kai-smith-uci-bsb-2026-lasvegasclassic-oregon-usc-csun

Baseball Goes to USC, Starts Big West Play vs. CSUN

March 02, 2026 | By: Alex Roberts-Croteau

MIDWEEK

UC Irvine Anteaters (8-4, 0-0 Big West) at USC Trojans (11-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Dedeaux Field (2,500) - Los Angeles, Calif.
Tuesday - 6:00 PM | B1G+ | Live Stats

ON THE ROAD

Coming Up This Week

The Anteaters begin on the road in the renovated Dedeaux Field to take on USC who is 1 of 3 unbeaten schools remaining and is so far 7-0 in their rejuvenated ballpark
Big West action begins with a three-game set vs. CSUN in Anteater Ballpark

Storylines

UCI went 3-2 in a five-game week that included a shutout win, an extra-inning loss, and an eighth-inning come-from-behind victory
The 'Eaters opened some eyes going 2-1 in the prestigious Live Like Lou Las Vegas College Baseball Classic. UCI went toe-to-toe with No. 22 Vanderbilt for a 9-4 win and followed that with a five-run eighth inning to beat previously unbeaten No. 24 Oregon, 8-6
Zach Fjelstad was white-hot last week with 11 hits, four doubles, and eight RBIs in five games which included three 3-hit games, multiple RBIs in three games, and three hits that tied the game or gave UC Irvine the lead
Other top hitters included Dylan Hillman going 6-for-12, Tommy Farmer who had hits in all five games, Alonso Reyes and his .542 on-base percentage, and the offense as a whole that reached base 78 times, 40 via BB or hit by pitch
Pitching was guided by solid starts from Finnegan Wall's five scoreless inning vs. GCU, Trevor Hansen holding Vanderbilt to three runs in five innings, and Ricky Ojeda allowing two runs over seven innings vs. Oregon
The bullpen had bright performances from Ryder Brooks securing his second save and shutting out Vanderbilt for three innings, Hunter Manning collecting his first save vs. Oregon and striking out six over 3.2 innings last week, and one run over 7.1 innings between the freshman Dane Grant and fifth-year Danny Suarez

SCOUTING THE TROJANS

USC is 1 of the 3 unbeaten teams left at 11-0 through the first three weeks. The season began at home with series sweeps over Pepperdine and Rice along with a midweek win over LMU that included two run-rule wins and a seven-inning no-hitter inside the newly-renovated Dedeaux Field for the first time since 2023. USC followed that up with a road series sweep at Cal Poly having to win two games in 11 innings.

The Trojans and 'Eaters have played 76 times with UCI holding the slim edge, 39-37. USC had won three straight in the series before the 'Eaters took the most recent matchup, 12-9, after spotting the Trojans a 7-2 lead. Zach Fjelstad drove in three on two hits in that one, and UCI pitching was stabilized by Finnegan Wall (3 IP, 2 H, 0 R) and David Butler (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R) who earned the save

The offense is hitting .281 using 24 doubles to their advantage. Kevin Takeuchi (.350, 6 XBH, 11 RBI) and Abbrie Covarrubias (.349, 15 H, 16 R) have led the charge in a deep lineup. That duo is also 13-for-13 stealing bases on a team that is 18-for-23 with an on-base percentage approaching .400

Pitching has garnered the headlines with a 1.45 ERA and allowing opponents to hit just .155. Over the weekend in Cal Poly included a no-hitter that went 10.1 innings. Midweek, Chase Herrell has drawn the assignment striking out seven over 3.1 innings vs. LMU before going five shutout over Cal Poly in the opener of their four-game set. Other notable arms for Tuesday include Gavin Lauridsen (9 IP, ER, 3 BB, 7 K) and Adam Troy (8 IP, 3 ER, 3 BB, 15 K) who have combined for their five saves, and four others that have two scoreless outings under their belts

SCOUTING THE MATADORS

CSUN comes to Anteater Ballpark to open Big West play this weekend. They've started 6-5 sweeping Seattle U at home then dropping 2 of 3 at Saint Mary's and vs. Western Michigan with midweeks mixed in losing to Portland and winning at CBU. They will entertain Michigan on Tuesday.

The Matadors and Anteaters have met 96 times before with UCI holding the 57-39 lead. UCI has had much more success on home soil going 31-12. UCI has won 5 of 6 over the last two seasons including two of three in the last home series coming from behind on Senior Day last time to do it

The offense is hitting .255 to this point with 22 long balls leading the way in a streaky offense that's scored double digits four times and been held to one or fewer three times. Matthew Thomas (.359, 6 HR, 11 RBI), Kyle Panganiban (.308, 5 HR, 15 RBI), and Matthew Pena (6 HR, 12 RBI) make a formidable trio.

Pitching has dealt a 6.25 ERA without needing the strikeout too much, only 73 in 95 innings. Closer James Voorhies (1.04, 8.2 IP, BB, 14 K) has the best numbers while Zach Johnson (2-1, 9.2 IP) has had a say in multiple decisions

Print Friendly Version