Maddox Riske, who started 43 of USC’s 66 games at shortstop, has entered the transfer portal.

His role diminished the final month of the season as he struggled offesively. He committed only two errors all season. The play most fans will remember is the foul ball he did not catch in the ninh inning against North Carolina.

Pitcher Gavin Lauridsen, who was 3-1 with a 4.73 ERA, also entered the portal. He pitched 45.2 innings this season.

Now here is the thing: It’s normal to lose players to the transfer portal but . . . you have to replace them!

Some players leave because they don’t think they will start next year but they still provide depth and you don’t know what’ll happen next season. Some players improve, etc. But the roster needs to be at least as strong as this season. USC is losing some pitchers who provided nice depth to the staff.

USC will never be Georgia, apparently, who just picked up a commitment from the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, Mikey Bell, of Gonzaga. Georgia is getting players while they play in Omaha. Imagine that.

• Speaking of Georgia, former USC track coach Caryl Smith-Gilbert just led the Bulldogs to their second straight NCAA women’s title. She famously left USC when Mike Bohn would not make a counter-offer to Georgia and went to then-President Carol Folt but to no avail.

I’m not criticizing USC here because it doesn’t make sense to pay a track coach $585,000, which is what she makes at Georgia. And she could be hard on co-workers, firing 7-8 assistant coaches in her eight years at USC.

• USC has received a commitment from three-star linebacker Dylan Wafle, the younger brother of much-hyped freshman defensive lineman Luke Wafle. Dylan chose USC over Boston College, Duke and Central Florida.