USC baseball gets crucial victory over Loyola Marymount, boosts NCAA hopes
The chase is on. USC baseball is trying to hunt down one of the final at-large berths for the 2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament. The Trojans are on the bubble, trying to move the needle in the right direction just before the end of the Pac-12 baseball regular season. USC’s final Pac-12 series of the season is coming up in Tucson against the Arizona Wildcats. How the Trojans fare in that series will shape their bubble picture heading into the Pac-12 Tournament.
Before the Arizona series, however, USC had to tend to business in a midweek nonconference road game at Loyola Marymount. You might know that USC has won 26 games at home this season, which means USC has won very few games on the road.
The Trojans were able to come through, 8-6, against the Lions. Let’s look at some notable elements of this game and tell you what it means for USC heading into Tucson:
STATS
Final: @USC_Baseball hits 4 HR to take an 8-6 win at #LoyolaMarymount.
Johnny OImstead: 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI.
Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek: 2-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, HBP.
Khadim Diaz: 3-5, 2 R, 3 2B.
Connor Blough: 3-4, R, 3B, 2 RBI.— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSprD1) May 17, 2023
LOTS OF DINGERS
Weight room’s been paying off 😤💣💪
The Trojans matched a season high with 4️⃣ long balls on Tuesday night at LMU ✌️#FightOn // #Yardwork pic.twitter.com/1UrPjTWAEc
— USC Baseball (@USC_Baseball) May 17, 2023
EXIT VELO NUMBERS
Top 6️⃣ exit velocities from today’s win over LMU 💪🔥#FightOn @colegabe6 @OlmsteadJohn @connorclift35 @brycegrud @USC_Baseball pic.twitter.com/dkaWB1AUPo
— USC Baseball Analytics (@uscbaseballdata) May 17, 2023
FULL HIGHLIGHTS
HIGHLIGHTS | Check out full highlights from tonight's win here… pic.twitter.com/qhxiXVtVJL
— USC Baseball (@USC_Baseball) May 17, 2023
FULL RECAP
RECAP | The Trojans slugged their way past LMU in their final non-conference matchup of the regular season on Tuesday night.https://t.co/8Rh6HEFSwT
— USC Baseball (@USC_Baseball) May 17, 2023
BUBBLE OUTLOOK
#USC has won six in a row after taking care of business against WCC's top team. Top four bullpen arms all do their job after LMU had trimmed lead to 7-6 in B6.
Trojans head to Tucson for final regular-season series. Win that series and I believe they are NCAA tourney lock. https://t.co/vrC8eHesJi
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) May 17, 2023
RPI NUMBERS
With #USC's road win over a top 100 RPI opponent in #LoyolaMarymount, the Trojans jumped up three spots to No. 55 in Warren Nolan's Live RPI.
A series win against No. 57 #Arizona this weekend would likely push Trojans into 48-52 area, which would be enough for at-large berth. https://t.co/rpPPqcIVzd
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) May 17, 2023
