The Three Torches 9/9: All Trojans

Today, the Trojans earn first shutout in over a decade and a men’s water polo earns four weekend wins

Good Morning! Legendary Trojan baseball player Bill Thom was among the 11 players named to the 2024 College Baseball Hall of Fame class this weekend. Thom, who played at USC from 1957-59 and led the Trojans to a College World Series title in 1958.

What else do we have brewing for you, Trojan Family?

🏈 Trojans earn first shutout in over a decade
🤽‍♂️ Men’s water polo earns four weekend wins
⚔️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 All Trojans. The No. 11 Trojan football team balled out with a revitalized defense that gave the team its first shutout since 2011 in a 48-0 victory over Utah State on Saturday night. Quarterback Miller Moss passed for 229 yards and a touchdown while playing only the first 2.5 quarters in his first home start for the Trojans while running backs Woody Marks and Quinten Joyner combined for nearly 200 yards on the ground and three scores.

🔼 Whipping Up Wins. The No. 4 USC men's water polo squad banged out four balanced wins on its first weekend of 2024 competition, piling 19 scorers onto the stats sheets as the Trojans beat No. 10 Long Beach State 14-6 and Cal State Fullerton 20-6 in day one of the Triton Invitational in La Jolla. On day two, USC kept its foot on the gas, beating No. 8 UC Davis 18-12 and rounded out a perfect weekend with a convincing 21-6 win over Westcliffe.

🔼 Hard Fought Battle. USC women's soccer suffered its first loss of the season on Sunday afternoon, falling to top-ranked Stanford, 2-1 on the road. The defeat was USC's first against the Cardinal since 2019, snapping a four-game unbeaten streak. Helena Sampaio played a ball forward to Colbert and Colbert crossed it in front of the goal where a Cardinal defender deflected it in. The Women of Troy open Big Ten play on the road next week playing at Washington on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

🔼 Block Party. USC women’s volleyball bounced back with a four-set win against Kansas State to close out their run at the Creighton Classic. The Women of Troy had 19.5 blocks against the Wildcats, the team’s highest total since 2019. Ally Batenhorst posted her second double-double of the season—fourth of her career—with 14 kills and a career-high 15 digs. Up next, the Trojans will host third-ranked Pittsburgh at Galen Center for their home opener on Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Today’s Top Tier Performance presented by ARCO goes to the USC football defense. Defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn's group yielded just 190 yards to the Aggies with 40 of those yards coming against the Trojans' backups on a final drive that ended with a missed 52-yard field goal attempt with 1:08 to play in the Trojan’s home opener. In total, the defense has allowed just 20 points this season.

Today’s trivia question is brought to you by USC Credit Union, the Trojans’ credit union of choice. Now all residents of Los Angeles and Orange counties can join USC Credit Union and enjoy full banking services with better rates on deposits and loans, access to the largest shared banking network nationwide, and 24/7 mobile banking. Huddle up for better banking with USC Credit Union, the Official Credit Union of USC Athletics!

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Legends of the Game. USC’s Bill Thom finished his three years at USC with a 23-5 record and 165 strikeouts. He earned First Team All-America honors in 1959 when he won 10 games with a 1.44 ERA and 58 strikeouts. Thom was USC's first-ever College World Series Most Outstanding Player when he led Troy to the 1958 national championship.

Our question today: how many Trojans have been inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame?

Think you got it? Scroll down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

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📅 THE WEEK AHEAD

*All times Pacific

Monday, September 9
⛳️ Men’s Golf @ Southern Dunes Invitational in Maricopa, AZ | Live Stats

Tuesday, September 10
⛳️ Men’s Golf @ Southern Dunes Invitational in Maricopa, AZ | Live Stats

Wednesday, September 11
🏐 Volleyball vs. Pittsburgh @ 6 p.m. in Los Angeles, CA | Tickets | Big Ten Network

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Nine!

Thom is the ninth player in Trojan history named to the Hall since its inception in 2006. He joins Rod Dedeaux (2006), Fred Lynn (2007), Roy Smalley (2013), Bill Bordley (2014), Wally Hood (2019), Rich Dauer (2021), Art Mazmanian (2022) and Steve Kemp (2023).

⚔️ Have a great Monday, everyone!