BASEBALL

USC Baseball Needs Some Heavy Hitters To Prop It Up

After USC’s season ended with a loss at North Carolina, the media fanboys said to be positive because the future is bright.

But I wrote that day, “you have to take your chances when you have them. USC was thisclose to going to the College World Series. There are no guarantees you will return the following year.”

Well, the transfer portal is in the process of transforming the team . . . and not in a good way. Unless people change their mind, USC will lose Adrian and Augie Lopez, who combined for 32 home runs and 104 RBI last season. They already lost catcher Isaac Cadena, who started 61 of 63 games, and is transferring to Clemson. They lost pitcher Diego Velasquez (5-1), who went to LSU.

There are 13 players who entered the portal. Andy Stankiewicz is used to juggling and making things work but it really feels like he gets little support from his administration.

It feels frustrating because baseball doesn’t require anywhere near the NIL of football or basketball. Do you see UCLA losing key players to the portal? They have four players overall who left.

Look at Georgia: Today, the Bulldogs got Oregon star Naulivou Lauak, who hit 14 home runs, and Indiana first baseman Jake Hanley, the No. 2 prospect in the portal, who also hit 14 home runs.

USC is in mentioned for any of the top portal transfers. Maybe it’s time for some of those former major leaguers to get together and donate some money. USC just finished ahead of UCLA in the rankings and it feels like no one is lifting a finger.

19 thoughts on “USC Baseball Needs Some Heavy Hitters To Prop It Up”

  1. “Maybe it’s time for some of those former major leaguers to get together and donate some money.”

    Don’t hold your breath. Rarely do you see the names of former players on donor lists.

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    1. KAM: There was not one private school in the college World Series this year.

      DON: Apparently the NIL is not overcoming the scholarship difference.

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    1. “It feels like no one is lifting a finger.”

      This really is a shocker. It’s not like USC’s Athletic Department to drop the ball. Fortunately stuff like this didn’t happen under Swann or Haden.

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  4. Plow, you nailed it – few if any athletes are known for being ‘generous’. Their sense of fear of their skill set eroding with every passing year with no idea how to generate additional income is why few there be that move to help.

    It’s prudent to be cautious but perhaps if the university / coaching staff et. al. made a concerted effort to garner contributions there might be a change to garner needed NIL money especially, as noted by ‘Dave’, the cost to attend USC vs. other programs (Ucla).

    Considering the constant erosion for the baseball program as noted by Scott, something needs to be done so that what almost was accomplished this year isn’t squandered.

    While we’re at it, why isn’t the NFL made to make annual contributions to college football considering they have a ‘free’ and huge minor league system they don’t pay a cent for and makes their annual ‘amateur’ draft in a tier all by itself. They continue to squeeze every cent from viewers at home through bizarre streaming channels that continue to grab more and more games from: NBC, CBS, Fox & ABC

    Why isn’t the focus on the huge coffers of the NFL and that ‘…to the manor borne…’ of that condescending ass Goodell and the power he wields?

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    2. Rusoviet: I think giving is a cultural thing. Its a value that we learn from observing our family and community. I received an academic scholarship that covered my last two years of law school. The scholarship really helped. Consequentially, I felt an obligation to refund the scholarship and some more when I began to earn enough money to do it. I don’t understand why this obligation would not extend to athletic scholarships. You hear about football players receiving a 10 million dollar contract with a huge signing bonus and guaranteed money. I would think they should feel an obligation to give back a portion of that money, say 10%, to the college that helped train them and provided a venue to showcase their talent. But they feel no such obligation. Players like Reggie Bush act like the university owes them something for all the highlight films. Frankly, I think it is a character flaw. The multimillionaire businessmen who did not receive scholarships seem to be much more generous than the athletes and the athletes likely benefitted more from their respective colleges. I would like to see players like Bush called out for their lack to giving. The sanctions imposed on the school based on his conduct probably cost the university tens of millions in lost revenue and yet his response was to sue the university along with the NCAA. Generosity and gratitude are virtues. Mr. Bush needs to work on developing them.

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  5. KAM: What do you think the NIL range is for a good college baseball player?

    DON: $25,000 to $100,000 I’d say; after hungry football eats up all the profits that’s all that’s left

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  6. KAM: Iran will now drag its foot, it doesn’t wish to discuss anything that has to do with their unranium. For them the negotiations are over

    DON: Yeah, they pretty much got everything they wanted. But I’ll keep pressing them on the nuclear matter

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  7. KAM: I read where SC’s football players now cost the school $40-million and might one day go to $100-million

    DON: Few young men can play the game ‘properly so to the few goes much. That’s the way it works in any show biz’ stunt

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  8. DON: Speaking of show biz I bet you didn’t know that the difference in Major League Baseball between a .250 hitter and a rare .300 hitter is only about 30 more hits per year

    KAM: Right, and the .250 player gets paid in the millions while the .300 guy gets paid in the 10-millions

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  9. KAM: You see where JuJu is back with SC and doing light practices. JuJu and Jazzie would be quite the sight

    DON: Hold your horses. JuJu is still not fully recovered and there is no timeline for her return

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