Big Ten season honors for USC announced before Trojan tournament action

It is to be seen how the play of USC will be viewed. Depending on what happens in the Big Ten tournament and a potential continued stay in Omaha for the NCAA tourney, the season will be viewed differently.

Regardless of what happens in terms of the selection or possible seeding, 34 wins and seven BIG series victories say a lot about what coach Andy Stankiewicz's ball club has been able to achieve this year.

Perhaps as a sign of how highly others view the program, in total, seven USC baseball players were named to a Big Ten honor selection. Considering the stretch that the Trojans are on over the past couple of seasons, as well as the one currently in play, it is telling that the conference is also recognizing the incredible efforts of the players.

In what will likely be the one of many future recognitions in the future for these Trojans, there will not be much of any debate to have the following names included in their respective BIG designations.

Ethan Hedges was named to the first team. The junior was also selected for the all-defensive team. Able to do it all, Hedges has 12 home runs on the year and 54 RBIs.

Abbrie Covarrubias was named to the third team. The second baseman has 30 RBIs and 10 doubles through the regular season, as well as three home runs. Augie Lopez made the all-freshman team. The catcher has 26 total hits. He also produced seven doubles and two home runs in his first year with the Trojans. Andrew Lamb earned the conference's sportsmanship award.

Pitchers from USC round out Big Ten honors

Brodie Purcell grabbed an All-Big Ten second-team honor for himself. The right-hander boasts a 2.23 ERA and struck 45 batters out this year. Caden Aoki doubled up on recognitions, earning a third team and All-Defensive team selection. The senior has five wins to his name and has struck out 74 players so far.

Finally, Andrew Johnson made the All-Freshman team. In his first year with the Trojans, he earned three wins while only giving up 29 earned runs and striking out 47 batters.

Overall, it has been a fantastic year all around for USC, and seeing the number of players receive this type of recognition helps put a feather in the cap of what coach Stankiewicz continues to do with the Trojans, as they'll now look to finish off the year with deep post-season play.