The Monday morning bus rides started early—too early. Then-sophomore infielder Dean Carpentier and his teammates would pile onto the charter at dawn for the 45-minute trek to East Los Angeles College, where they’d practice on a junior college field for four hours before returning to campus to squeeze in classes, homework and repeat the cycle.
Thursdays meant packing bags for weekend road trips that felt more like exile than away games. Hotels became their second home. Unfamiliar beds. Friends and routine left behind until Sunday.
For two years, USC’s baseball team lived on the road. An extensive renovation of Dedeaux Field forced the Trojans to play their home games at Great Park in Irvine—another 45-minute bus ride that became a weekly pilgrimage to somewhere that never quite felt like home. They practiced wherever they could find space. They learned to sleep in strange places. They learned, most importantly, to endure.
“It was a mental and physical toll,” Carpentier says. “Being away from school, a lot of stuff online. But it made us better people and better baseball players.”
On Feb. 13, 2026, that odyssey will end. USC opens its season against Pepperdine at a reborn Dedeaux Field, the legendary baseball cathedral that first opened in 1974 where 12 national championship banners once flew and Rod Dedeaux built an empire. After years of wandering, the Trojans are finally coming home.
As USC’s director of baseball operations, Rock Hudgens has been instrumental in not just the physical reconstruction of Dedeaux Field, but the cultural reconstruction of a program that had fallen from its pedestal.
In 2021, the team finished with a 22-28 record (13-17 Pac-12). In 2022, they continued to struggle in conference play winning just eight Pac-12 games.
“Before we got [here], SC was in last place,” Hudgens says, referring to when he arrived with head coach Andy Stankiewicz in July 2022. “The biggest thing is getting back to where USC should be.”
The new Dedeaux Field is a marvel—force plates, a state-of-the-art pitching lab, a weight room that rivals professional facilities, portable Trackmans, sprawling batting cages, hot and cold tubs and a deck designed to wow both recruits and VIPs. But Hudgens knows that bells and whistles alone won’t restore glory. USC’s revival required something deeper, something that starts in the locker room and manifests in the grind of daily practice.
“Guys weren’t having fun. They didn’t know how to win,” Hudgens explains. “We had to instill that winning culture. It started in practice—we’re very focused on development, individualized. The guys aren’t robots.”
The transformation wasn’t immediate. There were hiccups. The team didn’t make it into NCAA regionals during the first two years of the new regime. But slowly, systematically, the Trojans climbed from the conference basement. The culture shift was deliberate: bring in the right guys, use the transfer portal wisely and recruit graduate students who excel both on the field and in the classroom. Build something that wouldn’t quiver.
That distinction became the program’s lifeline during the displacement years. While other programs hemorrhaged players to the portal, USC retained its core. “Only had two guys transfer that we would’ve kept,” Hudgens notes with pride. “That says a lot. Guys stay for the degree.”
And they stayed for each other. Practicing on borrowed fields, enduring the bus rides and the distance from normal college life—it forged something that no amount of facility upgrades could manufacture alone.
“I credit the guys that stayed,” Hudgens says. “You know why you’re playing for it. The culture at SC means a lot.”
Sergio Brown, an assistant coach and director of player development, has spent four years alongside Stankiewicz watching the program’s resurgence take shape. His favorite movie is Field of Dreams, which feels fitting given USC’s own journey back to its roots, chasing the dream of baseball greatness and building a stadium worthy of the glory.
“This program and the alumni deserve this,” Brown says. “They deserve the best facility.”
Brown played baseball at Cal State Fullerton during its 1995 College World Series run and actually defeated the Trojans 11-5 in the championship game. He knows that facilities alone doesn’t create champions. The Great Park years, difficult as they were, served a purpose.
“Being together every weekend of the season, battling through obstacles—it was a building process,” Brown reflects. “The mental toll of all those bus rides just to go practice. But now they get to benefit from what they’ve earned.”
Brown sees the return to Dedeaux as both a homecoming and a statement of intent. USC is trying to resurrect something sacred, to reclaim its place among college baseball’s elite. Last season, the Trojans made their first playoff appearance in 10 years—a milestone that proved the rebuild was gaining traction. But Brown isn’t satisfied with just making the postseason.
“We need a national championship culture,” he says. “That means having the right people, talented people, working hard to acquire talent. Players should want to be part of it—academically, the alumni network, everything USC represents.”
The challenge is formidable. UCLA, its crosstown rival, made it to Omaha last year. The Bruins are a benchmark and a reminder of how far USC still needs to climb. But Brown doesn’t approach the rivalry with fear or obsession.
“We don’t do anything differently just because they’re our rival,” he says. “The proof is in the pudding, no matter who you play. We show a style of play—hard-nosed, gritty baseball. That’s what gets people back in the stands.”
Brown envisions Dedeaux Field as both a circus and a stage—entertainment married to excellence. The new stadium features grass berms in the outfield where families can bring lawn chairs, creating a fun and accessible atmosphere. The setting itself is spectacular: downtown Los Angeles at sunset, something different about the air, a beautiful backdrop for America’s pastime.
Hudgens knows that winning isn’t enough in a city with infinite distractions, ranging from sunny beaches to the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers. “It comes down to marketing, making sure people have fun at our games,” he says. “But mostly, if we win, more will come.”
The roster turnover from last season presents both challenge and opportunity. USC lost its shortstop (Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek), third baseman (Ethan Hedges) and center fielder (Brayden Dowd). Most positions are wide open, which Brown loves. “I love seeing the competition among the guys,” he says. “Battle to earn it, battle to keep it.”
One player who embodies that competitive spirit is Carpentier, who played extensively as a freshman before tailing off as a sophomore. Brown has watched Carpentier evolve, particularly in recent weeks.
“He’s beginning to separate as a player and person,” Brown said. “[In the] last three weeks, he’s starting to establish more respect. It’s about pushing guys to grow and develop.”
Carpentier chose USC for the coaching staff, proximity to home, and education. But when he arrived, the team wasn’t great. His recruiting class was supposed to be the foundation of a rebuild, the group that would endure the displacement years and emerge stronger on the other side.
“Living in hotels, being uncomfortable, long bus rides—it was personal growth,” Carpentier says. “Learning about hard work and living with intent and purpose.”
There was a moment when he considered the portal, when the difficulty of the situation made leaving seem logical. But it was never truly a reality.
“I understood this is what I want to do in life,” says Carpentier, the oldest of 10 children raised in a Catholic household. “I want to help others, to fulfill God’s promise. This is where I’m supposed to be.”
His favorite movie is The Sandlot, which he sees as capturing something essential about baseball—enjoying the moment, living it through the game, helping others along the way. It’s that spirit he wants to bring to the Dedeaux Field reopening.
“My favorite thing is that the field itself is in perfect condition,” Carpentier says, his excitement palpable. “I envision February 13th against Pepperdine, a packed-out stadium, a fun-filled family atmosphere. And I know we’re going to win that game.”
The return to Dedeaux Field represents more than just coming home. It’s the culmination of a cultural overhaul that began in last place and resulted in a playoff appearance. It’s the reward for players who stayed when they could have left, who endured hotel rooms and borrowed fields because they believed in something larger than immediate comfort.
Hudgens sees it clearly: “When USC comes knocking, you answer. We have proof that people win here—the network in the baseball world, Mark Prior, the McGwires, the Boone brothers, Randy Johnson. We’re around winners for life.”
The challenge now is to translate that pedigree into present success. UCLA and its elite head coach John Savage isn’t going away. The transfer portal continues to reshape college baseball’s landscape. Los Angeles remains a difficult market to dominate, even for a historic program with a gleaming new facility.
The leadership in this year’s group, Brown observes, is already filtering down to the younger players. “It’s not an ego thing—it’s mature, wisdom-filled dudes mentoring super-talented young guys. I’m excited to see them as draft-eligible sophomores and juniors. I’m excited about the future.”
Carpentier is looking forward to simpler pleasures, “Being home, going to Rock & Reilly’s on a Sunday, sleeping in my own bed, experiencing that on-campus feeling with other student-athletes.”
“We’re capable of playing with anyone,” Brown says. “We want to make it to Omaha consistently. We want to build something that lasts.”
USC baseball is finally home and will soon begin the next chapter of its storied history—forged in displacement and playing with the boys they love at a field worthy of the dream.