Injuries in the USC baseball’s pitching rotation has put the Trojans behind the eight ball which has created a losing record overall, 16-19 and in the Pac-12, 5-7. If the pitching staff can get healthy over the next month USC is capable of rebounding and making the post season.
Last Tuesday the Trojans beat a good Long Beach State team with a 21-14 record, 8-3 and showed what they can do when their pitching is solid. USC used five pitchers and some of them were coming off the injury list which is good news for the Trojans.
Offense has never been the problem this year and that was evident against the Dirtbags. USC blasted out five home runs while collecting 12 hits. They hope the hit parade and good pitching continues this weekend when they travel to Washington State for a three game series starting tonight through Sunday. They return home on Tuesday to face UC Irvine and play six Pac-12 home games in a row against Arizona and Washington.
One of the offensive stars of the game against Long Beach State was third baseman Adalberto Carrillo. He hit two home runs and drove in three runs.
“We have been hitting well all season and now the pitching is getting better but we just have to compete and play our game,” he said.
Carrillo talked about competing in the Pac-12 conference. “It’s tough but everyone is beating up on each other but we have the talent to be a good team. We just have to put it all together. We need to finish with a good record and find a way to get into the regionals and once we get in there is no team that can stop us.”
USC’s head coach Dan Hubbs, who is also a former Trojan player, is hoping these next few weeks will be the turning point in their season.
“We can continue to play at a high level if we pitch well,” said Hubbs. “We are starting to get healthy but we are not where we want to be. The offense has done a really good job. Now we have to find consistency in our pitching rotation. The defense has been solid.”
Hubbs knows the expectations are high at USC. “I played here. I know what this is all about. I lived it. When you coach and play at USC you are expected to win.”
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