How To Watch USC Trojans vs. Saint Mary’s Baseball: Odds, Preview, Prediction

The No. 3 USC Trojans baseball team kicked off the NCAA Tournament with a big win against the No. 2 TCU Horned Frogs, 13-1. The Trojans are moving on in the tournament, set to face the No. 4 Saint Mary’s Gaels on Saturday night.

How to Watch:

The USC Trojans will face the Saint Mary’s Gaels on Saturday, May 31 at 6 p.m. PT at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

Mar 2, 2024; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies compete against University of Southern California Trojans during the Kubota College Baseball Series - Weekend 3 at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Betting Odds:

The USC Trojans are -1.5 point favorites against the Saint Mary’s Gaels on FanDuel Sportsbook. The moneyline for USC is -290 and the run total is set at 13.5.

USC vs. Saint Mary’s preview:

The USC Trojans are coming off of a big upset win against TCU. The Horned Frogs were the favorites entering the game, but USC had an impressive game and is pushing hard in a competition where they are underdogs. It was USC baseball’s first NCAA Tournament game in 10 years and the team came out firing.

After the matchup, USC coach Andy Stankiewicz spoke to the media about the win. Stankiewicz gave immense credit to USC pitcher Caden Aoki for his performance against TCU.

“Obviously, a well-played game by us and we’ve always said it starts with a guy on the mount and this guy to my left was masterful today. It’s kind of been what he’s been so it’s just nice to have a guy out there with a, with a slow heartbeat that understands how to pitch and how to change speeds,” Stankiewicz said.

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Aoki allowed just one run on four hits in over eight innings. He threw 114 pitches and did not walk a single batter. Aoki put the Trojans in the position to win and the team took advantage of it.

With Aoki pitching for the majority of the game, USC did not have to turn to its bullpen, which could play a role in the rest of the tournament. The Trojans could potentially have five games in four games and keeping the pitchers rested could be a major boost to USC moving forward.

USC infielder Adrian Lopez had a big game, with three RBIs. The Trojans were the first on the board when infielder Abbrie Covarrubias scored following a single from catcher Richard Tejeda.

Saint Mary’s defeated Oregon State, 6-4 on Friday night. The Gaels started strong with three runs during the top of the first inning. The team did not earn another run until the top of the seventh, with three more.

Mar 29, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Grand Canyon head coach Andy Stankiewicz heads to the dugout before play against Arizona at Grand Canyon baseball park. Mandatory Credit: Michael Chow-Arizona Republic Ncaa Baseball Gcu Baseball Game Arizona At Grand Canyon | Michael Chow / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the top plays of the game was a home run hit by outfielder Brian Duroff. The hit led to him, outfielder Eddie Madrigal, and infielder Ryan Pierce scoring to reach six runs.

USC and Saint Mary’s have played just once in history with USC getting the 6-2 win back in 2011. If USC can pitch the way they did against TCU, the Trojans will be set up for success.

USC vs. Saint Mary’s prediction:

The USC Trojans will have another big game and defeat Saint Mary’s, 7-3.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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