Earlier this year, the Cal Poly baseball team defeated Southern California for the first time in 34 years. Tonight the Mustangs are looking to make it two in a row.
Cal Poly (32-12) will visit USC at 7 p.m. in Dedeaux Field in a non-conference game that could have postseason implications for the Mustangs.
While they moved up one slot to No. 12 in the Baseball America Top 25 poll, Cal Poly is not guaranteed a postseason spot in the NCAA Regionals.
The Trojans have one of the richest histories in college baseball, sporting 12 national championship banners and 21 College World Series appearances. USC has produced 96 major league players and owns a commanding 18-4 all-time series advantage over Cal Poly.
Junior first baseman Adam Buschini broke a 4-4 tie in the seventh inning with a two-run single to help the Mustangs beat USC on March 31 at Baggett Stadium.
If Cal Poly is to have a repeat performance against the Trojans it will have to do so without one of its most talented young players.
Freshman second baseman Matt Jensen was injured in a collision over the weekend and is expected to miss up to six weeks. Barring a long run through the regionals, Jensen is likely to miss the rest of the season.
“It’ll have a pretty big impact on us,” Mustangs head coach Larry Lee said of Jensen’s absence. “Adam Buschini is very confident about playing second base there but somewhere along the line you have to take a bat out of the lineup.”
The Mustangs have been riddled with injuries this season as multiple players have missed chunks of time including Wes Dorrell, Buschini and Ross Brayton.
“It’s been a strange year — we’ve had a lot of injuries, a lot of illnesses and we’ve weathered the storm,” Lee said. “But now we’re playing some really strong competition in the likes of Fullerton, Long Beach and Riverside.”
The Mustangs will host No. 8 Cal State Fullerton this weekend in a three-game series that could go a long way in determining whether Cal Poly is invited to the postseason for the first time in its Division I history.
Despite the big conference matchup looming, Lee said his team won’t overlook the Trojans.
“Our guys will enjoy playing at USC,” Lee said. “It’s just a matter of pitching well enough to give us a chance to win in the late innings.”