A journey to Corvallis, Ore., was far closer to the College World Series than USC had gotten in recent seasons, but it still wasn’t Omaha, Neb.
“One of the main reasons I wanted to come to ‘SC was to go to Omaha,” Trojans All-America right-hander Ian Kennedy said. “We came so close. We were one game, two runs away.
“That really showed us how close we were to making it, and we’re extremely hungry for it.”
USC, which opens the regular season Friday against Long Beach State, barely tasted success in the two seasons before its run to a super regional showdown that Oregon State won in three games. The Trojans’ 41-22 record was a vast improvement over their combined 52-60 mark for 2003 and 2004, when the postseason was well out of reach and Omaha simply was a dream.
But Coach Mike Gillespie said the confidence USC gained last season could prove important this year when the Trojans will try to return to the College World Series for the first time since 2001.
“I think this is a good team, maybe with a high ceiling,” said Gillespie, who is entering his 20th season since replacing Rod Dedeaux. “They all do feel a little more confident this season because of what we did last year.
“We need to build on that.”
The building will be done on the foundation provided by Kennedy, the La Quinta High graduate who is one of the most dominant Friday starters in the nation. He also has assumed some leadership responsibilities since the departures of catcher Jeff Clement and third baseman Billy Hart, who left after last June’s draft.
“You can tell that the younger guys kind of look up to you now,” said Kennedy, a junior who is projected as a first-round selection in June. “It’s kind of cool.
“I just need to lead by the work I do and how I am off the field. I don’t go out. I don’t party. It’s time to work.”
“We know what Kennedy is, and it’s clear that every time he goes out there we have a chance to win,” Gillespie said.
The Trojans’ rotation beyond Kennedy has been rebuilt, but they still have clutch closer Paul Koss (Orange Lutheran High), who had 14 saves and a 2.81 ERA last season.
Pitching could be essential for a team with little obvious power since the loss of Clement. The Trojans should hit for average but Gillespie is abundantly aware of the need to manufacture runs rather than sit back and wait for three-run blasts.
“I do believe that we can send a lineup of three tough outs up there,” Gillespie said. “We just don’t have the power or the speed that we’d like.”
That eventually could make it tough for the Trojans to climb all the way back to the top, but the Trojans are loaded with experience and depth that could help them take a step beyond last season.
“Most of our team is back from a group that did some nice things,” Gillespie said. “We really like this team.”
