No. 20 USC (13-0, 1-0 Big Ten) continues its run as one of the best teams in college baseball, winning its 13th straight game and defeating Illinois (7-5, 0-1) 4-0 to start conference play. The Trojans remain undefeated through 13 games, putting them two games behind matching their 15-0 start from the 1988 season.
If the Trojans can win 10 more straight games, they would tie a record from the 1942 and 1943 seasons as the longest winning streak in USC history.
“There’s a confidence about their play. I think when you have success, that breeds confidence,” head coach Andy Stankiewicz said in a postgame interview. “They get excited about their other teammates’ success, and they just want to pass the torch.”
The Trojans were led by another dominating pitching performance from junior left-handed starting pitcher Mason Edwards. Entering conference play did not phase Edwards, who remained his usual self.
For his third consecutive start this season, Edwards pitched at least six innings and struck out 11 batters. In the four games he has started this season, he has allowed just three hits as opposing batters are hitting just .039 against him, putting him first in the Big Ten in both categories.
“Mason was excellent again tonight,” Stankiewicz said. “I’m just proud of his effort and another great performance by him.”
From the first to third innings tonight, Edwards struck out seven consecutive batters. In total, he extended his scoreless innings streak to 24 innings, but did not seem to care about it too much.
“I guess in that situation, you’re just like ‘how far can I take this?’” Edwards said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a team win. That’s more important for me.”
After the southpaw was taken out, freshman right-handed reliever Gavin Lauridsen and junior right-handed reliever Adam Troy did not allow a single hit to the Fighting Illini. Troy collected his fifth save of the season, putting him first in the conference in saves.
As a team, USC remains first in the NCAA in ERA with a 1.54 mark through 117 innings, showcasing its control and command from both the starting rotation and the bullpen.
On the offensive side, junior infielder Adrian Lopez led the pack, going 3-for-4 and hitting his first home run of the season in the first inning to give USC an early 2-0 lead.
“We just need him to try to pull the ball, and he did a good job in his first at-bat,” Stankiewicz said. “He’s got a chance to be pretty good if he stays inside the baseball.”
Immediately following Lopez’s home run, junior outfielder Kevin Takeuchi hit a double and later scored on a single by sophomore utility man Maximo Martinez as the Trojans took an early 3-0 lead.
However, after the first inning, the Trojan offense was stagnant. USC totaled only four more hits in the final seven innings at the plate. While they scored an ever-important insurance run in the 8th inning, the innings in between were filled with several popouts and flyouts.
“We’ve got to get back to [hitting] up the middle of the diamond,” Stankiewicz said. “When you do, you see the ball better [and] the ball travels better. Tonight, we got away from that.”
As USC continues to find its groove on offense, another Trojan ace will take the mound for the second of a three-game series against Illinois. Sophomore right-handed starting pitcher Grant Govel will look to shut down the Fighting Illini on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dedeaux Field.