Good Morning Trojans. The football team will open the 2026 season with a Week Zero matchup against San José State on Aug. 29!

What else do we have for you in today's edition of The Three Torches? Check it out below!

⚾️ Shutout win
👟 Day 1
⚔️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Shutout! The No. 25 baseball team beat Cal Poly 4-0 on Thursday. The Trojans had seven hits. Chase Herrell earned the win on the mound after tossing 5.0 innings and striking out five. Abbrie Covarrubias led the team with two hits. USC moves to 8-0 overall.

🔼 Day 1. The track and field team started competition at the Big Ten Indoor Championships. Four Trojans advanced across the men’s and women’s 200m preliminary rounds. Mia Brahe-Pederson led all runners with a time of 23.03.

🔼 Day 2. The swim and dive team competed in day two of the Big Ten Championships. Michal Chmielewski broke his own program record in the 100y fly with a time of 44.85. He finished third in the event in the A-final. Krzysztof Chmielewski finished first in the 200y free B-final.

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🔼 Season Opener. The women's basketball team will open the 2026-27 season at the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas. The Trojans will face UNLV on Nov. 2 at T-Mobile Arena. The four-game showcase, announced by Position Sports in partnership with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, marks the fourth consecutive year the Hall of Fame Series has been held in Las Vegas following a near sellout in 2025. All four contests, including two men's and two women's games, will be nationally televised across TNT Sports' networks and platforms, with additional details to be announced.

Today’s Top Tier Performance presented by ARCO is Andrea Gaston. The former USC women’s golf head coach was named one of the six members in the Class of 2026 SoCal Golf Hall of Fame. Gaston won three NCAA Championships and four Pac-12 titles while building the women's golf program into a powerhouse from 1996-2018.

Today’s trivia question is brought to you by Smart & Final. With more than 3,000 club-sized items and an assortment of quality, value-priced products, including farm-fresh produce, dairy, deli, meat and seafood, as well as grocery and household essentials. Smart & Final has your every need covered — all without a membership fee!

Part 3.

Which men’s tennis player earned his third Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor?

Think you’ve got it? Scroll down for the answer!

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📆 THE DAYS AHEAD

Friday, February 27

🎾 Men’s Tennis at M15 Naples 15k/PAC Coast Doubles
🏊 Swim Big Ten Conference Championships
👟 Track & Field Big Ten Indoor Championships
🏐 Beach Volleyball vs. CSUN/Pepperdine @ 10am/2pm PT
⚾️ Baseball at Cal Poly @ 6:05pm PT | Watch
🎾 Women’s Tennis vs. UCLA @ 1pm PT

Saturday, February 28

🎾 Men’s Tennis at M15 Naples 15k/PAC Coast Doubles
🏊 Swim Big Ten Conference Championships
👟 Track & Field Big Ten Indoor Championships
🏐 Beach Volleyball vs. Cal Poly/Concordia University Irvine @ 10am/2pm PT
🥍 Women’s Lacrosse at Arizona State @ 12pm PT | Watch | Tickets
🏀 Men’s Basketball vs. Nebraska @ 1pm PT | Watch | Tickets
🤽 Women’s Water Polo vs. Indiana @ 1pm PT
⚾️ Baseball at Cal Poly @ 3:05pm PT | Watch

Sunday, March 1

🎾 Men’s Tennis at M15 Naples 15k/PAC Coast Doubles
⚾️ Baseball at Cal Poly @ 1:05pm PT | Watch
🏀 Women’s Basketball vs. UCLA @ 3pm PT | Live Stats | Tickets

🗣️ SPREAD THE WORD

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🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Max Exsted!

⚔️ Have a great Friday, everyone!