Welcome back to Two Weeks Notice, a biweekly sports column that predicts games roughly two weeks in advance through a satirically analytical lens.
Team USA did not quite live up to my expectations, but nonetheless, they won 33 medals in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics – 12 gold, 12 silver and nine bronze – and ranked second overall behind Norway’s total of 41.
Back in Los Angeles, baseball season is upon us at USC with the team on a 12-0 sweep – a feat the program hasn’t achieved since 2015. The Trojans are one of two undefeated teams in NCAA Division I baseball alongside the Texas Longhorns.
After two seasons on the road, the baseball team has finally returned to campus to play at their new and improved Dedeaux Field.
The stadium spent two seasons undergoing construction to make room for a new football performance center that forced the baseball facility to shift 200 feet northwest. Although the new football facilities may be shiny and new, USC football head coach Lincoln Riley has yet to make them sparkle.
This prolonged transformation moved the baseball team’s home games to Great Park in Irvine, CA, and occasionally LMU’s Page Stadium which is roughly 30 to 50 minutes away from USC’s main campus.
During the 2023 season, the Trojans only saw six losses at home with 26 of their 34 overall wins at Dedeaux. Last year, USC went 37-23 overall and 18-12 in the Big Ten Conference – 2026 marks their first season as Big Ten competitors at Dedeaux Field.
USC baseball has won 12 national championships, and although their last title came in 1998, the program is working its way back up to victory after its return home.
In two weeks, the team will face Washington, their third Big Ten team following their series against Illinois and Northwestern in the coming weeks.
The Huskies have gone 3-9 overall and have also yet to play a conference series. Their head coach Eddie Smith led the 2025 team to a 29-28 season, winning 17 of their 30 games against Big Ten competitors.
The last time USC played UW was last season as they went 1-2 in their series and won 6-5 during their Big Ten Tournament game. With the Trojans’ current win streak, this year’s series will hopefully go quite differently.
Key Trojans to look out for include sophomore left-handed pitcher Mason Edwards, junior infield/outfielder Kevin Takeuchi and sophomore catcher Augie Lopez.
As a sophomore, Edwards made 12 appearances with five starts and had 46 strikeouts in 32.2 innings pitched. He started the Trojans’ first series against Pepperdine and will be a strong member of the pitching rotation against the Huskies.
Takeuchi started 28 of his 29 appearances last year, a .241 batting average and a .310 on-base percentage. This season, the junior has played in all 12 games leading the Trojans with a batting average of .364, 12 runs batted in, two triples, 26 total bases, nine walks and 16 hits.
As a freshman, Lopez made 42 appearances, started 26 times and hit seven doubles and three home runs overall. This season, he leads the Trojans with a .607 slugging percentage and two home runs during his 10 games played.
I’m so happy to see the Trojans return to Dedeaux better than ever and can’t wait for the season ahead. Make sure to catch their game against Illinois on Friday night at 7 p.m. and the Washington series from March 20-22 at Dedeaux or on Big Ten+. Also, don’t miss your chance to be one of the first 500 fans to grab a free mini helmet on March 21!