night, it took UCLA robbing a potential home run from Augie Lopez to best the Trojans. Had a few other breaks gone USC’s way, then it might’ve been a real series.

We wouldn’t have said that about this matchup a few years ago. And that’s a credit to Andy Stankiewicz, who has overcome an even more difficult set of circumstances than most people realize to get here. Not only has USC baseball been either displaced or playing in an unfinished stadium, but the Trojans are far off from other elite programs when it comes to NIL and scholarship support. Stankiewicz has made it work anyway.

That this weekend’s rivalry was an anticipated matchup at all is an encouraging sign. Even if three straight losses doesn’t feel so encouraging for USC.

“A full house here, a sold-out crowd, the stands going back and forth, that’s what you want,” Stankiewicz said Friday. “It was fun for a moment, then it wasn’t so much fun. But that’s OK. It’s part of the growth of our program. We feel like we’re moving in the right direction. I’m not gonna let a couple bad innings at the end put us in a bad spot. It’s baseball. We’ll get back on it tomorrow.”

USC freshman wide receiver Trent Mosley takes part in drills during spring practice on March 10.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Quarterback

Starter: Jayden Maiava

Reserves: Sam Huard, Jonas Williams

Post-spring skinny: No question about who leads the way here, but Williams looked more physically ready than I expected this spring. Huard has the experience, but USC likes what it has seen from Williams.

Running back

Starters: Waymond Jordan, King Miller

Reserves: Deshonne Redeaux (Fr.), Riley Wormley, Shahn Alston (Fr.)

Post-spring skinny: Jordan missed the spring and had a second procedure done on his ankle, paving the way for Miller to secure more market share. Miller, who’s now on scholarship, also looked bigger. The question is how much other backs will factor in — I’m intrigued especially by Redeaux’s skill set.

Wide receiver

Starters: Tanook Hines, Terrell Anderson, Trent Mosley (Fr.)

Reserves: Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (Fr.), Ethan “Boobie” Feaster (Fr.), Corey Simms, Zacharyus Williams

Post-spring skinny: Coach Lincoln Riley pointed to receiver as the position he was most encouraged about after seeing the progress this spring. That’s on account of a tremendous freshman class that includes three (Mosley, Dixon-Wyatt and Feaster) who will definitely have a role. In the slot, Mosley is a benefactor of a thin group of inside receivers, but it’s possible others, like Dixon-Wyatt, could work there.

Tight end

Starters: Mark Bowman (Fr.)

Reserves: Tucker Ashcraft, Taniela Tupou, Walter Matthews, Josiah Jefferson

Post-spring skinny: This is mostly projection, given how clear it is that Bowman is the superior talent in the room. Ashcraft had impressed until an injury derailed his spring. I expect Tupou will play a part as a receiving threat, perhaps even ahead of Bowman at first. But that shouldn’t last long.

Offensive line

Starters: Elijah Paige (LT), Alani Noa (LG), Tobias Raymond (OC), Breck Kolojay (OG, Fr.), Justin Tauanuu (RT)

Reserves: Kilian O’Connor (OC), Elijah Vaikona (OT), Keenyi Pepe (OT, Fr.), Hayden Treter (OG), Kaylon Miller (OG/OC), Aaron Dunn (OL), Vlad Dyakanov (OL, Fr.), Kannon Smith (OC, Fr.)

Post-spring skinny: It’s a wonder how quickly the outlook has changed up front for USC. But there are a lot of possibilities for this group. If Kolojay lives up to early hype, he could be a mauler from Day 1. Tauanuu missed spring, which could leave him in danger of losing his job to Vaikona, who has impressed, or even Pepe, the five-star freshman. Raymond can fit in anywhere, but I like him at center, with other ascending talents at guard and tackle.

Defensive line

Starters: Kameryn Crawford (DE) Jahkeem Stewart (DL), Alex Van Sumeren (DT), Braylan Shelby (DE)

Reserves: Jide Abasiri (DL), Floyd Boucard (DT), Luke Wafle (DE, Fr.), Zuriah Fisher (DE), Jamieon Winfield (DT, Fr.), Jamaal Jarrett (DT), Jadyn Ramos (DE)

Post-spring skinny: The interior of the Trojans’ line suddenly feels stacked, with Stewart, Boucard and Abasiri all capable of creating pressure. Van Sumeren has Big Ten experience and should help against the run. And Luke Wafle certainly looks the part of a freshman lineman who will contribute from Day 1. I expect it won’t be long before Wafle emerges ahead of Shelby in the pecking order.

Linebacker

Starters: Desman Stephens, Jadyn Walker

Reserves: Deven Bryant, Talanoa Ili (Fr.) Ta’Mere Robinson, Elijah Newby

Post-spring skinny: Both Riley and Patterson have said the right things about the linebacker room, but I’m still wary. Stephens and Walker appear locked in, for the moment. But Bryant will play, and I’ll be fascinated to watch the progress of Ili, who has a ton of potential.

Defensive backfield

Starters: Jontez Williams (CB), Marcelles Williams (CB), Alex Graham (S/NB), Christian Pierce (S), Kennedy Urlacher (S)

Reserves: Chasen Johnson (CB), Elbert “Rock” Hill (CB, Fr.), RJ Sermons (CB), Prophet Brown (DB), Kendarius Reddick (S), Madden Riordan (S, Fr.)

Post-spring skinny: At least one cornerback spot is still very much up for grabs, presumably between Chasen Johnson and Marcelles Williams. But there’s still a lot of time for things to shake out differently. Rock Hill has a particularly exciting skill set, and Sermons was a much-hyped prospect at one point. The three other spots are pretty much set, with Pierce and Urlacher as safeties and Graham playing in a versatile safety/corner role.

Eric Musselman will need to be more prudent in the transfer portal. Last year, with an entire team to rebuild and little in the way of restrictions on rev-share money to help, USC happily paid up in the portal. That didn’t exactly work out, as Musselman paid way too much for Chad Baker-Mazara, who was kicked off the team, and a collection of reserves who punched lower than their weight for much of the season. No disrespect to the likes of Ryan Cornish or Gabe Dynes, but USC needs to be more wary of who it’s spending up for this spring.The best college football programs will spend upwards of $40 million on their rosters next season, according to The Athletic. So I asked Riley what he thought about those rising costs. “Things are definitely going up,” he said. “There’s no doubt about that.” But Riley doesn’t have any reason to complain right now. USC has been willing to spend at those rising prices. So the burgeoning market has only benefited USC … assuming, of course, that it can win this season. “Fortunately,” Riley continued, “we’re at a place right now that’s serious about football and serious about winning.”The NCAA tournament seems bound to expand to 76 teams. It’s a bad idea. On one hand, in a 76-team field, perhaps the USC men would’ve found their way into the tournament this season. But for the sake of the tournament, is that a good thing? I can’t think of more than a team or two on the outside looking in for this year’s tournament, and those teams inevitably would’ve been blasted from the field in short order. This year’s mostly chalky field had a ton of first-round blowouts, while just two teams above the three-line made it to the Elite Eight.JuJu Watkins is still “a couple more months” away from being full-go. The USC star was limited to shooting drills at a Team USA basketball camp in Phoenix on Friday, but she assured that she was closing in on the finish line of her recovery. “I’ll be ready for next season,” she told reporters, “so that’s all that matters.”Incoming freshman Saniyah Hall was MVP of the McDonald’s All-American game. If you needed another reminder of how stacked USC will be next season, do yourself a favor and watch some highlights of Hall. She dropped 21 against a collection of the best prospects in the women’s game. Anywhere else, she might step in and instantly be the No. 1 option. At USC, she’ll be the No. 3 at best at the beginning. But her game is incredibly smooth, and she shouldn’t have any issue adjusting.Malia Samuels and Dayana Mendes are entering the transfer portal. With so much talent coming in and Watkins returning, it’s hard to imagine much time to go around for Mendes, who averaged just three points and three rebounds per game last season. Samuels might have found a role as a backup point guard next season. But both exits leave a necessary amount of flexibility as Lindsay Gottlieb sets out to add complementary pieces to an already stacked lineup for next season.Olympic sports spotlight

It was a critical weekend for USC men’s volleyball, which put away No. 14 Stanford in two straight matches, 3-0 and 3-1. That’s no small feat for the fourth-ranked Trojans, who have just two losses to No. 1 UCLA and just one otherwise (UC Irvine) this season.

USC is trending toward being a serious national title contender, if it can keep peaking at the time. Its next two matchups — against Brigham Young and Pepperdine — should be good tests. Both are ranked in the top 15.

What I’m watching this week Yahya Abdul-Mateen arrives at the launch event for "Wonder Man" at TCL Chinese Theatre.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen arrives at the launch event for “Wonder Man” at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on Jan. 22.

(Richard Shotwell / Invision / Associated Press)

It’s been a while since a Marvel show has really captured my attention. But I am at least intrigued by Wonder Man, the latest Marvel TV series on Disney+. Yahya Abdul-Mateen stars as Simon Williams, a struggling actor who has to hide his superpowers after super-powered individuals are banned from working in Hollywood.

I prefer a self-contained story, as opposed to an Avengers-sized one, so this show is more in my wheelhouse when it comes to superhero tales. But to really impress me in subverting the genre, you’ve got to land the plane. I’m not sure that Wonder Man necessarily did that — and Abdul-Mateen’s character certainly isn’t not my favorite to watch — but the show at least didn’t completely implode upon its conclusion.

USC baseball is back and finally ready to match rival UCLA

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