Aztecs Hit the Road for Midweek Game at No. 13/13 USC

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State returns to action for a midweek game on Tuesday, March 17 when it battles No. 13/13 USC at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles, California. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. PT, with a live broadcast available via subscription basis on Big Ten Network+.

The Aztecs (11-9, 2-1 MW) claimed a series victory after winning two of three games against Washington State in the first weekend of Mountain West play, March 13-15, at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

SDSU battered the Cougars for 42 hits during the series, opening with a big 14-4 run-rule victory in eight innings, followed by a 7-2 setback in game two, before rebounding with a wild 15-10 decision in the finale where the Scarlet and Black set season highs in hits (19) and runs scored (15).

Anthony Marnell IV led the Aztecs with a slash line of .600/.636/.700 over the weekend while sharing the top spot with six hits and ranking second with five RBIs.

In addition, Max Farrell topped the squad with eight RBIs and clubbed two home runs in the series, highlighted by his first career grand slam, which jump-started the SDSU offense in Sunday’s slugfest.

The Aztecs set season highs with 15 runs and 19 hits to raise their record to 11-9 on the season and 2-1 in conference action, while the Cougars drop to 7-11 overall and 1-2 in the MW.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
For the third straight midweek game, the Aztecs are projected to start junior right-hander Bryce McKnight (1-0, 4.91 ERA) on Tuesday, while the Trojans are expected to counter with sophomore righty Chase Herrell (2-0, 4.05 ERA).

McKnight will be making his sixth career start after transferring from Arizona. The Phoenix native pitched a gem in his last appearance at Cal State Fullerton, where he posted a collegiate-best seven strikeouts in a career-long six innings of scoreless ball but did not factor in the decision after the Titans rallied in the eighth and ninth to claim a 3-2 victory.

Conversely, Herrell picked up the win his last start against Long Beach State on March 10, when he allowed one run on three hits and zero walks in 5 2/3 innings, matching his season best with seven strikeouts.

SDSU IN MW RANKINGS
As of March 16, the Aztecs lead the Mountain West in ERA (5.61),  strikeouts per nine innings (10.9) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.68), with the latter two ranking 24th and 47th in the nation, respectively.

Additionally, SDSU tops the conference in WHIP (1.41) and hits allowed per nine innings (8.59), which are slotted 71st and 83rd in the country, respectively.

Individually, Aidan Russell leads the MW with a 0.55 ERA and is tied for second with two saves while ranking fifth with a .136 opposing batting average and sharing the fifth spot with two victories.

Rohan Lettow tops the league in strikeouts (38), while Drew Talavs (33) is slotted second in that category, with the Aztec hurlers tying for 35th and 76th in the nation, respectively. Not to be outdone, Alec Belardes (5th – 26) and Carson Johnson (T7th – 24) also find themselves among the league’s top 10 in strikeouts this weekend.

Elsewhere, Issac Araiza shares the second spot in the league with a .111 opponent batting average, while Lettow is tied for second with three victories. Lettow (T3rd,  26.1), Talavs (5th, 25.1) and Belardes (T6th, 25.0) are also ranked among the MW top 10 this week in innings pitched.

At the plate, Jabin Trosky finds himself among the MW leaders in several categories, including hits (2nd, 31), runs scored (4th, 22), doubles (T4th, 8) and batting average (8th, .378).

Trosky has been the second-toughest player in the conference to strike out this season, fanning once every 13.7 at-bats.

Not to be outdone, Tyce Peterson is slotted third in doubles (9) and shares the seventh position in home runs (3), while Adam Magpoc ranks fifth in stolen bases (7).

Elsewhere, Dawson Santana has been hit by a pitch seven times, which is tied for the top spot in the league, while Max Farrell is tied for sixth with two triples.

Collectively, the Aztecs rank third in hits (187), fourth in doubles (37), fifth in slugging percentage (.414) and home runs (15), and sixth in batting average (.275) and scoring (6.1 runs/game).

STREAKING AZTECS
Jabin Trosky tops the squad with multiple hits in 12 games, followed by Adam Magpoc, Jake Jackson and Tyce Peterson with six apiece.

Trosky has hit safely in 17 of 20 games this season, including the first nine outings before his streak was snapped at Washington on Feb. 28.

Meanwhile, Zach Justice had his 10-game hitting streak halted against Washington State on March 14 but has reached base safely in his last 12 outings after getting struck by a pitch in that contest vs. the Cougars.

Dawson Santana and Anthony Marnell IV are tied for the team lead with multiple RBIs in three games.

The Aztecs are 10-1 this season when outhitting the opposition, suffering their first loss in that category against WSU last Saturday.

SDSU also experienced its first defeat this year when leading after eight innings (9-1) in a  3-2 setback at Cal State Fullerton on March 10.

STRIKEOUTS GALORE
Since 2019, the Aztecs are 87-70 in their last 157 games when striking out 10 or more batters, sporting an 8-4 mark this year. SDSU pitchers fanned a season-high 17 batters in a 12-5 romp over LIU on Feb. 14.

In that series against the Sharks, SDSU combined for 46 strikeouts, marking the team’s highest total for a three-game set since posting 47 in a sweep of San Francisco in 2019.

OTHER TRENDS
The Aztecs are 185-75 over the last eight seasons when scoring five or more runs, including a stellar 38-6 record during the 2017 campaign.

San Diego State has emerged victorious in 97 of its last 154 games dating back to 2019 when hitting a home run, including a 9-1 mark this season.

The Aztecs have hit three home runs in two contests already this season vs. LIU (Feb. 14) and at No. 1 UCLA (Feb. 24) after collecting three home runs in a game just once during the 2025 campaign vs. Fresno State (April 12, 2025).

SERIES RECORD VS. USC
The Aztecs trail the all-time series against the Trojans 26-67-3 after dropping a 9-6 decision last season at Great Park in Irvine, California, due to the refurbishing of USC’s Dedeaux Field.

Trailing 7-4 in that contest, SDSU cut the deficit to one with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth inning, only to see the Trojans put up two markers in their half of the frame to keep the Scarlet and Black at bay.

USC AT A GLANCE
The Trojans (19-1, 5-1 Big Ten) had their 19-game winning streak to start the season snapped in a 2-1 loss at Northwestern in the finale of a weekend series on March 14.

Despite the setback, USC is still ranked 13th in the country by Baseball America and D1Baseball.com.

Entering the week, Trojan pitchers lead the nation in ERA (1.61), WHIP (0.92), hits allowed per nine innings (4.79) and shutouts (5).

At the plate, USC is slotted eighth in the Big Ten in both home runs (19) and slugging percentage (.455) while occupying the ninth spot in batting average (.275), on-base percentage (.379) and scoring (6.7 runs/game).

Individually, outfielder Kevin Takeuchi leads the Trojans with a .351 batting average, ranking among the conference leaders in triples (1st, 3) and doubles (10th, 7). In addition, infielder Abbrie Covarrubias (.288) is perched atop the Big Ten with 10 stolen bases, which is tied for 54th nationally.

Takeuchi and Covarrubias are one of three players to start all 20 games for the Trojans this season, joining infielder Adrian Lopez (.301). Takeuchi and Lopez are tied for the team lead with 16 RBIs.

Elsewhere, outfielders Jack Basseer (.327) and Andrew Lamb (.263) are tied for the top spot on the squad with four home runs.

UP NEXT
San Diego State continues its road swing this weekend when it travels to the Bay Area for two non-conference games apiece against San José State (March 20-21) and Connecticut (March 21-22) at Excite Ballpark in San Jose, California.