View source for USC Takedown Of Bruins Latest Highlight Of Baseball Rebuild

Southern California's rebuild under first-year coach Andy Stankiewicz isn't necessarily on the fast track.<br><br>It's certainly moving right along, though.<br> The Trojans, whose 12 national titles are twice as many as any other school despite a , enter the last week of April in unfamiliar territory - in the upper half of the Pac-12.<br> With at least 19 games to play, USC (24-14-1, 11-7) is one win from matching last year's total, and it already has won three more Pac-12 games.<br> Stankiewicz said before the season that his team isn't loaded with elite talent but good enough to win its share of games.<br><br>That's borne out. The offense and pitching are mostly middle of the pack in the Pac-12.<br> The everyday lineup is made up of four transfers,  [http://cifarelli.net/mediawiki/index.php/Hunter_Seen_Working_On_Art_In_Garage_Over_VO_Of_Inspirational_Quotes evden EVe NaKLiyAT] three holdovers and two freshmen. One of those freshmen, center fielder Austin Overn, is batting a team-best .354, slugging .602 and leads the nation with 12 triples.<br> The staff ERA of 4.10 is third in the conference.<br><br>Tyler Stromsborg is the No. 1 starter for the second straight year and Notre Dame transfer Caden Aoki, coming off an injury last year, has solidified himself as the No. 2.<br> "For lack of a better term, we´ve been piecing it together as best we can," Stankiewicz said Monday.<br><br>"The guys have been great. They work hard, they´re coachable, they listen, they enjoy being together. It's put us in good spots as we compete on the weekends."<br> USC opened Pac-12 play with four straight series wins, including one over a top-five Stanford.<br><br>After getting swept at Oregon State, the Trojans this past weekend won a home series against UCLA for the first time since 2005.<br> They're 19-7 since a 5-7-1 start and head to Washington two games behind Pac-12 co-leaders Stanford and Arizona State.<br> An NCAA Tournament bid, which would be only USC's second since 2006, is far from secure.<br><br>The Trojans have lost six one-run games and are No. 60 in the RPI, largely because of their 4-9-1 road record.<br> "Great programs, it doesn't matter. They play well on the road or at home," Stankiewicz said, "and that's a hurdle we have to address."<br> IN THE POLLS<br> LSU (32-7), the consensus No.<br><br>1 team, swept Mississippi on the road after pinch hitter Hayden Travinski's two-out, three-run homer  newspaper rank Wake Forest (34-6) second and South Carolina (34-6) third.<br><br>promoted South Carolina from sixth to second and continues to have Wake Forest third.<br> Wake Forest outscored Pittsburgh by a combined 40-5 on Saturday and Sunday after getting shut out 3-0 on Friday.<br>South Carolina took three from Florida for one of the notable sweeps of the season.<br> VOLS SWEEP VANDY AGAIN<br> Tennessee swept Vanderbilt for the second year in a row and has won seven straight against the Commodores, the Volunteers' longest win streak in the series since 1993-94.<br> Griffin Merritt's 12th-inning home run produced a 4-3 walk-off win Friday.<br><br>The Vols scored nine first-inning runs in a 17-1 victory Saturday. Hunter Ensley homered twice in a 10-5 win Sunday.<br> ASCENDING MOUNTAINEERS<br> West Virginia won three straight against Big 12 preseason favorite TCU and will begin the second half of its conference schedule in first place and ranked as high as No.<br>17 in the polls.<br>[http://www.amidalla.de amidalla.de] The Mountaineers (29-11, 8-4) were picked sixth in the preseason, and  [https://evigetir.com/evdeneve/evden-eve-google-tasinma.html EVdeN eVe nAKliYaT] their highest finish in the Big 12 was a tie for third in 2013, their first year in the league.<br> West Virginia finished its first Big 12 sweep of the season with a 17-7, seven-inning win Sunday.<br><br>The Mountaineers play at last-place Baylor in a series beginning Friday.<br> J. For  Evden eve nAKliyaT more information on [https://evigetir.com/uluslararasi.html evdEN eVE NaKLiYat] stop by our own web-site. J. Wetherholt, who missed five games because of injury, returned Sunday. His .455 batting average leads the Big 12 and is second nationally. No. 2 starter Blaine Traxel leads the nation with four complete games, ranks third with 70 2/3 innings pitched and has a team-best 3.44 ERA.<br> MILESTONE WIN<br> Florida Gulf Coast's 12-5 win over Jacksonville State on Sunday marked coach Dave Tollett's 700th victory with the Eagles.<br><br>Tollett has been FGCU's coach since