Confident USC team ready for Saturday matchup against St. Mary's

Those following USC baseball all season long know how good this team can be. During Friday's win over the #22-ranked TCU team, the Trojans put a good Horned Frogs team away while displaying how well-rounded this coach Andy Stankiewicz ball club is.

For USC, it could not be a better time to get out of what was at one point an end-of-season slump. Winners of eight straight series, the Trojans were not able to get it going toward the end of Big Ten play. Even then, fans could see what this Trojan roster was capable of, as had been displayed throughout the year.

It was the seeming inability to produce the needed points on the board at critical moments during the game when the final result was still in flux. The complete opposite proved to be true against TCU.

The bats got going, and there were great defensive displays. Caden Aoki and Sax Matson combined to keep the Horned Frogs to only one run and five total hits. Then the bottom of the second saw great effort plays from Richard Tejeda and Brayden Dowd to get out of the inning.

Now ready to face St. Mary's, after the Gaels upset the Oregon State hosts in the Corvallis Regional, the Trojans will look to put themselves in a great position to advance to the Super Regionals. It is a double-elimination format in the opening round, so a lot can still happen. Considering how this team is playing, however, sealing a third win is beginning to look more and more realistic.

Next USC game in the NCAA baseball tournament

Saturday's game against St. Mary's has a scheduled start time of 6 p.m. PT and will be aired on ESPN+.

USC will know that they have to approach each matchup separately and with an equal amount of intensity. There is something of an earned confidence among the Trojans right now. Likely stemming from their ace, Aoki, this ball club is approaching everything with a business-like mindset, and their advancement out of Corvallis should not surprise anyone when it does happen.