USC Shifts Attention to Next Opponent in Big Ten Tournament Semifinals
The No. 4-seeded USC Trojans shut down the No. 12-seeded Michigan State Spartans 7-0 to open up the Big Ten Tournament in the quarterfinals on Friday. Even with a rain delay that started in the fourth inning and lasted nearly two hours, the Trojans remained dominant from start to finish. It was the first meeting this year between the Trojans and Spartans, as the two squads didn't meet in a Big Ten series during the regular season.
With the win, the Trojans advance to the semifinals on Saturday and await the winner of the other quarterfinal matchup between the No. 1-seeded UCLA Bruins and the No. 5-seeded Purdue Boilermakers. During the regular season, the Trojans were swept by their arch-rival, the Bruins, in a three-game series in Westwood from April 3 to 5, but recorded a sweep of their own against the Purdue Boilermakers.
The series against the Boilermakers at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles was held from April 24 to 26, and featured USC outscoring Purdue 21-8 in the sweep. With a 43-14 overall record and among the select few teams in college baseball with 40 wins this season, the Trojans look to continue building their case to host an NCAA Tournament Regional at Dedeaux Field, and making a run to the Big Ten Tournament title game would certainly help their resume.
USC Trojans Top Performers in Quarterfinal Win Over Michigan State Spartans
One of the top pitchers in all of college baseball and Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, Mason Edwards, took to the mound for USC in Friday's quarterfinal win over Michigan State. Edwards had another strong showing, shutting down a Michigan State team that entered Friday's matchup with their longest win streak of the season at three games.
In four innings pitched for the Trojans, Edwards recorded six strikeouts and allowed two hits. Offensively, the Trojans had impactful performances all around. USC junior infielder Kevin Takeuchi's double and junior catcher Isaac Cadena's triple gave the Trojans a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
Hits by senior outfielder Jack Basseer, along with junior infielders Dean Carpentier and Abbrie Covarrubias, also drove in runs for the Trojans in the dominant quarterfinal win over Michigan State.
USC Trojans Aim to Build Off Win Over Michigan State Spartans
After an impressive showing against the Spartans, coach Andy Stankiewicz's Trojans hope to carry momentum into their semifinal game against either UCLA or Purdue. The first pitch for Saturday's semifinal matchup is set for noon P.T. at Charles Schwab Field.
The start time, however, could be pushed back due to the quarterfinal matchup between the No. 3 Oregon Ducks and the No. 11 Washington Huskies, which was postponed to Saturday because of the rain delay in USC's matchup against Michigan State.
The rain delay in USC's matchup against Michigan State forced the start times of Friday's other quarterfinal games to take place later than originally scheduled.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC Shifts Attention to Next Opponent in Big Ten Tournament Semifinals.
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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 3:01 PM.