Trojan Brew 5/12: Championship Chances

Last But Not Least, Let's Begin, and much more!

Good morning! In case you’ve been living under a rock this week, Trojan basketball is kind of a big deal at the moment—USC has officially announced the signing of McDonald’s All-American Bronny James and highly touted transfer recruit DJ Rodman. Basketball season truly cannot come fast enough.

What all can you find in today's Brew?

⚾️ Last But Not Least
🤽‍♀️ Let’s Begin
⚔️ And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 The Final Sixteen. Coming off a regional win last weekend, the Trojans are heading over to Ann Arbor, Michigan to take on the No. 7 Wolverines in the NCAA Tournament’s Quarterfinals. The Trojans are bringing the heat with top-40 ranked singles Stefan Dostanic and Peter Makk, and the 13th ranked duo in Dostanic and Bradley Frye.

As the Trojans embark on their journey to a potential NCAA title, head coach Brett Masi has his team rolling at the right time. After losing just one point across the first and second rounds of NCAA Regional play, the Trojans are looking to avenge their loss to Michigan earlier this season. The key to success? The doubles point. USC is 15-2 this season when taking the first point of the match, and 6-5 when surrendering the point.

The match is set to play later today at 1:00pm PT, so buckle in, because it’s due to be one heck of a battle. Stay up to date on all the tennis happenings on the team’s socials.

🔼 Last But Not Least. The Trojans are heading into the weekend for their last regular season home stand against Arizona State. After racking up 12 runs earlier this week, USC plans to keep the bats hot as they look to try and jump up in the Pac-12 standings.

Pitcher Blake Sodersten is set to make the start in tonight’s game with Caden Aoki and Tyler Stromsborg following him as the weekend series goes on. With a rivalry dating back to the 1960’s, USC is looking to snap the series drought with a win this weekend for the first time since 2019.

Austin Overn’s 12 triples leads the nation, and will look to get going early with his team-leading .344 batting average. Cole Gabrielson and Johnny Olstead can also get the bats hot and will both look to crack the double-digit mark on home runs this season. With a stellar 23-6 record at home this season, the Trojans plan on ending the regular season at Dedeaux on a good note. First pitch is at 6:30pm PT, so get your popcorn ready, and grab some tickets to see the Trojans do their thing.

🔼 Bring Out The Decorations. Following their Pac-12 Championship win, USC lacrosse picked up a multitude of IWLCA honors as they head into NCAA Tournament play.

  • Emma Wightman earned IWLCA All-West/Midwest First-Team honors for her second IWLCA honors of her career.

  • Isabelle Vitale earned IWLCA All-West/Midwest Second-Team honors, her first time appearance on the list.

  • Olivia Dooley earned IWLCA All-West/Midwest Second-Team honors for her second IWLCA honors of her career as well.

  • Claudia Shevitz earned IWLCA All-West/Midwest Second-Team honors for her first time appearance on the list as well.

These girls aren’t just the best in the west, but the midwest as well. NCAA Tournament play begins this weekend as the team heads over to Denver, CO to take on DU in the first round of action today at 2:00pm PT.

🔼 Let’s Begin. Seeking their eighth national championship, and first since 2021, USC heads into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed. After falling just short in last year’s championship game, USC is looking to come back and win it all in a potential rematch against top seeded Stanford.

The Trojans bring a balanced scoring approach to the pool led by Bayley Weber with 65 goals followed by Tilly Kearns with 62 and Grace Tehaney with 43. The offense will do their thing, but as they say, defense wins championships. Senior goalie Carolyne Stern is averaging 9.1 saves per game and has five double-digit save games so far this season.

The MPSF Coach of the Year Marko Pintaric will look to get the Trojans out to an early lead as they begin play later today with hopes of playing into the weekend. Check out all the action at NCAA Tournament Central, and maybe by this time the start of next week, the Trojans will have yet another national championship.

🔼 Seeking Another ‘Ship. USC track and field is heading to Walnut, CA this weekend to compete in the Pac-12 Championships. Last year, the men’s team places third and the women’s team came in fourth among all teams participating.

This year, the Trojans enter the tournament with 17 athletes inside the top 30 in the NCAA in their respective events, and have five current athletes ready to defend their individual Pac-12 titles. Both the men’s and women’s championships will be available on Pac-12 Networks, or you can follow along all weekend on the team’s socials. Let’s bring another one home!

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Fever Pitch. USC basketball is the talk of the town, and as we mentioned above, the season can’t come quickly enough. The Trojans have had success moving on to the next level, and this USC team has some serious pro level potential.

Our question today—do you know which former Trojan was selected as a 2022-2023 NBA award winner?

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

⚔️ ONE BIG THING

For the 25th time in 25 years, USC is headed to the women’s golf NCAA Championships after finishing third in regional play.

It was a great time to bust out some career rounds, as both Malia Nam and final-round substitute Brianna Navarrosa came through with rounds of 66 and 67 respectively. Their scores lead to the Trojans’ best postseason score in school history at 26 under-par.

USC will now prepare for Scottsdale, AZ where they will join up with the rest of the qualifiers at a chance to win an NCAA Championship for a fourth time. The Trojans will get some rest as the event doesn’t begin until May 21st, but until then, USC is going to be putting in some extra work to bring home another title and add on to an already incredible season for the team.

📬 STICK WITH US

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📅 THE WEEKEND AHEAD

Friday 5/12

👟 Track and Field Pac-12 Championships All Day in Walnut, CA

🎾 Men’s NCAA Super Regionals vs. Michigan @ 1:00pm PT in Ann Arbor, MI

🥍 NCAA Tournament vs. Denver @ 2:00pm PT in Denver, CO | ESPN+

🤽‍♀️ Water Polo NCAA Tournament vs. Fresno State @ 4:00pm PT in Stockton, CA | NCAA Live

⚾️ Baseball vs. Arizona State @ 6:30pm PT at Dedeaux Field | Tickets

Saturday 5/13

👟 Track and Field Pac-12 Championships All Day in Walnut, CA

⚾️ Baseball vs. Arizona State @ 6:30pm PT at Dedeaux Field | Tickets

🤽‍♀️ Water Polo NCAA Semifinals vs. TBD @ 7:00pm PT in Stockton, CA | NCAA Live

Sunday 5/14

👟 Track and Field Pac-12 Championships All Day in Walnut, CA

🚣 Women’s Rowing Pac-12 Championships @ 9:00am PT in Lowell, OR

⚾️ Baseball vs. Arizona State @ 6:30pm PT at Dedeaux Field | Tickets

🤽‍♀️ Water Polo NCAA Championship vs. TBD @ 7:00pm PT in Stockton, CA | NCAA Live

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Evan Mobley!

Mr. Mobley became the youngest NBA player in the history of the league to be named to an All-Defensive First Team. The future looks bright for our Trojans, and we’re proud of all the Trojans representing USC in the NBA.

Have a great weekend, everyone!