USC heads to Corvallis, Trojans make NCAA baseball tournament as Last Four In

It may have taken a little bit, but USC is in the NCAA tournament. There were nervous moments down the stretch of the regular season, but the Trojans have done it. After a ten-year absence from the national tournament, coach Andy Stankiewicz has achieved a major milestone with this ballclub.

Maybe it was the last-minute case made by Caden Aoki, as seen in movie court proceedings moments before deliberating as a jury; more likely, the resume that the pitcher pointed out spoke for itself. Regardless of how, USC is in.

The Trojans will now head to the Corvallis Regional and are in an NCAA tournament section with hosts Oregon State, Saint Mary's, and TCU. As the region's three seed, USC will face off first against TCU. That game will be held on May 30th at noon PST. The game will be aired on ESPNU.

As Trojan fans have witnessed all season long, this is a resilient ball club. Certainly, they would have liked a little more breathing room down the stretch, but the bulk of the regular season efforts spoke for themselves.

Now looking to win and advance, there is a little flexibility if they drop one game. Knowing how well USC does with its back against the wall and when needing to produce at times when their season depended on it, it would not come as a surprise whatsoever to see the Trojans extend their NCAA tournament stay.

Regardless of what happens from here, this has been a successful season, and coach Stankiewicz has done well to position this team to continue playing.

Yes, USC has 12 national championships to its name. In order to consistently get to that level again, this cannot be viewed as anything other than an immensely positive step.

Now in, USC looks to go on a deep run

When at their best, this Trojan team can play with the best in the nation. With a little luck and fortune favoring their way, USC will look forward to then facing the winner of the Tallahassee Regional that features FSU, Bethune-Cookman, Mississippi State, and Northeastern.

The Trojans may have been part of the Last Four In, but now their aim will be to be the last one remaining.