USC Trojans Baseball Tie 38-Year Old Record With Historic Start

The USC Trojans are on the verge of making program history after completing the sweep over Illinois with a 5-3 victory in the series finale. With the win, the Trojans have tied their best start ever, matching the 1988 team's start of a 15-0 record.

Not only did the Trojans match a longstanding record, but they put the rest of the Big Ten conference on notice with the emphatic sweep. Last season, USC swept two conference opponents in Ohio State and Minnesota.

A strong message from USC coach Andy Stankiewicz

USC Trojans Grant Govel Mason Edwards Recruiting Transfer Portal Record Book Andy Stankiewicz Big Ten College World Series — May 31, 2025; Corvallis, OR, USA; USC head coach Andy Stankiewicz takes questions after a game against Saint Mary's at the NCAA Corvallis Regional at Goss Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

After their series-sweeping win over the Fighting Illini, USC coach Andy Stankiewicz didn't want the Trojans getting too complacent with plenty of games left to go.

"Stay the course. We got a long (week)," Stankiewicz said. "We're excited and it's a great start, but we just gotta keep in mind that we have a long way to go. It's a good start. It's a good start certainly in conference. Anytime you sweep a team, they've been playing well, Illinois has been playing really good baseball. So to get three, it's a big deal. It's a big moment for us. We'll take it."

Prior to their conference-opening series vs. the Trojans, Illinois was sitting with a 7-4 record and had a win over No. 6 Coastal Carolina under their belt.

What happened to the 1988 USC squad

Although the Trojans raced out to a 15-0 start in the 1988 season, they were promptly met with a three-game losing streak to cool them down. That year, USC ended up with a 36-26 record, but finished 13-17 in conference play. They still managed to make it to the postseason, but were knocked out in the Fresno Regional.

If the modern-day iteration of the Trojans want to avoid the same fate as their predecessors, they will have to buckle down as a couple of mid-week games are on the slate for the coming up week.

Taking a look at the Trojans' upcoming schedule

USC will have to quickly turn their attention to a midweek road game at Long Beach State on Tuesday, March 10. It hasn't been a pretty start to the year for the Dirtbags, who own a 4-11 record. They were swept by UC Santa Barbara to begin conference play.

However, LBSU is 3-5 at home and has somewhat of a home field advantage due to the gusts of wind that blow into Blair Field during night games. It will be interesting to see how USC handles all the outside noise surrounding their historic run.

If the Trojans set the record for the best start in program history with a win over the Dirtbags, they will have to refocus quickly with another midweek game on the docket vs. San Diego at home on Wednesday, March 12.

The Toreros are 7-8 and had a similarly hot start to the year, notching wins in six of their first seven games. But they are currently in the midst of a six game losing streak.

USC returns back to Big Ten play when the Trojans travel to Northwestern to take on the Wildcats for a three-game series beginning on Friday, March 13.